Weekend Watch: Shoemark’s Shot at Redemption

[Wandering Eyes]

Connections of the runners in Sunday's Poule d'Essai des Pouliches will be able to breathe a sigh of relief when they look around the ParisLongchamp paddock and discover that the Godolphin blue is nowhere to be seen.

Their domination of the early-season Classics, on both sides of the Atlantic, had to end somewhere, though it may not be in the Poule d'Essai des Poulains which precedes the fillies' equivalent. The red-hot combination that is Charlie Appleby and William Buick will be represented there by last year's G2 Vintage Stakes winner Aomori City, who returned in 2025 with a creditable third in the G3 Craven Stakes won by Field Of Gold.

However, smart though Aomori City is, there's a strong chance that the Godolphin party takes a pause for this weekend at least. Instead, the Classic action in the Bois de Boulogne provides a shot at redemption for some of those who have suffered most keenly at their hands in recent days.

Look no further than the connections of the aforementioned Field Of Gold, who followed his impressive Craven victory with what many saw as an unlucky defeat behind Godolphin's Ruling Court in last weekend's 2,000 Guineas. The fallout from that reversal has seen Kieran Shoemark lose his job as number one jockey to the Gosdens, hence why Colin Keane takes the mount on Detain in the Poulains.

It's no doubt been a difficult few days for Shoemark, but it's a sign of how widely his talents are appreciated that he's still set to be involved in both of Sunday's Classics for Charlie Fellowes. In the Poulains he partners Luther, who was a length behind Detain when they filled the first two places in a conditions race at Chelmsford last month, while his Pouliches mount, Shes Perfect, staked her Classic claim with a huge run in the G3 Prix de la Grotte.

Sometimes the stars align in this funny old game and, if sheer force of good will was the difference maker, then Shoemark would already be home and hosed.

Home Or Away?

Few would begrudge Ollie Sangster a first Classic success, either, after he saddled the second and third in the 1,000 Guineas won by Desert Flower, no mean feat for a trainer entering just his third season with a licence.

In the Pouliches, Sangster saddles Celestial Orbit, who is no back number herself after her runner-up finish in the G3 Nell Gwyn Stakes, especially as the winner of that race, Zanzoun, is absent from the opposition following a late setback. That leaves Andre Fabre's G3 Prix Imprudence heroine Better Together as the sole Juddmonte representative.

Aidan O'Brien is mob-handed with four runners, headed by Bedtime Story and Exactly, but it's Francis-Henri Graffard who towers over this field with his duo, Zarigana and Mandanaba. Prix de la Grotte scorer Zarigana dominates the betting as she tries to emulate her illustrious grandam, Zarkava, who won the Pouliches back in 2008, while Mandanaba is a daughter of Princess Zahra Aga Khan's treble Group 1 scorer Mandesha. She made it two from two when winning last month's G3 Prix Vanteaux.

The Aga Khan Studs team is also responsible for what looks the best of the home defence in the Poulains, last month's G3 Prix de Fointainebleau winner Ridari. However, this one looks booked for export, with four colts who skipped Newmarket to come here topping the shortlist.

Irish raiders Camille Pissarro, Henri Matisse and Hotazhell will all have their fair share of supporters as Group/Grade 1-winning juveniles, while Andrew Balding's Jonquil looked ready for these deeper waters when easily winning the G3 Greenham Stakes. The son of Lope De Vega is from a top Juddmonte family and victory here would at least go some way to atoning for the defeat of their Field Of Gold.

Lingfield Fare Fails to Inspire

Expanded and Lake Victoria might have proved little more than bit-part players in their Classic assignments at Newmarket, but already the team at Ballydoyle is entitled to feel more optimistic about its Epsom prospects, after a clean sweep of the recognised trials at Chester this week.

Now, the Ballydoyle bluebloods have Lingfield and Leopardstown in their sights, with the omens not looking good for those who have dared to oppose them, if they've bothered at all.

In Saturday's Lingfield Oaks Trial, Giselle is heavily odds-on to account for two fillies rated just 91 and 84. Concerns about the state of the turf track at Lingfield, which had to pass an inspection on Tuesday, might have been at play, but it's still a meagre turnout for a contest which was won last year by the subsequent Irish Oaks heroine You Got To Me, with Anapurna the last horse to complete the Lingfield/Epsom double in 2019.

