Field of Gold assessed as lame after Sussex Stakes disappointment
John and Thady Gosden's star three-year-old was sent off the 1-3 favourite to emulate his sire Kingman and thrive against his elders on the Sussex Downs, but could only finish fourth as his Juddmonte-owned pacemaker Qirat caused a seismic shock at 150-1.
The Clarehaven training team suggested the "engine wasn't there" in the immediate aftermath of the contest and now a potential reason for his disappointing performance could have been found.
"We don't have the full picture yet, but he is lame on his left-hind," said Barry Mahon, European racing manager for Juddmonte.
"John called me this morning at 7am and said he was 'off' behind with a bit of swelling in his leg and the vet is due out to see him later today so until we have the full picture we can't fully diagnose it.
"But the fact he is lame suggests that could potentially be why we didn't see the true horse that we know yesterday. We just have to sit tight now until the vet can run through all the tests he can run through."
With the severity of Field Of Gold's setback still to be determined, it is unknown at this stage when one of the standout performers of the 2025 season will be next seen in competitive action.
Mahon continued: "Plans are on ice and the thing with these things is, it might be a week before anything will show up on an X-ray or whatever, so it's not something you will have an answer for straight away.
"But the fact the horse is lame indicates there is an issue and we have to address that. What that is and whether it will be a short fix or a long fix, we just don't know at this stage."
Despite Field Of Gold's surprise reversal, there was still plenty of joy for the Juddmonte team with Ralph Beckett's Qirat stealing the spotlight, with Mahon reflecting on a race of contrasting fortunes.
He added: "It was disappointing from a Field Of Gold point of view, but from a Juddmonte point of view the winner is a home bred and won it in good style and there has to be some satisfaction in that.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
RTÉ News
23 minutes ago
- RTÉ News
Celtic will be ready for crucial Champions League qualifier
Luke McCowan delivered a big moment in Celtic's time of need on Sunday then declared he and his team-mates would rise to the pressure of their Champions League play-off. Celtic will be heading to Kazakhstan or Slovakia in their bid to reach the league stage after being paired with either Kairat Almaty or Slovan Bratislava. The first leg, which is due to take place at Celtic Park, will come four games into the season with Brendan Rodgers' side facing Aberdeen next weekend and then Falkirk in the Premier Sports Cup. Winning the play-off will be worth tens of millions of pounds for the club and ensure Celtic have a chance to build on last season's impressive European campaign rather than taking a step back into the Europa League. But McCowan, who netted a late winner against St Mirren on Sunday (below), is sure they will embrace the challenge. "These players play under massive pressure all the time," the 27-year-old said. "It's what playing at this club takes. "You need to be ready for that pressure, you need to have your chest out, your head high and go and show that you're a Celtic player. "That's what it demands and that's what the manager wants. Pressure in a game hopefully brings out your best qualities. "I'm sure we will be (ready). I mean if you were to ask us if we played it this midweek, I'm sure we'd all be ready. "When those games come around, it's about embracing it and knowing what the challenge is going to be." Celtic reached the knockout phase for the first time in 12 years last season before bowing out to a last-gasp goal against Bayern Munich in Germany. When asked if he felt they belong in the league stage, McCowan said: "I think we showed that last year, but it's about proving it again. There's always a demand for more at this club." The former Dundee midfielder proved the hero on Sunday as Celtic opened their William Hill Premiership title defence with a 1-0 win over St Mirren. The champions hit the frame of the goal three times and had a Callum McGregor strike disallowed for handball as the Buddies looked set to frustrate the title favourites. But substitute McCowan found the bottom corner of the net with a deflected strike in the 87th minute to send Celtic two points ahead of Rangers after the opening weekend of the season. "It's what you're here to do," he said. "You're here to score goals and help the team win games. "You want to create energy, you want to create positivity when you're coming off the bench and I think, at the point we made the changes, they probably needed some fresh legs. That's what the squad's there for. "We had enough chances to go and win probably two football matches, really unlucky with a few hitting the post, obviously a goal chopped off as well. "On another day, you probably come away scoring two or three, maybe more."
The Irish Sun
an hour ago
- The Irish Sun
Arsenal and Liverpool's transfer plans rocked as Eberechi Eze and Marc Guehi look likely to stay at Crystal Palace
MARC GUEHI and Eberechi Eze could both end up STAYING at Crystal Palace this season. Liverpool, Newcastle and Spurs want England defender Guehi while Arsenal remain interested in Eze. 3 Marc Guehi could well stay at Crystal Palace despite interest from Liverpool, Newcastle and Tottenham Credit: Getty 3 Eberechi Eze may also stay put at Selhurst Park in spite of Arsenal's keen interest Credit: Getty Although there is still a month left of the transfer window, it seems increasingly likely that both stars will remain at Selhurst Park. Palace have not received any firm offers for either player and are in no rush to sell. This is good news for the club's fans who are still reeling from their European heartbreak and the fact they look set to be demoted into the Conference League. Liverpool have been favourites to land centre-back Guehi and have been in talks with his representatives. READ MORE SPORT STORIES LOOKING TO SCORE? Single Sydney Sweeney inundated with DMs from randy Prem aces after split The centre-back has just one year left of his contract but has not been pushing for a move. And the Premier League champions rate him at around £40million - £10m short of Palace's asking price. Spurs are still interested having failed with a £70m bid in January while Newcastle had three offers turned down a year ago. Toon have revived their interest this summer, but are still £10m below Palace's valuation. CASINO SPECIAL - BEST CASINO BONUSES FROM £10 DEPOSITS That mean, as SunSport revealed in May, Guehi could now run down the final year of his contract and leave on a free transfer, opening up a potential switch to Barcelona or Real Madrid. And the Eagles are increasingly confident of keeping him this summer. Crystal Palace legend Geoff Thomas slams Uefa for denying them a Europa League place 3 TRANSFER NEWS LIVE - KEEP UP WITH ALL THE LATEST FROM A BUSY SUMMER WINDOW Attacking midfielder Eze has been in line for a move to Arsenal and is keen to move to the Emirates. Yet the Gunners are not prepared to trigger his £68m release clause. With Palace not needing to sell financially, they are unlikely to lower their demands and Arsenal could look at other targets. The club's fans are still stunned at Uefa's decision to drop them into this season's Conference League despite qualifying for the Europa League after winning the FA Cup. Palace's appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) will be on Friday. They were demoted to the third-tier Conference League by Uefa's Club Financial Control Body in a multi-club ownership case.
Irish Daily Mirror
an hour ago
- Irish Daily Mirror
How potential Shelbourne v Linfield rematch could make UEFA history
Shelbourne could be in line to face Linfield for the second time this Summer in European qualification action. The League of Ireland Premier Division champions faced off with Irish League kingpins Linfield in Champions League qualifying action last month, winning 1-0 at Tolka Park before drawing in Belfast to progress to the next round. Defeat to Qarabag saw Shels drop down to the Europa League qualification rounds, where they will face Rijeka with the first-leg taking place on Wednesday. Should they win that game, they will face either PAOK of Greece or Austrian outfit Wolfsberger. However, another loss for Shels would see them move down to Conference League qualification, where they would play the winner of the tie between Vikingur (Faroe Islands) or Linfield. Should Shelbourne and Linfield end up facing each other in Conference League qualification, it would mark the first time ever that two teams have faced off in Champions League qualifiers and Europa League/Conference League qualifiers in the same Summer. Europa League play-off draw: Shelbourne / Rijeka v PAOK (Greece) / Wolfsberger (Austria) Conference League play-off draw: Loser of Shelbourne / Rijeka v Winner of Vikingur (Faroe Islands) / Linfield
