Field Of Gold for many was the moral winner of the 2000 Guineas at Newmarket. Last Saturday, he was the actual winner of the Irish 2000 Guineas at the Curragh and in some style.
His victory led to him showing rather typical improvement for a three-year-old. The official handicapper gave him 120 for his Newmarket effort and 123 following his Curragh win. One could say that was always expected and the result was ‘normal’, but he did it in great style nevertheless.
He’ll be tough to beat at Ascot over a mile, but the form is also a great compliment to his Newmarket conqueror Ruling Court, now 5/1 for the Derby.
O’Brien Still Dominating Derby Market
Despite Ruling Court being the form horse, Delacroix and The Lion In Winter are sharing favouritism right now for the Derby.
The Aidan O’Brien pair will be popular with punters and may not be truly separated until we know Ryan Moore’s choice of mount. The smart, yet somehow obvious money, goes on Ruling Court.
Charlie Appleby won both Guineas races at Newmarket. Somehow, Ruling Court isn’t favourite for Epsom but won a much better race than Desert Flower who is clear in the Oaks market.
The Godolphin team always thought Ruling Court was a ten-furlong horse. They are also confident he can be the second Justify colt to win the Derby after City Of Troy.
So far, he has stayed balanced while going fast right-handed at Sandown, gone left-handed in Dubai and controlled the Dip easily at Newmarket en route to a Classic win. Now, the horse he beat there is the Irish 2000 Guineas winner with the form looking rock-solid.
Despite the juvenile form of The Lion In Winter and the trial form of Delacroix, it’s hard to see why risks are being taken by the bookmakers on the Appleby horse. We can take advantage of that.
Damysus the Big Improver
John and Thady Gosden’s Wathnan Racing colt Damysus is the big improver ahead of the Derby and showed up really well when working publicly at Epsom on Tuesday.
A morning on the gallops for these @Betfred Derby contenders…
⭐️ Al Wasl Storm
⭐️ Nightwalker
⭐️ Damysus pic.twitter.com/gAEdShd0D1— Epsom Downs Racecourse (@EpsomRacecourse) May 27, 2025
Much like former Derby winner Adayar, Damysus has been placed without winning in two trials but is clearly improving all the time.
Like Adayar he is a son of Frankel, one who has run to a mark of around 90 on debut followed by 104 when third in the Classic Trial in April. In the Dante, he stayed on very well from an unfavourable position to be second (rated 111) and now, time and extra distance should play right into his hands. We rarely see better 10/1 shots for the Derby these days.
Him reaching the magic 120+ mark is easy to envisage. Even if he manages that though, and even if Delacroix and/or The Lion In Winter are all that, a standard 4lb improvement for Ruling Court would see him reach 125 and that may prove hard for all to beat.
Trip the Issue for Flower and Falakeyah
It can be argued that as slightly weaker models, it’s even harder for the fillies to see out the twelve furlongs of the Oaks than it is for the colts to do so in the Derby.
Charlie Appleby doesn’t have too many concerns about Guineas heroine Desert Flower in that regard, but it’s more of a prevalent issue for Shadwell and Owen Burrows regarding Falakeyah.
The big-striding, easy-going filly ran out a very ready winner of the ten-furlong Pretty Polly Stakes at Newmarket on Guineas weekend. She showed so much pace however that the team even considered supplementing her for the Irish 1000 Guineas over a mile.
That mile trip is still under consideration, this time involving Royal Ascot and the Coronation Stakes. The New Bay filly can also head to the French Oaks over a mile and a quarter, with all options currently open.
Connections of the filly have spoken out this week about this issue. They seem to accept that there is only one true Oaks, also that they don’t need to supplement this horse which they’d have to do with their other potential Epsom contender Elwateen.
The thing is, Falakeyah is quick. But she has also readily seen out the still ten-furlong trip at Newmarket and Epsom is not a place you want to be left out the back. If Jim Crowley doesn’t do the old fashioned thing and ‘hold her up to get the trip’, her natural pace and positioning could be ideal for Epsom.