Night of Thunder leads largest ever field for Lockinge

The Group 1 Lockinge Stakes on Saturday at Newbury in England did not draw American Horse of the Year California Chrome, who when he first arrived in England after the Dubai World Cup, was announced as a probable runner, but he may be one of the few high-quality older horses in England not entered in the race.

The Lockinge, at one mile over a straight course, drew 18 entrants, the most in the race’s history, vast numbers lured by a purse increase from about $338,000 last year to about $552,000 this year, thanks to new sponsor Al Shaqab Racing.

Despite the huge field, the Lockinge has a defined favorite, Night of Thunder, who is set to make his 4-year-old debut for trainer Richard Hannon Jr. Night of Thunder was among the best milers in Europe last year, though he won just once in six starts, scoring an upset over Kingman in the English 2000 Guineas. Kingman went on to beat him in the St. James’s Palace Stakes, Night of Thunder failed to stretch out to 1 1/4 miles in the Eclipse Stakes, and he then ran into the sharp Freddie Head-trained Charm Spirit in the Prix du Moulin de Longchamp and in his season-ending second in the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes.

Night of Thunder’s stablemate, Toormore, also makes his 2015 bow, and he appears a cut below Night of Thunder’s best form. The mare Integral had her moments last year, while 6-year-old Custom Cut won five in a row during the second part of last year before finishing eighth in the Queen Elizabeth II. He returned to the winner’s circle last month capturing the Group 2 Sandown Mile over a lesser group than he meets Saturday.

Golden Horn favored for English Derby, may not run

Golden Horn ran out an impressive 2 3/4-length win of the Dante Stakes on Thursday at York, followed home by a second John Gosden-trained colt, Jack Hobbs, and the performance was eye-catching enough that overseas bookmakers pushed Golden Horn to the head of the antepost market for the English Derby.

The issue, however, is that Golden Horn was not nominated to the Derby and would have to be supplemented to the race at a cost of about $118,000. No decision has been made by Golden Horn’s connections, though in remarks to the English press after the Dante, Gosden seemed more interested in making a Derby push than did Oppenheimer, who expressed concerns over Golden Horn’s ability to stay the Derby’s testing 1 1/2 miles.

Golden Horn, by Cape Cross, had no difficulty seeing out the one-mile, two-furlongs, 88-yard trip in the Dante, rolling home from the back of the field to win going away, winning for the second time in as many starts. Jack Hobbs, who was shorter priced in the betting, could not finish with Golden Horn but was easily second best, beating the third-place Elm Park by more than three lengths.

The Aidan O’Brien-trained pair of Ol’ Man River and John F Kennedy brought up the rear of the seven-horse field, both horses having failed this year to live up to considerable hype and leaving O’Brien with a weak hand for this year’s Derby.