French Guineas the target for Craven runner-up Aomori City

Aomori City is likely to head for the French 2000 Guineas having finished third in the Craven Stakes at Newmarket.

The Vintage Stakes winner, who went on to run well at the highest level in France and America late in the season, was beaten almost four lengths by the impressive Field Of Gold.

Trainer Charlie Appleby told Racing TV: “I was delighted with Aomori City. Will (Buick) said he just lost his back end coming out of the gate, as the plan was to go forward given the experience he’s got and we felt he was fit enough to do that.

“Will said he just sat in the gate, missed the kick which left him in the position he was in and the race developed on the stands side as it has all week and they didn’t go a great gallop.

“He ended up having a nice race going forward, I was pleased and I’d say we’ll probably end up looking at something like the French Guineas with him. He’ll go there with experience, the mile there won’t hinder him and hopefully on a sound surface he’d have a live shot.”

In the same race the previously unbeaten Opera Ballo lost all chance by racing keenly in the early stages.

“Opera Ballo, of course you are disappointed when a horse is two from two and they meet with their first defeat,” Appleby said.

“I had to say to the team this morning, everyone got excited as he was following the Notable Speech route but he didn’t because he didn’t take the third run and he didn’t have that for a reason, he wasn’t mentally and physically ready to go again.

“We gave him a bit longer, we thought this was an opportunity to throw him not completely in at the deep end in a nice race and we saw all the rawness and greenness, he flew the lids, the plan was to get in behind horses but unfortunately James (Doyle) had no choice but to take the pain.

“All credit to the horse, he showed the potential I think he’s got because he kept galloping and after what he did early he could quite easily have dropped away at the two-pole.”