Ante-post favourite Field Of Gold (Ire) (Kingman {GB}) could be Juddmonte's sole representative in the Betfred 2,000 Guineas at Newmarket, Barry Mahon revealed on Wednesday.
Trained by John and Thady Gosden, Field Of Gold is currently one of four entries for Juddmonte in the first British Classic of the season, alongside stable-mate Detain (Ire) (Wootton Bassett {GB}), Andrew Balding's G3 Greenham Stakes winner Jonquil (GB) (Lope De Vega {Ire}) and the unbeaten Cosmic Year (GB) (Kingman {GB}), who made it two from two for the Harry Charlton yard when recently winning a Kempton novice by five lengths.
Mahon had previously intimated that the Juddmonte team wouldn't be afraid to run more than one of their exciting colts at Newmarket on Saturday, May 3. However, that now appears increasingly unlikely as the major owner-breeder operation shuffles its pack, with Field Of Gold the only confirmed runner in the 2,000 Guineas following his impressive victory in last week's G3 Craven Stakes over the same course and distance.
“They're all left in and I think current plans are roughly that Field Of Gold will go to Newmarket and we're on weather-watch with the rest of them,” said Mahon, Juddmonte's European racing manager.
“Jonquil and Detain are both loosely pencilled in to go to ParisLongchamp [for the Poule d'Essai des Poulains] the following weekend and Cosmic Year could go to the King Charles II on the Friday of the Guineas meeting in Newmarket, with a view to maybe going to the Irish Guineas after that. That's roughly where we're at but, if it looked like France was getting a lot of rain, like they are at the minute, we could divert Jonquil back to Newmarket.
“We just think Longchamp would set up nicely for him and because last year he bounced when making a quick reappearance, Andrew was keen to give him the extra week. If it looked like it was going to be good ground in France, we'll go there, and if not we'll pull back into Newmarket.”
Mahon also issued a positive bulletin on two of Juddmonte's leading fillies, with Red Letter (GB) (Frankel {GB}) on course to make her seasonal reappearance in the Betfred 1,000 Guineas at Newmarket on Sunday, May 4, before last week's G3 Nell Gwyn Stakes heroine Zanzoun (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) more than likely runs in the Poule d'Essai des Pouliches the following weekend.
“She is still on course for Newmarket,” Mahon said of Red Letter. “She's in good form and Ger [Lyons] is happy with her. She's very much on track.
“I think we're still leaning towards Longchamp with Zanzoun. Maybe if there was a deluge of rain in Newmarket, which nobody is telling me there's going to be, we might look at supplementing her, but I think we'll be sticking to Plan A and that is France.”
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