A week later than expected, the 8-year-old gelding Private Eye will be favored to win a Group 2 sprint in Australia in Friday’s $196,300 P.B. Lawrence Stakes at Caulfield. He faces a field that includes three former North American-based mares.
Dusseldorf | Race 5: Preis der Diana ‐ German Oaks
I’m looking forward to the trip to Dusseldorf on Sunday for the German Oaks.
GARDEN OF EDEN has improved throughout the season, especially as she’s gone up in trip.
She was a good winner at Naas (2100m) and then followed that up nicely at Ascot over further in the Ribblesdale Stakes (2400m). That form gives her leading claims in here.
Fallen Angel, winning at the Group 1 level for the first time in 14 months, captured the Group 1 Prix Rothschild by a head Sunday at Deauville Racecourse.
The early leader in the Rothschild, a straight-course mile for fillies and mares, Fallen Angel was headed inside the final furlong by favored January but came back and eked out a narrow victory, her first top-level score since the Irish 1000 Guineas in late May 2024.
The German-bred filly Matilda finished fifth at 19-1 debuting March 30 at Cologne in a conditions race. Two starts and four months later, much has changed – including her owner, trainer, and jockey, and country of residence.
At odds of 9-1, Matilda romped second time out in another Cologne conditions race, and at 25-1 on May 18, she absolutely crushed eight rivals, six of them colts, in the Group 2 German 2000 Guineas. Tracking the leader in a one-turn mile, Matilda took command in midstretch and powered to a 6 1/2-length victory.
Goodwood | Race 1: 3yo Handicap
This is one of those typically competitive Goodwood handicaps over a mile and a quarter (2000m) for three-year-olds. I ride PAROLE D’ORO for Michael Bell. He didn’t run badly in the Britannia at Royal Ascot and was then beaten a short-head in a mile (1600m) handicap at Newmarket’s July meeting. He steps up a couple of furlongs here (400m) and hopefully that will bring about some more improvement.
Qirat, a 150-1 shot in England and a mere 61-1 on the American tote board, scored a shock upset Wednesday in the Group 1 Sussex Stakes at Goodwood Racecourse.
Trained by Ralph Beckett, Qirat is a Juddmonte Farms homebred whose entry in the one-mile Sussex had as much to do with the Juddmonte homebred Field of Gold, the odds-on Sussex favorite trained by John and Thady Gosden, than his own participation. Qirat had other ideas, stepping outside his role a bit player to steal the Sussex show, holding clear a strong finish from Rosallion to win by a neck.
Goodwood | Race 1: 3yo 0-105 Handicap
My first ride on Wednesday is OMNI MAN for Joseph [O’Brien]. I haven’t ridden him before, but he was a very good fifth in the King George V Stakes at Royal Ascot. He was impressive at Roscommon the time before that, winning by 7½ lengths. He has some decent form, is lightly raced, and has improved for stepping up in trip. This is probably a similar type of race to Royal Ascot, although it’s a smaller field than you’d normally get. I’d say he has leading claims.
Field of Gold won his 3-year-old debut April 16 as the most tepid of favorites in the Group 3 Craven Stakes. Three months later, the betting markets say it’s not a question of whether Field of Gold wins the Group 1 Sussex Stakes on Wednesday at Goodwood, but by how many lengths.
