Jockey Kieran Shoemark© Photo Healy Racing
Impressive Newmarket maiden winner Field Of Gold is an exciting name among the 15 entered for Saturday’s Sky Bet Solario Stakes at Sandown.
He finished third behind Stonehenge Stakes winner New Century on debut at Doncaster, before the Juddmonte-owned son of Kingman – who cost €530,000 as a foal – went on to sparkle on the July course on his second start, galloping clear of his rivals in the hands of Kieran Shoemark.
Trained by John and Thady Gosden, the youngster could now bid to emulate his sire by winning the Group Three event, while also enhancing the Gosden team’s fine record in the race.
John Gosden has won the seven-furlong event not only with Kingman in the past, but also the likes of Raven’s Pass and Too Darn Hot. Clarehaven’s most recent victory in the contest came with Thady also on the training licence thanks to Reach For The Moon in 2021.
Clarehaven can account for a joint-record six Solario Stakes winners in total, with Field Of Gold able to take the Newmarket team ahead of the great Sir Henry Cecil if making it a magnificent seven in Esher.
“Field Of Gold is in great shape and he will head for the Solario,” said Barry Mahon, European racing manager of Juddmonte.
“John and Thady both feel he has done very well since he won his maiden and while we did look at the Acomb, I think John just felt this was a better fit to roll into some of the better races in the autumn.
“We’re heading for Sandown with him and hopefully he will run a good race and that will leave us on track for the autumn.”
Remarkably, this prize is one to elude Aidan O’Brien and he could be represented by dual Tipperary winner and Tyros Stakes third Surpass, while his son Joseph O’Brien has entered Midnight Strike – one of two possible runners for owners Teme Valley alongside Charlie Hills’ Haydock winner Victory Sound.
Angel Hunter is one of three entries for Richard Hannon fresh off the back of his Ebor Festival success at York, while two-time scorer Linwood is also part of the Everleigh handler’s trio.
Hugo Palmer saddled Aktabantay to win this in 2014 and 10 years later returns to Sandown with Seagulls Eleven, his Superlative Stakes runner-up who is owned by a collection of Brighton &; Hove Albion players, fronted by James Milner.
Ralph Beckett’s Matauri Bay could take a step up to stakes company after catching the eye on debut at Leicester, while similar applies to George Boughey’s easy Newmarket scorer Asuka and Andrew Balding’s commanding Salisbury winner Royal Playwright.
There is also 15 in the other Group Three action on the card, the Sky Bet Atalanta Stakes, with David Menuisier’s Prix de Diane third Tamfana, the Gosdens’ course-and-distance winner Spiritual and the Al Shaqab-owned Royal Ascot heroine Doha all featuring.
