Nunthorpe is no pushover - Gosden
The John Gosden-trained colt beat Australian champion Choisir in the Darley July Cup last time out and has earned a quote of 1-3 for the Knavesmire Group One.
However, Gosden believes his charge represents poor value at his current cramped odds.
He said: “We saw at Newmarket that he is a very good horse, but over this quick five furlongs I wonder if he might just be vulnerable. We shall have to wait and see.”
And when asked how the colt would be ridden, the Manton trainer said: “As Scobie Breasley used to say, there’s no time for tactics in a five-furlong race. You just let them get on with it.”
Oasis Dream, who topped the juvenile division of last year’s International Classifications, did not reappear until Royal Ascot, where he finished third to Choisir in the King’s Stand Stakes over today’s trip.
Explaining his belated return, Gosden said: “He was a sick horse earlier this year and I wasn’t able to train him for the Guineas, which might have been the original plan. So we had to drop him back in distance to start him off.”
There is a doubt about the participation of Danehurst, who will only run if there is substantial rain, and her defection would leave a field of nine for the £200,000 dash.
