England: Kingman wins 2000 Guineas prep

Kingman vaulted to the fore of the future book for the English 2000 Guineas on May 3 with an easy win in Saturday’s $100,200 Greenham Stakes for 3-year-olds at Newbury, England.

Kingman won the Group 3 Greenham Stakes over seven furlongs on a straightaway course by 4 1/2 lengths over Night of Thunder. Ridden by James Doyle, Kingman stalked the pace before taking the lead in the final furlong. Night of Thunder, an 11-4 shot, finished 2 3/4 lengths in front of 80-1 Master Carpenter in the field of 10.

Kingman races for Juddmonte Farms and trainer John Gosden. By Invincible Spirit, Kingman made his first start of 2014 in the Greenham. Kingman won twice at 2, including the Group 3 Solario Stakes, but was sidelined at the end of last summer to have a bone chip removed.

The English 2000 Guineas is at Newmarket Racecourse on May 3. After the Greenham, Kingman was the 7-4 favorite to win the one-mile 2000 Guineas.

On the same program at Newbury, J Wonder (4-1) outfinished 11-4 favorite Al Thakhira to win the Group 3 Dubai Duty Free Stakes for 3-year-old fillies, a prep for the English 1000 Guineas at Newmarket on May 4.

The $100,200 Dubai Duty Free Stakes over seven furlongs was the first stakes win for J Wonder, a Footstepsinthesand filly who races for Andrew Rosen and trainer Brian Meehan. Al Thakhira, the winner of the Group 2 Rockfel Stakes last September, was last of 14 in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf at Santa Anita last November.

*In Saturday’s $338,000 Scottish Grand National steeplechase, Al Co overcame an erratic run in the final strides to record a 40-1 upset.

Al Co, ridden by Jamie Moore, was clear at the last but ducked to the right near the finish. The 9-year-old gelding finished 1 1-2 lengths in front of Godsmejudge in the race over 4 1-16 miles.