Golden Opportunity

With just four older horses lining up to test his mettle in what has long been known as the “first clash of the generations” in Saturday's G1 Coral-Eclipse at Sandown, the path is clear for Golden Horn (GB) (Cape Cross {Ire}) to extend his autocracy into the wider sphere. A week after the dominating display of his stable companion Jack Hobbs (GB) (Halling) in an Irish Derby that only served to confirm the gravity of the latest renewal of Epsom's blue riband, Anthony Oppenheimer's bay has that unbeatable aura around him as he lines up in Esher's prize contest. With that barnmate 3 1/2 lengths behind in the June 6 Classic and the Irish Derby second and third Storm the Stars (Sea the Stars {Ire}) and Giovanni Canaletto (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) much further adrift, there is no denying that he sets a lofty standard, especially as he enjoys an 11-pound weight-for-age pull with this trio of 4-year-olds and one 7-year-old. Trainer John Gosden is taking nothing for granted, however. “I think the odds are a little bit unusual and I don't think they're representative of the chances the other horses have,” he said. “I've no illusions about it. It's a mile and a quarter on a track that can favor front-runners and against older horses. I've bags of respect for those horses and nothing is a given. Any horse can get beaten, it happened to Nijinsky, Kingman in the Guineas; I'm never going to let that worry me.” Despite his caution, Gosden is happy with how the homebred is coming into this challenge. “He has a good constitution–his favorite two occupations are eating and sleeping,” the conditioner added. “There's no harm in that. He's quite relaxed and quite lazy sometimes in his work. He's lazy in his races sometimes as well, but he's a grand horse.” 

Anthony Oppenheimer is another who is not treating the race as a penalty kick and added, “I believe he is developing and I believe he's going extremely well, so I think it's going to be a fantastic race. When you get only four or five runners then it's completely tactical, but it could be one of the most exciting races you'll see all year. It's anybody's race. The betting is mad. They should all be almost the same price.” As for future targets for the star sophomore, Oppenheimer added, “The G1 King George VI and Queen Elizabeth S. [at Ascot July 25] is certainly on the agenda. We haven't got to the bottom of him, so I'll be disappointed if he doesn't run in the King George.” 

Best of his rivals on form is The Grey Gatsby (Ire) (Mastercraftsman {Ire}), who has been in the position of being the under-rated underdog before and he arguably upset as heavyweight a Derby winner as Golden Horn in September when getting the better of Australia (GB) (Galileo {Ire}) in the G1 Irish Champion S. at Leopardstown. Last year's G1 Prix du Jockey Club hero has failed to set the world alight so far in 2015, with a second to Solow (GB) (Singspiel {Ire}) in the G1 Dubai Turf at Meydan Mar. 28 followed by a below-par fourth in the G1 Tattersalls Gold Cup at The Curragh May 24. Back to something like his best fitted with first-time cheekpieces when a seemingly unlucky second to Free Eagle (Ire) (High Chaparral {Ire}) in Royal Ascot's G1 Prince of Wales's S. last time June 17, Frank Gillespie's colt holds Sandown specialist Western Hymn (GB) (High Chaparral {Ire}) on that form. Trainer Kevin Ryan's son Adam Ryan commented, “The Grey Gatsby has come out of Royal Ascot fantastically well–he was bucking and squealing the very next day. He has his own idiosyncrasies, but the course at Sandown should not be a problem. He's such a fluid mover that he's at his best on good ground; soft ground blunts his turn of foot. The quicker the better for him. It's going to be very hard work for him trying to give 11 pounds to Golden Horn, who looked very special in the Dante and even better in the Derby. To do that in any sort of race is tough enough, but to do that in a Group 1 against a horse that looks fairly special is a tough ask and it will probably take a career-best effort to beat him.” 

Golden Horn's stable companion Western Hymn is unbeaten over this track and trip, with his three visits yielding wins in the G3 Classic Trial last April, the G3 Gordon Richards S. Apr. 24 and G3 Brigadier Gerard S. May 28 prior to his third at the Royal meeting. He proved on the last two occasions that he handles quicker ground, but would hold stronger claims if this was staged on his favored soft. “He clearly likes Sandown and he's in good form,” Gosden said. “He could probably have done with the thunderstorms that were forecast, but failed to materialize. He has won on good-to-firm, but easier ground might have inconvenienced others more than him.” 

Michael Tabor's Cougar Mountain (Ire) (Fastnet Rock {Aus}) remains relatively unexposed from Ballydoyle and made a significant jump forward when a staying-on third in the G1 Queen Anne S. over a mile at Royal Ascot last time June 16. Thought speedy enough to contest the G1 Nunthorpe S. over five furlongs at York in August after finishing a close-up fifth in the G1 July Cup on only his second start at Newmarket a month previously, the bay is an intriguing contender upped to this trip for the first time.