Can Field Of Gold follow in the footsteps of Too Darn Hot and Kingman and land Solario for the Gosden stable?

A Juddmonte-owned juvenile with a wide-margin Newmarket maiden success for John and Thady Gosden on his CV will invariably be popular for a race like the Solario. The reasons to fancy Field Of Gold are plentiful.

He has the right connections, right pedigree and right future entries (namely the Dewhurst). Racing Post Ratings agree with the market’s assessment as they have Field Of Gold edging Tiger Mask, a colt with form in Group races where it is easier to earn higher ratings.

Field Of Gold accounted for two subsequent winners when last seen in July. The form is useful and he represents the stable responsible for Too Darn Hot and Reach For The Moon, the winners of this in 2018 and 2021, incidentally the two most impressive Solario winners in the past decade on RPRs.

However, that isn’t to say the pathway to future stardom is guaranteed. One developed into a champion juvenile and is now standing for £65,000 at stud. The other picked up a maiden hurdle at Worcester last month for Jamie Snowden. There is no knowing which way Field Of Gold’s career will go.

Field Of Gold (Kieran Shoemark) wins the 7f maiden
Newmarket

Field Of Gold scores under Kieran Shoemark on the July course at NewmarketCredit: Edward Whitaker (racingpost.com/photos)

Andrew Balding is the only other trainer represented this season who features among the last ten winners. Royal Playwright, who is out of Juddmonte International winner Arabian Queen and therefore a half-brother to the same connections’ top-class filly See The Fire, created a good impression on his debut at Salisbury when appearing to score with plenty in hand.

The form is yet to work out, but this colt has the same upcoming entries as Field Of Gold and can be deemed just as exciting a proposition at this stage. Ralph Beckett’s once-raced winner Matauri Bay is also filed in that category.

Something that fails to add up is the early price about Hott Shott. Richard Hughes is among the country’s most in-form trainers and his son of Too Darn Hot did well to force a dead-heat at Goodwood last time after conceding first run to two who were more forward-ridden. Consolidation, who was third that day, had previously finished ahead of Field Of Gold in a Doncaster novice.

Hott Shott’s Kempton third in May when given an easy time of things behind Acomb runner-up Wimbledon Hawkeye is strong, and it is clear he is being underestimated due to his connections. How fitting it would be if he could follow in the footsteps of his Solario-winning sire for a trainer who won this as a jockey in 24 years ago.
Analysis by Robbie Wilders

Notable first for Pearce

Simon Pearce will break new ground as he saddles his first runner in a Group race in the shape of once-raced maiden Zou’s Your Daddy.

The Newmarket trainer has enjoyed something of a revival in recent months at his Wroughton House Stables, which is close to full capacity with 21 horses on site.

Previously, a lack of numbers had forced Pearce to rent out most of the rest of the yard to the likes of Alice Haynes, but he is now master of his own property again.

The 38-year-old is excited to run his juvenile at Group 3 level, Zou's Your Daddy having shown promise when beaten a neck by well-fancied fellow newcomer Amiloc at Kempton nearly three weeks ago.

Pearce said: “He’s owned by the Sarkar family, who were kindly recommended to me by Henry Spiller when he quit training. He was bought by their son Daniel at the Newmarket breeze-ups for a bit of fun, which is why we're running here. If he can nick a place it would be fantastic.”

He added of Zou’s Your Daddy’s debut run: “He ran a nice race behind a horse of Ralph Beckett’s they think a bit of, and afterwards Daniel just said to take a chance and run him in this. I'd say he’s our best two-year-old along with Forager, who won at Beverley, and hopefully he can do our small yard proud.”

What they say

Thady Gosden, joint-trainer of Field Of Gold
He won in pleasing style over this trip at Newmarket, where he came forward nicely from his debut run at Doncaster. This has been the aim since then, and he's trained nicely at home. Hopefully he'll reap the benefit of having two races coming into it.

Richard Hughes, trainer of Hott Shott
This will tell us loads going forward as he has some nice entries at the end of the season. We could have run in a novice, but you don’t know what you’re taking on and anything above a place in this is a bonus.

Alex Elliott, spokesman for Valmont, part-owners of Matauri Bay
We’ll find out a bit more about him after his debut win at Leicester. He was very professional that day and the second has since gone on to finish runner-up to a well regarded one of Ralph Beckett's in the Convivial at York, so the form stacks up. He’s well drawn in stall two.

Oisin Murphy, rider of Royal Playwright
He was decent on his debut at Salisbury, but this is obviously a very good race. He's drawn in stall one, so hopefully he can break well and not be too babyish.

Karl Burke, trainer of Tiger Mask
He seems to be well after Goodwood and we're happy with him at home. We still feel he's a nice horse in the making and hopefully he can show that with a good run in this.

Charlie Hills, trainer of Victory Sound
He's had a long time off the track after a couple of dirty scopes, but he's been training nicely coming into this. I just hope he's up to this class.
Reporting by David Milnes

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