Stats Guide: Golden Gates Stakes

Last year’s race

Winner: Missed The Cut
Jockey: James McDonald
Trainer: George Boughey
Owner: Mr Ed Babington
Age: 3
Weight: 9st 3lbs
Starting Price: 5/2
Season Form Figures: 411
Previous Best: 1st - Class 5 Novice, Salisbury (May 2022)

By Paul Jones

This will be the fourth running of this handicap over 1m2f for three-year-olds rated 0-105 (though horses rated 106-107 are also eligible), so trends still need time to bed in.

So far, horses drawn high have fared best. Last season the 1-2-3 were drawn 15+, and the previous two winners were drawn 13 and 16.

The first running was won by the Paul and Oliver Cole-trained top-weight Highland Chief, who was drawn widest of all in stall 16 and went on to contest the Derby, which took place a month later than normal. He then went on to be trained in America, where he won the Grade 1 Man O’ War Stakes at Belmont Park.

Although the top weight showed his class in the inaugural running, it was a very different story 12 months later, as the second running saw four of the five bottom weights finish in the first five places. But again, it was a wide, high draw that was overcame, as Foxes Tales was drawn one from the outside in stall 13 of 14, coming from last to first to score by a little over 2 lengths. Highland Chief also came from the rear to win.

Missed The Cut justified 5/2 favouritism in the third and most recent running before winning in Listed company, so all three winners went on to succeed at a higher level.

There were previously three other three-year-old handicaps at Royal Ascot (Britannia, Sandringham and King George V) and the two stables to have cumulatively fared best in those are Mark and Charlie Johnston and John and Thady Gosden, with nine and eight winners respectively.

At a glance summary

Positives:
Drawn high

Negatives:
None