Desire To Spread His Wings At Epsom

Wings Of Desire | Racing Post

John Gosden plans to give Wings Of Desire (GB) (Pivotal [GB}) a taste of Epsom Racecourse before a planned bid for the G1 Investec Epsom Derby June 4. A racecourse gallop around the unique contours of the course at next Tuesday's Breakfast With the Stars morning will hopefully convince Gosden that Lady Bamford's homebred will be worth supplementing for the Classic at a cost of £75,000. Gosden originally took the colt out of the Derby in early March as the he had not even made his racecourse debut at that stage. Appearing for the first time at Newmarket Apr. 16 he ran an encouraging third before easily opening his account at Wolverhampton 10 days later, the same course where Gosden's G1 Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby winner Jack Hobbs (GB) (Halling) broke his maiden. Gosden still had the G2 King Edward VII S. at Royal Ascot in mind but such was the quality of his G2 Betfred Dante S. victory at York last week that the Derby is back firmly on the agenda. “It's very exciting,” said Gosden. “The conservative thing to do would be to go for the King Edward and if he'd finished third in the Dante, that's probably what we'd have done. But he wins the Dante, and if you win the Dante you go for the Derby. The owners are very clear what they want. He's earned the money and now we're giving it back again,” added the trainer.

Though he is by a sprinter in Pivotal (GB) (Polar Falcon) Gosden has absolutely no concerns about Wings Of Desire's ability to get the Derby trip. “Wings Of Desire is every inch a mile and a half horse and it will be his best trip. If things go well at Epsom, we will probably put him away for the [G1] King George at Ascot [Jul. 23]. He is a proper mile and a half horse like his full brother Eagle Top (GB). Touch wood he looks great and has taken everything in his stride.”

 

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