International Bright Young Things

This is what thoroughbred flat racing is all about. At 3:40 Wednesday, the elite of the Classic generation go head-to-head on York’s famed Knavesmire, the most level playing field available among Britain’s array of racecourses, for a renewal of the G1 Juddmonte International S. untroubled by the vagaries of the English summer.

It was an almost predictable weather shift which denied the country the chance to see its new darling Golden Horn (GB) (Cape Cross {Ire}) again in the G1 King George VI and Queen Elizabeth S. at Ascot at the end of last month, but Berkshire’s loss was always going to be Yorkshire’s gain, as Anthony Oppenheimer set the sights of the unbeaten G1 Epsom Derby and G1 Eclipse S. hero on this ideal test.

Fortunately for York’s executives and racing fans around the globe, the inclemency of the European summer has also led Gleneagles (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) to this less-obvious pathway to potential immortality. With the G1 Sussex S. and G1 Prix Jacques le Marois off his program due to cloudbursts, Ballydoyle’s ground-dependent G1 English and Irish 2000 Guineas and G1 St James’s Palace S. has come to this examination of his class and stamina almost by happy accident. Golden Horn’s owner-breeder is feeling the tension.

“The horse is very well. I went to see him on Friday and he looked marvelous,” Oppenheimer said. “It’s easy to say anything, but one really doesn’t know if this is his greatest challenge. All we know is that it looks to be a terribly exciting race and we’re glad to be part of it. Gleneagles is a very good horse and I’m sure he’ll stay. I’m sure they would have liked to have kept him at a mile if they could, but the ground has gone against him.”

Aidan O’Brien echoed those sentiments as he pondered the plan B for Gleneagles.

“He’s in good form and we’re very happy with him, obviously he’s missed a few engagements,” the Ballydoyle conditioner commented. “We trained him for Goodwood, but the ground just wasn’t right for him. Then we thought we might go to France. We’re delighted with him and looking forward to it and delighted the lads agreed to let him take his chance. He’s a horse that shows a lot of speed at home and we always thought a mile was his trip, but I suppose he needs to get out. It’s a run for him and we’ll learn a lot about him. On good fast ground, a mile and a quarter there would be a good race for him.”

Time To Take the Test…

In any other year, all the talk would be about Khalid Abdullah’s rapidly progressive Time Test (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) facing up to his most important exacting challenge having captured many an imagination so far in a light 2015 campaign. Untried in the Classics, the sponsors’ son of the highly talented Passage of Time (GB) (Dansili {GB}) swaggered to success in Newbury’s London Gold Cup H. May 16 and Royal Ascot’s G3 Tercentenary S. June 18 and on a tenuous line through the latter race’s runner-up Peacock (GB) (Paco Boy {Ire}) is not far behind Golden Horn. Trainer Roger Charlton is customarily realistic about the bay’s prospects in such company, but the fact that he has pointed him here suggests he should be taken seriously.

“I have huge respect for Golden Horn, Gleneagles and The Grey Gatsby (Ire) (Mastercraftsman {Ire}),” he said. “They are all very high-class Classic winners who have won eight Group 1 races between them. It is very good news that there is a guaranteed strong pace, as it would have been tough for Golden Horn to make the running again and we need to try to stretch Gleneagles’ stamina. Whatever wins will clearly be the best three-year-old in Europe.”

Jockey Pat Smullen has excelled in a stellar 2015 and is poised to enjoy another big day on Time Test.

“He’s a very exciting horse for the future. It’s a big step up for him in what looks like being the race of the year, but connections are very sweet on him and I was taken by the way he quickened at Ascot and I’m really looking forward to the ride,” the jockey said. “He looked a Group 1 horse all over on the day [at Royal Ascot]. It rode like a good race, but he was electric. He’s going to take on the two biggest guns that are around at the moment and don’t forget The Grey Gatsby, but I’m really excited about the ride on this horse and hopefully he can make the step up.”

Second to Australia (GB) (Galileo {Ire}) when perhaps not fully-cooked 12 months ago, The Grey Gatsby has a clear liking for this track at which he first sprang to prominence when winning the G2 Dante S. last May. Second to Golden Horn in the Eclipse, he is marginally better off on the weight-for-age scale this time and trainer Kevin Ryan is keen to try again.

“The horse is in great form. It deserves to have the best horses there and it’s going to be a very exciting race,” he said. “Golden Horn is going to be a hard horse to beat. He’s a great racehorse and he’s proven he’s top class. If we can’t beat him, let’s hope we give him a race. The Grey Gatsby has got a great turn of foot, so hopefully it will be a true-run race.”

On the fringes is another Tabor runner in Cougar Mountain (Ire) (Fastnet Rock {Aus}), who has improvement to find on his fourth in the Eclipse but who at least comes here on the back of a confidence-boosting win in Leopardstown’s G3 Desmond S. Aug. 13.