Don’t pass on Baton
CROSSED BATON can provide John Gosden with a third victory in the last four renewals of the Betfred Dante Stakes at York tomorrow.
Widely regarded as Britain’s leading trial for the Derby, the Group Two contest has a slightly sub-standard look to it this season and it will take something extraordinary for 2000 Guineas hero Saxon Warrior to be challenged at the head of ante-post lists for the premier Classic.
The last horse to score on the Knavesmire before going on to claim Epsom glory was the Gosden-trained Golden Horn in 2015, and Crossed Baton can at least establish himself as a realistic contender.
The Dansili colt has won three of his four starts to date, most recently making all the running in the Blue Riband Trial at Epsom.
While there was nothing flashy about his performance, he showed a willing attitude to come out on top and the form was significantly boosted at Chester last week, with the runner-up, My Lord And Master, finishing second in the Dee Stakes and the third home, Dee Ex Bee, going down narrowly in the Chester Vase.
Crossed Baton will certainly need to improve to win again, but that is not inconceivable, with the forecast fast ground expected to suit.
It could be another excellent day at the office for Gosden and Frankie Dettori, with Coronet setting a standard that will be tough to match in the Betfred Middleton Stakes.
The daughter of Dubawi won the Ribblesdale Stakes at Royal Ascot last summer and finished second to esteemed stablemate Enable in the Yorkshire Oaks here in August.
She went on to take fifth in the St Leger and third on Champions Day at Ascot and while her fitness has to be taken on trust on her seasonal reappearance, she is a confident selection.
Custom Cut should go well at rewarding odds in the Betfred TV Hambleton Handicap.
David O’Meara’s stable stalwart is in the autumn of his career at the age of nine, but it is only 12 months since he won a Group Three in Ireland.
He spent much of 2017 in Group races and Listed events without success and with his mark having dropped as a result, he is now able to compete back in handicap company.
The veteran was far from disgraced in finishing fourth on his reappearance at Haydock last month and given conditions on Merseyside were softer than ideal, the handicapper’s decision to drop him another 3lb to a rating of 102 looks a tad generous.
He is a winner at York and having blown away any cobwebs at Haydock, he should run a big race.
11-2 Held up towards rear, headway on outside chasing leaders over 2f out, went 3rd over 1f out, never going pace to challenge, 3rd of 10, 4l behind Hydrangea at Ascot 1m 4f flls Grp 1 (1) sft in Oct.
9-2 Held up in touch, pushed along over 3f out, ridden chasing leaders 2f out, unable to quicken over 1f out, weakened inside final furlong, 6th of 9, 6l behind Apphia at Newmarket 1m 4f flls Group 3 stks (1) gs in Sep.
7-2fav Raced wide early until switched right to track leader over 6f out, ridden 2f out, faded inside final furlong, 7th of 10, 4l behind Hunaina at Kempton 1m fll lst stks (1) pol in Apr. 7-2 Raced wide, prominent, led over 3f out, clear over 1f out, ridden and ran on, won at Newmarket 1m 2f fll lst stks (1) gd in Oct beating Permission by 2 1/4l, 13 ran.
11-1 Chased leaders, 4th halfway, pushed along 4f out, ridden in 5th 2f out, no extra final furlong, kept on one pace, 6th of 7, 4 1/2l behind Cliffs Of Moher at Naas 1m 2f Grp 2 (1). 20-1 Towards rear, headway over 2f out, chased leaders over 1f out, kept on one pace, 3rd of 8, 8l behind Wuheida at Newmarket 1m 1f fll Grp 2 stks (1) gf.
20-1 Took keen hold early and soon steadied towards rear, never on terms after, ridden and beaten over 2f out, 8th of 10, 18l behind Hydrangea at Ascot 1m 4f flls Grp 1 (1) sft in Oct. (22) J Gosden 9-0 (D2) ................. L Dettori (22) A P O’Brien (IRE) 9-0 ................... R L Moore (20) D Elsworth 9-0 ..................... S De Sousa (30) M Johnston 9-0 ............... James Doyle (28) C Appleby 9-0 (D2) ................... W Buick (12) J Gosden 9-0 .......................... O Murphy (267)TEasterby9-0(C2) ............... DAllan (28) H Palmer 9-0 .......................... J Crowley (22)APO’Brien(IRE) 9-0 ................ JAHeffernan BETTING: 15-8 Roaring Lion, 7-2 Crossed Baton, 6 Mildenberger, 8 Wells Farhh Go, James Cook, 10 Nordic Lights, 14 White Mocha, 16 Merlin Magic, 33 Zabriskie.
14-1 Steadied start, raced stand side, tracked leader, ridden and headway over 1f out, stayed on final furlong, 5th of 14, 2 1/2l behind Saxon Warrior at Newmarket 1m 3yo Grp 1 (1) gd.
