Colin Keane enjoyed a first Royal Ascot Group One success – and a perfect start to his new job as Juddmonte’s No 1 jockey – when Field Of Gold routed his opposition in Tuesday’s St James’s Palace Stakes.
A long-anticipated competitive clash of Europe’s three major 2,000 Guineas winners ultimately turned into a coronation, leaving no doubt about Field Of Gold’s status as the season’s outstanding three-year-old colt.
Having nominated the John and Thady Gosden trained grey as probably the best horse he’s ridden after riding him to Curragh Guineas glory, Keane’s mind was made up for certain by the impressive solo-show.
The 8-11 favourite was galloping all over his opposition from two furlongs out and ultimately ran out a three-and-a-half length winner from Aidan O’Brien’s French Guineas winner Henri Matisse. Field Of Gold’s Newmarket conqueror Ruling Court was almost four lengths back in third.
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“He’s a special horse and I’m lucky enough to join this team and to have a horse like him early on is amazing. I’ve had nothing compared to this and it’s very special.
“He just proved what he did at the Curragh wasn’t a mistake and it’s similar to revving a motorbike, when you ask him it’s instant.
“Without a doubt he’s the best I’ve ridden. The next best would be Siskin who was in the same colours, but this lad is a level above, he’s very special,” Keane said.
“I wasn’t nervous, but there was plenty of anticipation and it was a very good renewal of the race. It was three Guineas winners taking each other on, but he’s won like a very good horse.
“I couldn’t wish for a better start, but when you’re riding for this operation and this is the quality of horse you get, these are the opportunities you get and it’s very special but also a bit of relief,” he admitted.
Field Of Gold followed in the hoofprints of his sire Kingman, who also followed up an unlucky Guineas defeat at Newmarket with victory at the Curragh and also in the St James’s Palace. Kingman went on to land the 2014 Sussex and his son might try to do the same.
“If we hadn’t gone to Ireland, I would have been keen to go to the Eclipse,” John Gosden said. “When they win like that and make it look easy they do take a lot out of themselves. I don’t want to be someone seen running him back quick in an Eclipse straight off the back of this.”
Henri Matisse had to settle for second best, and it almost felt like his stable companion Gstaad was in the same boat despite winning the Coventry Stakes in some style.
It was an 11th Coventry for Aidan O’Brien in the week’s biggest juvenile prize, but Gstaad is clearly playing second-fiddle to a stable companion at home in Ballydoyle.
The Coventry had been the intended target for Albert Einstein, another unbeaten colt forced to miss out due to a setback.
Gstaad proved a super substitute and justified 7-2 favouritism in style to prove himself a hugely valuable prospect in his own right. But if O’Brien labelled him “the makings of a very nice horse” he was again notably effusive about the colt back in Ballydoyle.
“He [Albert Einstein] felt like something we didn’t have before. The first day he worked, he was probably the most different horse we have ever seen – he was so quick. We had horses as quick as he is but not as big as he is,” O’Brien commented.
The second Irish winner of the day came in very different circumstances as Henry de Bromhead combined with Billy Lee to land the marathon Ascot Stakes with Ascending.
Willie Mullins’s hopes of landing a famous royal success with the 11-4 favourite Reaching High were dashed as Ryan Moore couldn’t secure a run at a vital time and the horse faded to ninth.
“I am delighted. I wanted to go for the Copper Horse Stakes. I thought we had a great chance, but we didn’t get in and someone put us in this race and we win – happy days,” said De Bromhead who was enjoying a first Royal Ascot success.
Earlier, Australian jockey Mark Zahra enjoyed a perfect first Royal Ascot ride when landing a thrilling Queen Anne Stakes on the 14-1 shot Docklands.
Zahra dropped his whip at the furlong pole when challenging off a pedestrian early pace but the previous year’s Queen Anne runner-up got the nod in a desperate finish with the favourite Rosallion.
American Affair provided veteran Scottish trainer Jim Goldie with a popular first Group One victory by landing the King Charles III Stakes, beating Frost At Dawn by a neck.
James Doyle completed a double in the final two races as last year’s Jersey hero Haatem struck again in the Wolferton and French Master doubled up for the Gosden team by landing the Copper Horse Handicap.
