Field Of Gold has the potential to be a leading Classic contender © Photo Healy Racing
Field Of Gold has the chance to firmly put himself in the equation for next year’s Classics when going for Qatar Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere glory at ParisLongchamp on Sunday.
John and Thady Gosden’s youngster cost owners Juddmonte €530,000 as a yearling, which looked money well spent by the way he claimed Sandown’s Solario Stakes earlier in the season.
This event was immediately highlighted as the perfect spot to test the Kingman colt’s credentials at Group One level and connections head to the French capital buoyed by Solario third Royal Playwright’s performance in the Royal Lodge, which gives the Esher Group Three event a useful look.
“He’s in good form and he’s a very promising colt,” said Barry Mahon, European racing manager for Juddmonte.
“I thought he did it very well in the Solario and the form of the race seems to be working out with Royal Playwright running so well in the Royal Lodge. John and Thady seem happy with him and it is all systems go.”
Also heading to Paris with next year on their mind are connections of Rashabar, Brian Meehan’s surprise Coventry Stakes winner, who proved that Royal Ascot performance was no fluke when going close in the Prix Morny.
He got within a length of Whistlejacket from an unhelpful draw at Deauville and the Manton Thoroughbreds-owned raider now steps up to seven furlongs with his team optimistic of a bold showing.
“I kind of felt that if the draw had been a little less biased towards the winner then we would have been a lot closer in the Morny – not that we weren’t close already,” said Sam Sangster of Manton Thoroughbreds.
“He’s out of a Camelot mare and after looking at his pedigree and chatting to Billy (Loughnane) and Sean (Levey), neither were concerned about whatever the ground was going to turn up like on Sunday.
“We’re coming into the race with a lot of confidence and he is working very well and whatever he does this weekend, he has a really big future next year ahead of him.”
Aidan O’Brien will saddle both National Stakes runner-up Henri Matisse and the battle-hardened Camille Pissarro in search of his ninth victory in the Lagardere, while son Joseph runs Cowardofthecounty, who accounted for Christopher Head’s reopposing Houquetot at Deauville in the summer.
That is the only defeat in the Al Shaqab-owned youngster’s season and he is one of the leading French hopes, alongside Mario Baratti’s Misunderstood, having regained the winning thread in the Prix La Rochette.
Rupert Pritchard-Gordon, Al Shaqab’s French racing consultant, said: “He has thrived for racing throughout the season and he’s never looked as well as he did when winning the other week at Longchamp.
“Christopher has always had this plan in mind and said to go to Deuaville after he won his first two starts and then run in the La Rochette as well. This has always been the plan and luckily the horse has been able to take everything we’ve asked in his stride.
“Christopher and his team are very happy. It’s going to be a tough, tough race. He’s entitled to be there, he’s done nothing wrong and he’s now got plenty of experience as well which I think will be a help in a race like that.
“The only slight issue is being drawn 10 of 10 which wouldn’t probably have been the choice but you have got to deal with the cards you are given and I think he goes there with an each-way chance.”
Supplemented La Rochette runner-up Heybetli (Alicja Karkosa), Revolutionnaire (Francis-Henri Graffard) and Tiego The First (Pia and Joakim Brandt) are the other runners.
