The Main Attraction

[Wandering Eyes]

There was so much emotion tied up with the 2011 G1 2000 Guineas that it was only after the dust had settled on the Tudor Minstrel-like blitz of Frankel (GB) that all could bask in the glow of one of the historic race’s greatest performances. Since Juddmonte’s beau ideal took the short box ride to Banstead Manor, it has felt like a mere matter of time before Newmarket’s faithful get to see one of his progeny claim the Rowley Mile as their own in the Qipco-sponsored Classic he branded so dramatically. Twelve months ago, the Craven winner Eminent (Ire) had a more than decent chance of delivering a Guineas win from his remarkable sire’s very first crop, but he was just not as ready as Churchill (Ire) et al. Mark Johnston knows all about pressure situations and he had that in 2004 as the Duke of Roxburghe’s ugly duckling-turned beautiful Classic swan Attraction (GB) (Efisio {GB}) stepped out in the 1000 Guineas, but as he prepares Elarqam (GB) (Frankel {GB}) for Saturday’s renewal the intensity is something altogether greater.

“That is like a pedigree amongst pedigrees–they simply don’t come better,” he said. “I’ve never had a horse bred like this or that cost this sort of money. What a stallion he would be if he was to win something like the Guineas.”

Shadwell’s ‘TDN Rising Star’ is two-for-two heading to this seasonal debut, like Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum’s great Nashwan in 1989. He has it all as far as parentage goes, he has a willing attitude, smart form having won the G3 Tattersalls S. here in September, and perfect ground conditions. Johnston has described him as the “spitting image” of Attraction, who took the yard on such an unforgettable journey when becoming the first filly to complete the English and Irish 1000 Guineas and Coronation S. treble. The depth of the “Frankel factor” has yet to be plumbed, but the exponential growth in stature of Cracksman (GB) gives some indication of what is possible when the chemistry is right. Elarqam’s biology is as ideal for this test as it gets and victory here would prove another transformative step for the sire who will remain global headline news indefinitely.

Johnston is trying not to get over-excited, but there is a sense of quiet confidence emanating from the master of Middleham Moor on a huge weekend for that training area. “I do keep stressing it’s the first race of the season and, win or lose, there will be a lot more races to come for him hopefully but my instinct is that he’s the perfect horse for the race. I worry about the lack of experience, that’s all,” he added. “But he’s really changed in attitude. Last year he was just so lazy and laid-back and there were a number of horses that went better than him on the gallops; this year he’s been able to play with them on the gallops, which is what you need for a Guineas winner.”

Much has already been written about the importance of the performance of Masar (Ire) (New Approach {Ire}) in this renewal as a marker of where Godolphin’s breeding operation is at. Representing the team’s strongest chance of a home-raised winner since Mark of Esteem (Ire) in 1996, he hails from a sire who was perfectly suited to this track at which he won the G1 Dewhurst S., was so narrowly denied a Guineas win by Henrythenavigator and who has already produced one winner of this Classic in Dawn Approach (Ire). Masar is obviously also partial to his home circuit as he showed when taming Roaring Lion (Kitten’s Joy) in a renewal of the G3 Craven S. 16 days ago which has had the various experts arguing as to its genuine merit. Charlie Appleby, who has worked at creating an environment where class horses can be delivered spot-on for the major events, believes in the form. “It was hard not to be impressed,” he said. “Visibly, it was a striking performance. If he had won by one or two lengths, then okay, but nine lengths was very impressive. We went into that race a fit horse, with the run under our belt out in Dubai, but you couldn’t have been more pleased with the way he quickened away in the final furlong of the Craven. Once he hit the rising ground, he put a lot of distance between himself and the rest of the field. Based on what we saw in the Craven, we must go into Saturday’s race hoping that he is a serious contender.”

Victory for Saxon Warrior (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) would be momentous for the O’Brien clan who continue to re-write all the rule books. If it were not enough that it was responsible for a trainer-son combination winning the 2000 Guineas with Camelot (GB) (Montjeu {Ire}) ad Joseph, it could be that come Saturday evening Aidan is celebrating another landmark day with Donnacha. “I ride Saxon Warrior in all his work, so I know him quite well,” the latest riding prodigy told the Racing Post. “He’s in good form and I’m really looking forward to Saturday. I rode him when he made his debut at The Curragh in August. We didn’t really know what we had, as he hadn’t been asked any questions before he went there. He was a bit slowly away, but when I gave him a squeeze he came alive under me and took off, going away to win well. After that run we knew we had a very smart colt–one who was a bit special.” That said, no one in the family would begrudge a Guineas win for Seamie Heffernan on Gustav Klimt (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), such is the longstanding loyalty and dedication shown by racing’s most fortunate supersub.

Turning attentions outside of the big four, there is Khalid Abdullah’s long-time favourite for this, Expert Eye (GB) (Acclamation {GB}). Those who wrote off last year’s impressive G2 Vintage S. winner after a rank display in the Dewhurst and workmanlike return in the Apr. 21 G3 Greenham S. would be well-advised to recall the similar pattern of rise-and-fall of the former Sir Michael Stoute-trained King’s Best prior to his scintillating success against Giant’s Causeway in the millennium year. Like that headstrong predecessor, he bombed in this track’s juvenile feature and was unimpressive in his prep, but it could be that the master of Freemason Lodge is timing his revival to the minute. “We have always rated him,” Stoute said “He needed the run when he was second to James Garfield in the Greenham, as we hadn’t done a lot with him. His work since has been excellent. I am happy with him and looking forward to the race.”

Roaring Lion has been given his chance by John Gosden, who misses out with the much-less exposed Without Parole (GB) (Frankel {GB}), and his lack of bemusement at Qatar Racing’s G2 Royal Lodge S. winner’s heavy defeat in the Craven speaks volumes. Before that race, he was widely considered en route to becoming one of this race’s favourites and it is hard to believe he has made such a significant retreat since his heroics when second in the G1 Racing Post Trophy. Very few expected Night of Thunder (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) to redress a heavy beating by Kingman (GB) from the 2014 Greenham, while the aforementioned King’s Best also sprang forward from a lacklustre reversal in the Craven.

Every Guineas has layers of ability and just under the top is the Gredleys’s thoroughly likeable James Garfield (Ire) (Exceed and Excel {Aus}), whose professionalism in landing the G2 Mill Reef S. and Greenham have earned him a place in the line-up. He is one of the race’s place options along with The Royal Ascot Racing Club’s Headway (GB) (Havana Gold {Ire}), who hails from one of the shrewdest yards in Newmarket in William Haggas’s Somerville Lodge. He looked smart on his return when taking the Listed Spring Cup on Lingfield’s Polytrack on Mar. 3 and has the right amount of 2-year-old conditioning, having finished second to the more sprint-bred Rajasinghe (Ire) (Choisir {Aus}) in the G2 Coventry S. at Royal Ascot in June.

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