Field Of Gold sparkles with decisive St James's Palace strike

Powys County Times

4 hours ago

Field Of Gold lit up the first day of Royal Ascot with a dominant display in the St James's Palace Stakes.
John and Thady Gosden's colt had been a fast-finishing second behind Ruling Court in the 2000 Guineas before easily winning the Irish equivalent, while the French Guineas winner Henri Matisse was also running.
There was no doubt who emerged as the best of the three though, as Colin Keane breezed through on the 8-11 favourite before bursting clear to beat Henri Matisse by three and a half lengths, with Ruling Court back in third.
Field Of Gold has now charted the same route as his sire Kingman, who also suffered defeat at Newmarket before gaining Irish redemption and adding Royal Ascot glory when trained by John Gosden.
'Like father, like son,' said Gosden, in reference to Kingman's win in 2014. 'The nerves may have got to the trainer beforehand but thankfully not to the horse or the jockey.
'It was great, a great performance and Oisin (Murphy) did a nice job on Windlord setting an even pace and he came to the head of the straight and he had a lot of horse.
'For a moment I was thinking 'whoops, this is Ascot and it climbs and have we gone a bit soon'. I wasn't watching him, I was looking back as you always have to do here, but fortunately none of the dangers were coming to get him.
'He always impressed as a two-year-old but he was a big boy and slightly outgrew himself. We ran him in France which was a mistake in itself and I should have run him in the Dewhurst and I regret that. But this year he has been exemplary in everything he has done and he's a pleasure to train because he is a pretty relaxed character.'
Gosden admitted the Irish 2,000 Guineas had not originally been part of Field Of Gold's intended campaign, which could influence where the colt heads next.
He added: 'It was never the plan to go to Ireland and he's had a trial and two Guineas and now this which is a lot of racing and we're not even halfway through the season yet.
'Maybe (we'll) freshen him up now and go to the Sussex, but we will see. If we hadn't gone to Ireland, I would have been keen to go to the Eclipse.
'When they win like that and make it look easy they do take a lot out of themselves and I don't want to be someone seen running him back quick in an Eclipse straight off the back of this.'
For Juddmonte's new retained rider it capped a fine first week in the hot seat for the Abdullah family, with the six-time Irish champion in no doubt he is in a privileged position, handed the reins to an exceptional talent.
Keane said: 'He's a special horse and I'm lucky enough to join this team and to have a horse like him early on is amazing. I've had nothing compared to this and it's very special.
'He just proved what he did at the Curragh wasn't a mistake and it's similar to revving a motorbike, when you ask him it's instant.
'Without a doubt he's the best I've ridden. The next best would be Siskin who was in the same colours, but this lad is a level above, he's very special.
'I'm in a very privileged position to be in these colours and getting a horse like him is unbelievable.
That was utterly sublime, Field Of Gold with a wow moment at #RoyalAscot pic.twitter.com/udUOQfxQ7C
— Adam Morgan (@Adam_Morgs) June 17, 2025
'I wasn't nervous, but there was plenty of anticipation and it was a very good renewal of the race. It was three Guineas winners taking each other on, but he's won like a very good horse.
'Ideally I would have liked to have been carried further into the race as he will only do so much once he got there. I didn't want to be a sitting duck there for them to catch me, but once he quickened up I thought they will do well to catch me.
'I couldn't wish for a better start, but when you're riding for this operation and this is the quality of horse you get, these are the opportunities you get and it's very special but also a bit of relief.
'He's following in the right footsteps and he just seems to be a horse who is getting better with racing and you can see the way he relaxes now. I'm just the man fortunate enough to be stepping in on him at the right time.'
The writing was on the wall early for Ruling Court who never looked likely to confirm form with Field Of Gold.
'William (Buick) said he was never really travelling comfortably and at this level you need to be able to get up there and travel on the bridle to give your horse a breather,' said Charlie Appleby.
'It might be a bit too soon to say we'll be looking at an Eclipse but working back from the Juddmonte will be the most likely target.'
Aidan O'Brien indicated Henri Matisse would likely stick at a mile.