11-4 Made all, ridden and strongly pressed near finish, just held on, all out, won at Epsom Downs 1m 2f 3yo lst stk (1) gd in Apr beating My Lord And Master by hd, 8 ran. 11-4 Chased clear leader, closed 2f out, soon ridden, stayed on to lead towards finish, won at Newmarket 1m 1f 3yo lst stk (1) gs in Apr beating Fortune’s Pearl by 1/2l, 8 ran. 7-2 Sweating, switched left start, held up in last pair, effort on wide outside over 2f out, ridden and laboured progress in 4th inside final furlong, 4th of 8, 3 1/2l behind Crossed Baton at Epsom Downs 1m 2f 3yo lst stk (1) gd in Apr.
10-1 Mid-division, headway from 2f out, went 2nd inside final furlong, ran on to challenge towards finish, led post, won at York 7f 2yo Grp 3 (1) gs in Aug beating James Garfield by ns, 11 ran. 5-2 Led, headed 7f out, led again over 3f out, headed narrowly 3f out, ridden to lead again over 1f out, ran on gamely, won at Newmarket 1m 2f 3yo nov stk (4) gd in Apr beating Raa Atoll by 2l, 8 ran. 16-1 In touch, pushed along and headway 2f out, went 2nd close home, no chance with winner, 2nd of 6, 9l behind Masar at Newmarket 1m 3yo Grp 3 (1) gd in Apr.
4-1 Tracked leading pair, challenged on outside over 2f out, led travelling well entering final 2f, clear inside final furlong, stayed on strongly, won at Sandown 1m 3yo hcp 0-100 (2) gs in Apr beating Vintager by 3l, 8 ran.
16-1 Tracked leaders on inside, ridden over 1f out, weakened inside final furlong, 6th of 8, 5l behind Crossed Baton at Epsom Downs 1m 2f 3yo lst stk (1) gd in Apr. (34) D O’Meara 4 9-10 ..... Daniel Tudhope (19) D O’Meara 9 9-6 (C, D7) .................. D Nolan (126) R Varian 4 9-4 (D) ....................... A Atzeni (12) M Johnston 4 9-4 (BF) ........ P J McDonald (12) W Haggas 4 9-1 (D2) ...... James Doyle (26) C Hills 4 9-1 (D2) .................................... J Crowley (14) D O’Meara 7 8-12 (D) ...... P Makin (12) R Fahey 6 8-11 (D3) ....... P Hanagan (30) A Balding 4 8-8 .................................. O Murphy (6) B Ellison 8 8-8 (D2) ................. Phil Dennis (3) (66) M W Easterby 7 8-3 (BF, D4) ........ Nathan Evans BETTING: 7-2 Original Choice, 5 Cape Byron, 6 Baraweez, 8 Third Time Lucky, Isomer, 10 Afaak, Larchmont Lad, 12 Custom Cut, Mythical Madness, 14 Others.
6-1 Mid-division, headway over 2f out, led approaching final furlong, held on well, won at Wetherby 1m hcp 0-100 (2) gs beating Hayadh by nk, 15 ran. 5-1 9th of 15, 8l behind Benbatl at Meydan(UAE) 1m 1f Grp 3 fst in Jan. 7-1 Hampered on inside and shuffled back towards rear over 6f out, headway and switched right over 1f out, strong run to lead final 100 yards, won going away, won at Chester 1m hcp 0-105 (2) gd beating Gossiping by 1 1/4l, 15 ran. 25-1 Tracked leader, ridden and every chance over 1f out, one pace final furlong, 3rd of 19, 2l behind Examiner at Newmarket 1m hcp 0-100 (2) gs in Apr.
11-1 In touch, ridden and headway 2f out, stayed on final furlong, 3rd of 16, 4 1/2l behind Oasis Charm at Newmarket 1m 1f hcp (2) gd. 6-1 Held up towards rear, never on terms, 12th of 22, 16l behind Taqdeer at Newbury 1m hcp (2) gs in Apr. 10-3 Chased leader in 3rd, ridden from 2f out, no impression inside final furlong and dropped to 4th closing stages, 4th of 6, 4l behind Psychedelic Funk at Naas 7f Grp 3 (1) in Apr.
20-1 Led, ridden and headed inside final 2f, kept on same pace, just lost out in battle for 3rd final furlong, no impression with front pair, 4th of 6, 8l behind Gulf Of Poets at Haydock 1m hcp 0-105 (2) sft in Apr.
12-1 Prominent, led over 1f out, edged right and headed well inside final furlong, ran on, just held, 2nd of 6, ns behind Seniority at Chelmsford City 1m hcp 0-95 (3) pol. 9-2fav Very keen to post, led, went clear 4f out until 3f out, headed over 2f out, weakened rapidly, eased, 13th of 14, 25l behind Taurean Star at Goodwood 7f hcp 0-100 (2) gs.
9-4fav Held up in touch, ridden over 1f out, kept on to take 2nd place close home, always held by winner, 2nd of 10, 1l behind Able Jack at Chelmsford City 1m hcp 0-95 (3) pol in Mar.
