Field Of Gold poised to be sole Juddmonte runner in 2000 Guineas

Field Of Gold could be Juddmonte’s sole representative in the Betfred 2000 Guineas at Newmarket on Saturday week, with the leading owners making alternative plans for Jonquil, Cosmic Year and Detain.

John and Thady Gosden’s Field Of Gold shot to the head of ante-post lists for the colts’ Classic with a brilliant course and distance victory in last week’s Craven Stakes, while Andrew Balding’s Jonquil had staked his claim by winning Newbury’s Greenham Stakes the previous Saturday.

The Harry Charlton-trained Cosmic Year and Field Of Gold’s stablemate Detain also enhanced their credentials with comeback wins on the all-weather earlier in the month and remain in Guineas contention, but both have preferred targets.

Speaking on Wednesday, Juddmonte’s European racing manager Barry Mahon told the PA news agency: “They’re all left in and I think current plans are roughly that Field Of Gold will go to Newmarket and we’re on weather-watch with the rest of them.

“Jonquil and Detain are both loosely pencilled in to go to ParisLongchamp (for the French Guineas) the following weekend and Cosmic Year could go to the King Charles II on the Friday of the Guineas meeting in Newmarket, with a view to maybe going to the Irish Guineas after that.

“That’s roughly where we’re at, but if it looked like France was getting a lot of rain like they are at the minute, we could divert Jonquil back to Newmarket.

“We just think Longchamp would set up nicely for him and because last year he bounced when making a quick reappearance, Andrew was keen to give him the extra week. If it looked like it was going to be good ground in France, we’ll go there, and if not we’ll pull back into Newmarket.”

The Ger Lyons-trained Red Letter looks set to carry the Juddmonte silks in the Betfred 1000 Guineas, with the French equivalent the current plan for Nell Gwyn heroine Zanzoun, who would have to be supplemented to run at Newmarket.

Red Letter won one of her three juvenile starts and was not beaten far by fellow Guineas contender and triple Group One winner Lake Victoria on her other two outings.

“She is still on course for Newmarket, she’s in good form and Ger is happy with her. She’s very much on track,” Mahon added.

“I think we’re still leaning towards Longchamp with Zanzoun. Maybe if there was a deluge of rain in Newmarket, which nobody is telling me there’s going to be, we might look at supplementing her, but I think we’ll be sticking to Plan A and that is France.”