Trainers love charting a well-trodden path.
Most campaign certain horses in a certain way.
A tried and trusted route to success.
At the highest level, nobody does it quite like John Gosden.
A sensational target trainer that now has son Thady on the licence, Gosden is renowned for showing enormous patience with his horses.
Royal Ascot is the undisputed big early season target, followed by York and then Champions Day back at Ascot.
John Gosden had a good Royal Ascot and backed it up with a fine Ebor Festival at York
William Buick rode all three Godolphin-owned horses that hit the target this week at York for Gosden
He lifted the International trophy after Ombudsman charged clear in the final furlong at York
You can pretty much rely on every horse contesting big races to shine on these stages. Take the big three horses that prevailed on the Knavesmire this week; Ombudsman, Trawlerman and Fifth Column.
All three ran at Royal Ascot; Ombudsman won the Prince Of Wales’s Stakes, Trawlerman landed the Gold Cup and Fifth Column was luckless in being badly drawn when beaten in the Britannia Stakes – make no mistake, he was the Gosden young handicapper to follow.
The tried and tested path paid off once more. Ombudsman, tipped up in last week’s column, won the Juddmonte International by three-and-a-half lengths. Trawlerman was at his gritty best to win the Lonsdale Cup from stablemate Sweet William and Fifth Column won the SkyBet Mile handicap.
The patient approach has worked wonders with Ombudsman who has been a revelation since becoming a four-year-old. Gosden took it steady with him as a three-year-old and a nice pipe opener at Sandown teed him up for a blistering Prince Of Wales’s Stakes performance at Royal Ascot.
He was slightly underwhelming in the Eclipse when a neck second to Delacroix but he was three wide and too keen early doors that day.
The pacemaker may have given most a fright but jockey William Buick was patient enough and struck at the right time.
Truth be told, Ombudsman just needed a fast pace early doors to help him settle and drop the head. Once he did, the game was up. He was confidently backed on the day.
With a ten-furlong race not an option at Ascot’s Champions Day, Ombudsman will likely meet Delacroix again in the Irish Champion Stakes next month.
Trawlerman is such a reliable, honest stayer. The type Gosden excels with. The Clarehaven handler knows he needs gaps between his races and the Royal Ascot-York-Asccot timeline suits Trawlerman down to the ground.
Gold Cup hero Trawlerman delivered again at York… just like the popular stayer did at Ascot
There was nothing flashy about his York success but he stays nicely and is tough as they come. He won the Ebor as well at York two years ago and while he’s taken advantage of the retirement of Kyprios this season, it’s easy to forget that he did beat that rival on Champions Day at Ascot a couple of years ago.
That’s the obvious end-of-season target for the seven-year-old and he’ll take all the beating again. He’s not as classy as Stradivarius – the brilliant stayer the Gosdens had recently but he’s top of the current crop and he’s a horse you can set your watch to. The trainer knows his routine wonderfully.
Fifth Column won his side of the race in the Britannia but was on the wrong part of the track when seventh on the straight mile off a mark of 92.
He made amends by winning a warm handicap in Newmarket’s July meeting before being beaten favourite at Goodwood when an unlucky fifth. He went off favourite again this week after winning a 17-runner handicap on the line at 11-4.
The victory by such a small margin suggests that a small rise from 97 could keep him in handicap company for the rest of the season.
The Cambridgeshire at Newmarket and The Balmoral at Ascot look reasonable autumnal targets. Fifth Column has been the mainstay in the major handicaps in this season.
ASFOORA SHOWS THE VALUE IN KEEPING THE FAITH
It’s been a curious season so far in the sprinting division and the admission that the current crop aren’t great seems to be correct.
Asfoora won the King Charles III Stakes at Royal Ascot last season in great style. Not a top-notcher in Australia but gave that impression here.
Australian-trained Asfoora kicks clear to win the Nunthorpe and reward patience of connections
Trainer Henry Dwyer (left) and jockey Oisin Murphy bag the Group One they crave at York
The seven-year-old was 7/2 to retain her crown but lacked a prep run and was beaten two lengths in fifth by American Affair.
At Goodwood, Asfoora went off 4/1 but the rain arrived and did her chance with some quick mid-race sectionals to get to the rail but that effort told. Oisin Murphy was understandably easy on her and finished seventh to Jm Jungle but only beaten two and a quarter lengths.
The excuses were there but her supporters looked to have neglected her at York. Asfoora had quick ground, drawn in the right place to track Night Raider into the race. The reward was an 11/1 winner on the Knavesmire.
Trainer Henry Dwyer hasn’t ruled out another European campaign next season and with the domestic sprinters all taking it in turns to beat each other, Asfoora could still be able to take the odd scalp and reward the long journey from Down Under once again.
PERFORMANCE OF THE WEEK…
PLENTY of excellent performances at York, including the aforementioned Ombudsman, Trawlerman and Asfoora. But the honour must go to NEVER SO BRAVE who won a thrilling City Of York Stakes.
A seven-furlong race that has just been given Group One status, it delivered immediately as Andrew Balding’s four-year-old has climbed through the ranks with a handicap win at Royal Ascot followed by a Group Two win at the same track.
Under Oisin Murphy, he travelled supremely well into the race and clung on to defeat the fast-finishing Lake Forest by half a length, with French raider Maranoa Charlie in third and high-class miler Rosallion in fourth.
It was a simply magnificent race to watch.
Never So brave was an excellent winner of the City Of York Stakes, a race upgraded to a Group One
Royal Fixation won the Lowther at York to boost the form of Venetian Sun who races today
SELECTION OF THE DAY…
CAMPANELLE was the last filly to win the Prix Morny (Deauville 2.50) in 2020 but VENETIAN SUN (3-1, William Hill) can end that run by winning a high-class renewal.
Karl Burke’s unbeaten filly has looked a top-class prospect. She won the Albany Stakes at Royal Ascot and her defeat of Royal Fixation at Newmarket looks better now as Ed Walker’s filly won the Group Two Lowther Stakes by a length.
This is a deep race, however, with Aidan O’Brien-trained Coventry Stakes winner Gstaad favourite. He’s not been seen since that day in June however and a lack of a recent run may leave him vulnerable.
Charlie Appleby’s Wise Approach could be a bigger danger to the selection. Second in the Norfolk Stakes, he built on that to beat Rock Of Thunder by four lengths at Newbury. That was another juvenile piece of form boosted at York when that finished second in the Gimcrack this week.
Richmond Stakes winner Coppull for the in-form Clive Cox team and American speedball Outfielder add further intrigue into an informative two-year-old race.
