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John Gosden: my views on Field Of Gold's 2000 Guineas run
By Racing TV
Last Updated: Sat 3 May 2025
John Gosden will have to wait at least another year to break his Betfred 2000 Guineas hoodoo having witnessed Field Of Gold flash home to be beaten half a length by Ruling Court.
In an unwelcome piece of symmetry, Field Of Gold’s sire, Kingman, also finished second in the Newmarket Classic, and the two are as close as the esteemed handler, who now trains jointly with his son, Thady, has come.
Everything seemed to be going smoothly for the 15-8 favourite, until going into the dip Ruling Court took two lengths out of him in chasing his own stablemate Shadow Of Light and while Kieren Shoemark soon got after Field Of Gold, he could not reel in Charlie Appleby’s Justify colt, who cost €2,300,000 at the breeze-ups.
Gosden said: “I did warn everyone the other morning we needed to watch out for the horses that hadn’t been in trials. I did mention this horse, the winner, and I mentioned the Irish horses and the third horse (Shadow Of Light) was champion two-year-old and showed a lot of class last year.
“The race probably wasn’t run in fast fractions and we were sitting some way back. Quite frankly the winner has kicked and gone and we’ve run out of racetrack.
“With another 25 yards the race would have been ours, but it was a mile.
“This track, when it gets firm like this, it rides slick, it always has and when you get a bit of a cross-tailwind they can get away from you and the winner has I’m afraid, as they came into the dip. We were clawing it back, but it was too late.”
Gosden also felt the ground may have been a bit quick for his Juddmonte-owned grey.
“The race was lost going into the dip, we got caught too far back and this is an unforgiving track when it gets firm. I’m surprised he (clerk of the course) didn’t water the ground, but I don’t want to go on about that at all. It’s riding very quick today,” he said.
“We’ll talk to the family (of the late Khalid Abdullah) and see where they want to go. I think we’re looking at the St James’s Palace and his perfect distance is probably going to be a mile and a quarter.
“He did nothing wrong, a touch far back on the fractions and the race just got away from him, he was running on strongly at the end.
“He was in great nick and you’ll probably find he’s run a better race than in the trial (Craven Stakes), but a trial is a trial and when these horses that haven’t run you should never discount them. I’d say the winner is probably worth his purchase price!”
St James’s Palace on Shadow Of Light's agenda
Appleby was delighted with Shadow Of Light who was weak in the mark after William Buick correctly chose to ride Ruling Court.
He said: “Everyone has mentioned he saw the mile out and he will be a fun horse for the summer.
“Ultimately he will probably head to the St James’s Palace and hand on heart, you don’t come into these races under-cooked, but I do think he will come on again, dare I say it, for this run.
“He will be a nice horse for the summer for sure.”
Just behind the front three was Saeed bin Suroor’s Tornado Flyer, who tried to make all and outran his 50-1 odds off the back of a win in small race at Newcastle.
“He ran very well to finish fourth, but the good thing about this horse is that we know he needs a mile and a quarter minimum,” said Bin Suroor.
“We’re going to run him in the Derby, I think. I was going to run in the Dante, but I think that is too close possibly, so straight on to the Derby. A mile and a half will be fine for him.
“I knew he deserved to run and Epsom will be fine for him, he’s a nice size and he’ll be fine for Epsom.”
Tornado Alert the eyecatcher
While most of the post-race Derby talk understandably surrounded winner Ruling Court after the 2000 Guineas, Tornado Alert emerged as a potential dark horse for Epsom with a pleasing performance to finish fourth.
Previously unraced on turf having finished third at Lingfield and won at Newcastle in the autumn, the Too Darn Hot colt faced a mammoth step up in class on his reappearance over the Rowley Mile – but justified the faith of Saeed bin Suroor with a bold front-running effort.
After racing keenly, he was caught flat-footed when the front three found another gear racing out of the dip, but he kept boxing on to be beaten only beaten four and a half lengths, and his vastly experienced trainer – who claimed Derby glory with Lammtarra 30 years ago – believes he has another genuine contender on his hands.
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