Impressive Nathaniel to head straight to Arc
The John Gosden-trained three-year-old looked the real deal when triumphing in the King Edward VII Stakes at the Royal meeting, but faced a far sterner test pitched against older horses for the first time on Saturday.
A sedate early pace did little to help any of the main protagonists, while a fatal injury suffered by Rewilding overshadowed the Ascot highlight.
But it was still hard not to be taken by the way Nathaniel got the better of Workforce, last year’s Derby and Arc hero, by two and three-quarters of a length.
James Wigan, racing manager for Nathaniel’s owner, Lady Rothschild, said: “Obviously the whole race was marred by what happened to Rewilding, but Nathaniel was fantastic and we’re really proud of him.
“It was asking a lot of a three-year-old, but the family do seem to improve and he was showing signs that he is doing so.
“I think he can improve further – one would hope so. He’ll be back on level weights with the older horses in the Arc, of course.
“The horse is fine and I think the plan now would be to keep him for the Arc.
“He might have a gallop on a racecourse somewhere, but I think his next run will be at Longchamp.”
* Frankie Dettori missed riding in Germany yesterday as he continues to recover from his fall from Rewilding at Ascot.
The jockey was expected to be in action on Cavalryman in a Group One at Hoppegarten, but now plans to be back in action for the opening afternoon of Glorious Goodwood tomorrow.
“Frankie isn’t going to ride as he was in quite a bit of pain last night,” said his agent, Ray Cochrane.
“He’s going to have some precautionary X-rays, but we’re not expecting any problems on that score.
“He’s not riding on Monday anyway so hopefully if he has a couple of days to recover, he’ll be back on Tuesday, when he has a few nice rides.”
* Tom Cooper hopes Son Amix can finally enjoy his day in the spotlight in Thursday’s Guinness Galway Hurdle.
The French-bred grey has secured just one victory since arriving in Ireland, but has run a number of fine races in defeat, filling the runner-up spot in the Pertemps Final at Cheltenham and, most recently, at the Punchestown Festival.
He is set to drop back to two miles in this week’s fiercely competitive handicap, but his trainer does not expect that to be a problem.
Cooper said: “He’s coming back to two miles but I wouldn’t be concerned about that.
“A stiff two miles with all the hustle and bustle of the race should suit him.
“He handles all sorts of ground, but I think he’s probably a better horse on better ground.”