As for the colts, Anthony Van Dyck was the last winner of the Lingfield Derby Trial to follow up at Epsom, also in 2019, ending a drought which lasted more than two decades after High-Rise completed the same double in 1998. More recently, Adayar won the Derby after finishing second at Lingfield in 2021, while Ambiente Friendly chased home City Of Troy at Epsom last year after an emphatic success in his trial here.

That suggests the Lingfield Derby Trial has rediscovered its mojo in a big way in recent years, but at this stage the chances of the 2025 renewal throwing up a serious contender for Classic glory look negligible at best. Of the seven runners, Ballydoyle's Stay True figures most prominently in the Derby betting at 40/1, with stable-mate Puppet Master next best at 66/1.

Hopefully, Leopardstown debut winner Stay True can at least show enough to earn himself a place in the Epsom line-up. It would certainly be fitting should the final crop of Galileo yield a runner in the race he made his own by siring a record five Derby winners, as well as producing one of the most dominant performances the race has ever seen when successful himself in 2001.

Ballydoyle Bandwagon Rolls On

Galileo completed his Epsom prep in the Leopardstown Derby Trial, which produced three straight winners of the Derby between 2000 and 2002. Since then, however, Leopardstown winners are 0/19 at Epsom, with Fame And Glory coming closest to completing the double when chasing home a certain Sea The Stars in the 2009 Derby.

Delacroix could be the horse to try and set the record straight this year, having stepped up on his juvenile form when making a winning return to action in the G3 Ballysax Stakes. The son of Dubawi and champion racemare Tepin hit the line over two lengths clear of stable-mate Lambourn–who gave the form a boost when winning Wednesday's G3 Chester Vase–with Lingfield Derby Trial contender Puppet Master back in fourth.

A general 8/1 chance for the Derby at the time of writing, Delacroix will more than likely be a point or two shorter come Sunday evening, certainly if he's able to dish out a similar beating to last year's G1 Criterium de Saint-Cloud hero Tennessee Stud.

Aidan O'Brien, already a 16-time winner of the Leopardstown Derby Trial, also saddles Acapulco Bay and Rock Of Cashel to bring the curtain down on a week which, if the betting is correct, could conceivably end with him having won the Cheshire Oaks, Chester Vase, Dee Stakes, Lingfield Oaks Trial and Lingfield Derby Trial, plus the Leopardstown feature.

Most worryingly for those trying to stand in his way, there's a good chance that the best is yet to come, with The Lion In Winter, the ante-post favourite for the Derby, standing his ground among 13 entries for next week's G2 Dante Stakes at York following Friday's confirmation stage.

Widely regarded as the pre-eminent trial for the Derby, having produced six winners this century, the Dante hasn't gone the way of a Ballydoyle runner since Cape Blanco obliged in 2010. However, it might appeal more to O'Brien's keen eye this year with it falling 23 days before Epsom, rather than the usual 16.

Racing's Superpowers at War

It's still very early days with the juveniles, but we could see some major developments in that division on Saturday, both on the racecourse and in the sales ring.

At Naas, Albert Einstein is set to debut for Ballydoyle, having been singled out for special praise by O'Brien when it comes to his two-year-old class of 2025. A son of Wootton Bassett and the G2 Airlie Stud Stakes runner-up Yet, he runs over six furlongs and could enter the reckoning for the G2 Coventry Stakes at Royal Ascot if all goes to plan in this first start.

Another Wootton Bassett colt to look out for is Godolphin's Military Code, one of the early market leaders for the Coventry after his winning debut at Newmarket's Craven meeting. His six rivals in the five-furlong novice which kicks off Saturday's card at Ascot include Amo Racing's Celestial King, the son of Havana Grey who topped the Tattersalls Craven Breeze-up Sale at 1,750,000gns. Godolphin were the underbidders on that occasion as records were smashed at Park Paddocks.

The bidding wars fought out by Amo and Godolphin have dominated the breeze-up sales held so far in 2025, with no reason why it should be any different at Arqana on Saturday.

Last year Godolphin saw off Coolmore for the €2,300,000 top lot–the Justify colt who turned out to be none other than Ruling Court–while the Amo purchases included the G2 Royal Lodge Stakes third Angelo Buonarroti at €1,000,000 and G3 Oh So Sharp Stakes runner-up Cathedral at €800,000.

Angelo Buonarotti is sadly no longer with us, but Cathedral remains a filly of significant potential. She is set to kick off her three-year-old campaign in Saturday's G3 Chartwell Fillies' Stakes at Lingfield, the scene of her striking debut success on the all-weather last September.

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