Gretchen knuckles down to her task

John Gosden’s Gretchen lived up to her stout breeding with a game-staying performance in the DFS Park Hill Stakes at Doncaster.

Having opened in 1997, Philippa Cooper’s Normandie Stud is still in its infancy compared to some of the powerhouse breeding operations, but has managed to become an increasingly significant player in flat-racing circles.

A half-sister to Samuel and Duncan and a Listed winner over a mile-and-a-half at Newmarket in early August, Gretchen was a 5-1 shot stepped up in grade and distance.