Gosden girls have Oaks date
JOHN GOSDEN holds the aces for the Investec Oaks after Shutter Speed and Gracious Diana came home impressive winners in the hands of Frankie Dettori at Newbury yesterday.
Shutter Speed leapt to the front of the betting for the Epsom Classic after her victory in the Dubai Duty Free Conditions Stakes.
Given a confident ride, Shutter Speed is now the 6-1 favourite from 12-1 with Paddy Paddy for the Oaks after proving too strong for Raheen House with stable companion Enable taking third place.
On the day Newbury hosted a Beer Festival, with over 60 real ales on tap, the Queen was not raising a glass on her 91st birthday after her runner ® Maths Prize finished a disappointing fifth behind Shutter Speed.
Gosden, who has saddled 12 winners from 36 runners in the last fortnight, said: “The idea of running them (Shutter Speed and Enable) here was to get another race into them in the hope that they might be good enough to run in an Oaks trial.
Experience
“These fillies had only raced once in their lives and are both rated 84, they need the experience and that is why I brought them here.
“I thought Enable ran a good race and will probably go to the Cheshire Oaks and we’ll have to decide where the other one goes.
“The ground was very soft when Shutter Speed ran at Yarmouth and she definitely loved the better ground today.”
Dettori shared Gosden’s enthusiasm for Shutter Speed. “She’s strengthened up and she’s a classy filly. I think we’ll go the staying route and an Oaks trial rather than the Guineas.”
He said he was taken back by the manner of Gracious Diana’s victory in the Bathwick Tyres Stakes.
“She surprised me,” said the Italian about the filly who is now 16-1 with Paddy Power for the Oaks. “She could not have won any easier.
“But she wouldn’t have shown the sort of speed Shutter Speed did.”
Gosden, who enjoyed his solitary success in the Oaks with Taghrooda in 2014, said: “Gracious Diana is a nice filly and trained well through the spring.
“I would like to bring her back here at the Lockinge meeting next month and then she will tell me if she’s an Oaks filly.
“She’s a big girl and is filling into her frame. She looks rather like her grandfather, Generous.”
“There’s an obvious difference between the two as Gracious Diana has just won a maiden today after finishing down the field at Nottingham last year and the other has beaten a decent colt in Raheen House who is rated 110.”
Tap
Gosden will be hoping his hot streak continues next week when he runs his Derby hope Cracksman, a son of the mighty Frankel, at Epsom on Wednesday.
“All is well and he’s ready to go,” said the Newmarket trainer about the colt who was an impressive winner of his only outing.
Godolphin also have their horses in rude health for the new Flat season.
There was a lot to like about their two-year-old Gold Town after he came from off the pace to take the Dreweatts Newcomers’ Stakes in the hands of William Buick.
“I like the way he travelled,” said Buick “He just got lost for a stride or two. I just gave him one little tap and he was going away at the line.”
Alan King again showed he is equally adapt at training jumpers and Flat horses when Rainbow Dreamer responded to a strong ride from Ryan Moore to take the Compton Beauchamp Estates Handicap.
Assistant trainer Ollie Wardle said: “Ryan kept it simple and he was fit from running over the jumps.”