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Field Of Gold proved he was top of the three-year-old milers when running out a facile winner of the St James’s Palace Stakes on Tuesday.
Emulating his sire Kingman, who also suffered defeat in Newmarket’s 2000 Guineas before claiming the Irish 2000 Guineas and St James’s Palace Stakes in 2014, Field Of Gold proved he was much the best of this year’s Guineas generation when leaving both his HQ conqueror Ruling Court and French victor Henri Matisse trailing in his wake.
United with Juddmonte’s new retained rider Colin Keane once more, John and Thady Gosden’s striking grey travelled powerfully off the pace before moving ominously into contention at the three pole.
Forcefully angled out between rivals by Keane, the well-backed 8/11 favourite produced an electric turn of foot to strike the front, leaving both Ruling Court and Henri Matisse, both Classic winners in their own right, standing still.
Henri Matisse set off in hot pursuit down the Ascot straight, but in all truth, he was chasing the shadows of the galloping grey, who with every stride continued to impress, pulling further clear to record a resounding victory of three and a half lengths.
Aidan O’Brien’s French Guineas hero finished best of the rest to claim the runner-up spot, while Ruling Court, who was outpaced from an early stage and bustled along by Buick passing the five-furlong marker, had to settle for third.
“That was a great performance,” said Gosden. “Oisin (Murphy) did a nice job going an even pace [on Windlord].
“Colin had a lot of horse and, for a second, I thought, ‘Whoops, this is Ascot – it climbs all the way to the finish line, and we’ve gone a bit soon’. I didn’t watch him, I looked back – you always have to look back for the dangers, and fortunately, none were coming.
“Field Of Gold had always impressed as a two-year-old, but he was a big boy and slightly outgrew himself. We ran him in France, which was a mistake in the end. It wasn’t the ground. He was too free in front and didn’t finish up. We should have run him in the Dewhurst, I regret that.
“Then this year he has been exemplary in everything he has done. He is a pleasure to train because he’s a pretty laid-back character, which is very useful. It was never the plan to go to Ireland, it became the plan, so he’s had a trial, two Guineas and this. It’s a lot of racing and we’re not even halfway through the season.”
Paddy Power slashed the winner to even-money (from 4s) for the Sussex Stakes, with Gosden revealing that would be his likely target rather than stepping up to ten furlongs for the Eclipse Stakes.
He added: “Maybe we will freshen and go to the Sussex. I think if he hadn’t run in Ireland, I would have probably been keen to go to the Eclipse.
“When they win like that, they make it look easy, but they are taking a lot out of themselves, so I wouldn’t want to be seen as someone trying to run him back in the Eclipse quick off this.”
Keane, who was tasting Group 1 success for the first time since being appointed retained rider for owners Juddmonte, said: “Good horses make it look easy. He made it look easy at the Curragh, and he did again today.
"I was beside the three main rivals. I thought Ryan was always going to be behind us somewhere. If anything, the leaders probably didn't bring us far enough and we got there plenty soon, but he's tough and genuine.
"I am fortunate enough to be riding him, and, at this moment, he is the best horse I have sat on. I am in a very privileged position. I have been lucky enough to join this team. It is a very new relationship and to get a horse like him so early on is amazing. I've had nothing compared to this in recent years, so it's a very special day."
