Golden Pal could have a battle in Nunthorpe Stakes

Wesley Ward has been saying all season that Golden Pal might turn out to be the best horse he’s ever trained, but Golden Pal as of Wednesday wasn’t even the antepost favorite for Friday’s Group 1 Nunthorpe Stakes over five furlongs at York.

Suesa, a France-based 3-year-old filly trained by Francois Rohaut, carried the mantle of early Nunthorpe favorite, a position based on a series of glittering performances over quicker ground. Suesa was eighth at Royal Ascot in the Commonwealth, where the Ward-trained filly Campanelle won by disqualification, but heavy ground did her in that day, and in her most recent race, Suesa easily defeated Dragon Symbol, the horse that finished in front of Campanelle at Ascot.

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As for Golden Pal, he’s raced once this year, crushing an overmatched group in the Quick Call at Saratoga. Frankie Dettori rides Golden Pal in the five-furlong Nunthorpe, a Breeders’ Cup Challenge race linked to the BC Turf Sprint, but if the bettors are right, Dettori and his fast colt will have a fight on their hands.