Gosden following the Dante route again
WARREN GATLAND has defended the British and Irish Lions’ scheduling their first squad get-together just days before Saracens and Gloucester take part in European finals.
Head coach Gatland thanked Saracens and Gloucester for releasing players to attend the Lions’ ‘messy Monday’ in London, where the tourists received their kit ahead of the summer’s Test series in New Zealand.
Saracens boss Mark McCall has branded the timing of the Lions’ meeting “unbelievable”, with the men in black facing Clermont in the Champions Cup final on Saturday.
Saracens cancelled training yesterday with their six Lions busy with Gatland’s squad meeting, while Gloucester duo Greig Laidlaw and Ross Moriarty had to be diverted from preparations for Friday’s Challenge Cup final. Gatland insisted the Lions had not however been asked to reschedule the meeting, claiming the date had been in everyone’s diary for months.
“I’ve got to understand where they are coming from, having been involved in the situation, and I understand Mark’s reasoning as well,” said Gatland of Saracens boss McCall’s comments. “If it had been last week it would have potentially affected 22 clubs. I understand it’s a massive week for them. But Mondays tend to be a recovery day.
“This date has been communicated months and months and months ago. Now I don’t know when Saracens got the information.
“But we have told the unions about this date for a long, long time. So we haven’t had any requests from anyone to move this date. But I understand the situation, and appreciate the fact that Saracens and Gloucester are releasing their players to us.
“If they hadn’t been released to us that would have been very difficult for a number of reasons. So it does make a difference.”
Saracens have provided the Vunipola brothers, Maro Itoje, George Kruis, Owen Farrell and Jamie George to the Lions’ touring party.
McCall hit out at the Lions’ timing as Saracens build towards facing Clermont, saying: “There is a Lions get-together on Monday which seems to be quite unbelievable that it is then given it is the most important week of the season. You’d have thought someone would have had the foresight to see that it might affect the club.” JOHN GOSDEN is to follow a tried and tested course with his Epsom Derby hopeful Cracksman.
The three-year-old colt will line up in next week’s Dante Stakes at York before a tilt at the blue riband race.
Gosden’s two Derby winners Benny The Dip (1997) and Golden Horn (2015) both won the Knavesmire contest before prevailing at Epsom.
Owned by Anthony Oppenheimer of Golden Horn fame, Cracksman is a best-priced 8-1 chance behind 2000 Guineas winner Churchill for the Derby on June 3.
Though the horse scrambled to a course victory at Epsom last month, Gosden believes it was an invaluable learning experience. The Newmarket trainer said: “He has come on a lot from Epsom. He learned an awful lot. That was only his second run.”
Martin Harley will ride dual Group One-winning sprinter Quiet Reflection this season, replacing Dougie Costello who has left the North Yorkshire yard.
Leyburn trainer Karl Burke also revealed he was left slightly disappointed with his filly after last year’s Commonwealth Cup winner worked at Newcastle yesterday.
“Her work has been a little workmanlike this winter,” he said. “Whether she is just a year older and knows the gallops – I expected her to work a bit better this morning but I’m 90 per cent happy with her.
“Martin Harley will be riding Quiet Reflection – he’s got plenty of experience in big races and I am sure he will do a good job for us. I have a good team of young riders at the stable so it’s not going to be a problem for us finding suitable jockeys for our horses.”
With drying ground, Haydock’s Temple Stakes on May 27 is likely to be Quiet Reflection’s prep race for Royal Ascot.