Field Of Gold flies clear to claim Irish 2000 Guineas glory

Evens favourite Field Of Gold, with Colin Keane aboard, won by three and three-quarter lengths from Cosmic Year.

Sat, 24 May, 2025 - 16:02

Tommy Lyons

Field Of Gold, quite spectacularly, made amends for his narrow defeat at Newmarket and gave Juddmonte Farms a third success in the Tattersalls Irish 2000 Guineas, the feature on a marathon nine-race card on Saturday afternoon at the Curragh.

Following in the footsteps of his sire, Kingman, and Siskin, who carried the famous green, pink and white silks to victory in this race in 2014 and 2020 respectively, the grey colt was drawn wide and maintained that position for most of the race.

Windlord, carrying the Juddmonte colours, set the pace but when Colin Keane, taking over from Kieran Shoemark asked his mount to improve his position, it was all oh so easy for John and Thady Gosden’s colt.

In front two from home, in what had been a slowly run race, he showed terrific speed to race into a clear lead down to the final furlong, and Keane had the luxury of being able to ease off a touch as his mount raced victorious to the line. The previously unbeaten Cosmic Year was not as well placed given the pace of the race but ran a superb race to give Juddmonte a one-two.

Keane, who was on board Siskin in 2020, was full of praise for Shoemark, who bore the brunt of the criticism for Field Of Gold’s defeat at Newmarket and consequently lost his job, revealing that the rider was most helpful in his pre-race conversation about the colt.

“He’s a lovely, big colt, and all thanks to Kieran, he told me all I needed to know about him, this morning,” said Keane. “He couldn’t have put me more in the right direction.”

Recalling the race, he added: “When he left the stalls, pretty much instantly he relaxed and from then on, I was very happy. I think if he keeps relaxing, there’s no reason why he won’t go a bit further, but when I asked him, he wasn’t short of a bit of pace. He put them to bed pretty quickly, I thought.”

John Gosden, who was sole licence holder when Kingman won the race in 2014, but now holds it jointly with his son, Thady, reported: “It’s great. It’s a sense of relief, more than anything, because obviously, it was the same with Kingman, it didn’t go quite right at Newmarket, but it’s gone right today.

“He’s quickened up well, and he’s shown a lot of class. The second horse is a very, very good horse, and the third horse is a Group 1 winner, so I think the form is incredibly solid.

“Being drawn out on the wing is often tricky – you get out of it a little keen, so I was very much wanting to just switch off. Colin said, cantering down, he was very relaxed, so I said, ‘I’ve got no instructions. You ride it as you find it’.

“It was (easy to watch) but the heart rate goes up – you try not to show it.” Asked if Keane is likely to maintain the partnership for future assignments, he responded: “That’s not my decision but I wouldn’t see any reason to change it. I’ll talk to Barry (Mahon), who manages for Juddmonte, and take it from there.” A trip to Royal Ascot, for the St James’s Palace Stakes, is likely next on the agenda, before stepping up to a mile and a quarter.

Oisin Murphy rode runner-up Cosmic Year and felt the nature of the race didn’t play to his horse’s strengths.

“It was a slow pace and a sprint finish, and he picked up very well,” said Murphy. “The winner had first run on him, slightly, but when I couldn’t win, he was always going to be a good second. It was a career-best again, and hopefully he’s still improving. Obviously disappointed not to keep his unbeaten record, but this was a very good renewal of the race, and it’s great for the Irish Guineas to have such a strong field.”

Hotazhell fared best of the home team, taking third place for Jessica Harrington and Shane Foley. A Group 1 winner at two, this was a most pleasing return to action and, with the stable just beginning to show signs of hitting full stride, he can only improve for the outing.