5-1 Held up in rear, pushed along over 2f out, effort over 1f out, kept on same pace, 5th of 10, 8l behind Anna Nerium at Newmarket 7f (1) gd in Apr. 14-1 Hit w/foe’s whip late, won at Del Mar(USA) 5f 2yo stk gd in Nov, 16 ran. 2-5fav Tracked clear leader, pushed along to lead over 1f out, ridden out, won at Doncaster 6f nov mdn stks (5) gd beating Praxedis by 1l, 7 ran. 8-1 Held up, ridden and headway over 1f out, stayed on inside final furlong, 3rd of 12, 3/4l behind Abel Handy at Newmarket 5f 2yo Grp 3 (1) gd in Oct.
4-1 Shade keen early, held up in 5th, pushed along halfway, weakened and behind over 1f out, eased when beaten inside final furlong, 7th of 8, 10l behind Invincible Army at Ascot 6f 3yo Grp 3 (1) sft. 4-1fav Tracked leaders stands side and travelled well, went 2nd over 1f out, ridden inside final furlong, ran on, led close home, won at York 5f 2yo fll Listed stks (1) sft in May ‘17 beating Neola by 1/2l, 13 ran. 9-2 In touch, ridden and headway on outer over 1f out, effort between horse inside final furlong, led post, won at Sandown 5f 3yo hcp 0-100 (2) gd in Apr beating Diamond Dougal by shd, 7 ran. 12-1 Led and disputed on rail, led halfway, ridden 1 1/2f out, headed 1f out, no extra inside final furlong, 6th of 7, 10l behind The Broghie Man at Navan 6f 3yo lst stk (1) in Apr. CLAUDIO MONTEVERDI (33)RHughes59-12 .......... DAllan GRACELAND (16) M Bell 6 9-10 (D) ............... Daniel Tudhope WORLD WAR (18) Archie Watson 4 9-9 ................... O Murphy LE MAITRE CHAT (702) M Hammond 7 9-6 ............. D Costello BLUE HUSSAR M Hammond 7 9-4 (CD) ............. P J McDonald CHOCOLATE BOX (16) D Loughnane 4 9-4 (BF, D) ....... L Morris STONE THE CROWS (232) I Jardine 4 9-4 .......... P Mulrennan KAJAKI (26) K Ryan 5 9-3 ............................................ T Eaves BIG THUNDER (19) M Hammond 8 9-0 (CD) ............. A Mullen ARROWTOWN (26) M W Easterby 6 8-11 ......... Nathan Evans OCTOBER STORM (12) M Channon 5 8-11 (CD) .......... J F Egan DENMEAD (17) J Butler 5 8-11 (D) ......................... P Hanagan WAITING FOR RICHIE (183) T Tate 5 8-7 (BF, D) ...J P Sullivan CRAY (16) J Bethell 4 8-5 ............................................ A Elliott BETTING: 6 Chocolate Box, 7 Waiting For Richie, Graceland, Kajaki, 8 Stone The Crows, 10 World War, Cray, October Storm, Blue Hussar, 12 Others. COASTGUARD WATCH R Hughes 9-2 ...................... S W Kelly HEATHERDOWN M Bell 9-2 ............................ Hayley Turner INDIAN VICEROY H Morrison 9-2 ................................ J Fahy KENOUGHTY R Hughes 9-2 .......................... Nicola Currie (5) OLIVER HARDY P Cole 9-2 ..................................... R Da Silva AXEL JACKLIN (19) M Johnston 9-0 ........................ J Fanning SANDRIDGE LAD J Ryan 9-0 .................................... G Mosse SWISS PEAK M Bell 9-0 ....................................... J P Spencer USAIN BOAT (16) G Scott 9-0 ................................ S De Sousa BUCKINGHAM Eve J-Houghton 8-12 ...................... M Harley MOHOGANY P Chapple-Hyam 8-12 ........................ J Mitchell RED ISLAND G Peckham 8-12 ............................... D Muscutt TAYLORMADE Mohamed Moubarak 8-12 ............ P Cosgrave ARCTIC SPIRIT E Dunlop 8-7 ..................................... A Fresu BETTING: 2 Usain Boat, 6 Swiss Peak, 7 Heatherdown, 8 Coastguard Watch, 12 Mohogany, Axel Jacklin, 14 Kenoughty, Arctic Spirit, 16 Others.
3-1 Tracked leader, led just over 2f out, soon headed, kept pressing winner, stayed on, just held, 2nd of 5, nk behind Glencadam Glory at Wolverhampton 1m 4f Novice Stakes (4yo+) (5) in Apr.
10-3 Mid-division, headway over 3f out, 2nd inside final furlong, stayed on, led close home, won at Newcastle 1m 4f mdn stks (5) in Oct beating Darksideoftarnside by nk, 9 ran. 7-1 Tracked leaders on inside, not clearest of runs on rail 2f out, kept on inside final furlong, not quite pace to challenge, 4th of 12, 1l behind Fast Dancer at Chester 1m 2f hcp 0-90 (3) gd.