Cover image courtesy of Godolphin
From sale topper to Guineas winner
By Tom Frary, TDN Europe
Flying the flag for Justify (USA) in Saturday's G1 Betfred 2,000 Guineas Stakes at Newmarket, Ruling Court (USA) proved William Buick's judgement to be spot-on as he provided Charlie Appleby with a third renewal in four years. Selected by Godolphin's number one over the 2-year-old champion Shadow Of Light (GB), the second favourite travelled notably strongly held up towards the stand's side and when delivered to overhaul his stablemate inside the final furlong gave generously to see out the mile the better of the pair.
It was the favourite Field Of Gold (Ire) who came home best, but at the line there was half a length between him and that son of Kingman (GB), with Shadow Of Light looking to run out of stamina late on and finish the same margin away in third.
“It's very special–these races are what it's all about,” the winning rider said of the €2.3million (AU$4 million) Arqana May Breeze-Up topper, who had impressed in the Listed Jumeirah 2000 Guineas at the start of March.
“We had a very high opinion of him last year and after he put up that amazing performance in Dubai, he gave me something to think about. We also had the Dewhurst winner in the stable, so I had been doing a lot of thinking over the last few weeks.”
Ruling Court as a 2-year-old | Image courtesy of Arqana
The talk afterwards was inevitably turning towards the Derby and Ruling Court has enough in his pedigree to suggest it is a valid target.
Oak Tree Farm’s big result
By Emma Berry, TDN Europe
“Well, that was good timing,” said a beaming Freddy Powell, a man with a sale to sell next week. The work had just been done for him. Ruling Court was known only as Oak Tree Farm's Justify colt at this time last year – a colt that would soon top the Arqana Breeze-up Sale at €2.3 million. Next year, he will be the sale catalogue's cover star.
Big prices, however, are not always a guarantee of big results, but this horse had on his side the fact that he had been prepared for the sale by a man known to a certain generation as one of the finest jump jockeys of his era. Norman Williamson's skills have been transferred so smoothly to this sphere – it really just comes down to horsemanship – and he now has a list of Classic winners to his credit as impressive as most of the major trainers, though he would quickly deflect the credit elsewhere.
Norman Williamson | Image courtesy of Tattersalls
“I loaded the horses onto the lorry and Josh and Janet have gone to Punchestown,” said Williamson by telephone. “I'm sitting here on my own, shaking. I'm so delighted for Godolphin – they are such great supporters of the breeze-up sales. And this is great for the breeze-up consignors, too, as we've proved that we can breeze a St Leger winner, a Guineas winner, a top sprinter, you name it.”
Charlie Appleby | Image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
We could soon be naming a Derby winner. After a racecourse gallop in Craven week for Ruling Court and his third-placed stable-mate Shadow Of Light, Charlie Appleby was already then speaking of today's winner with Epsom in mind, and the race won by his damsire High Chaparral (Ire) 23 years ago.
He said that morning, “They always say that the Guineas is the best Derby trial, so we'll start him there.”
“They always say that the Guineas is the best Derby trial, so we'll start him (Ruling Court) there.” - Charlie Appleby
They do say that, and let's not let ourselves get carried away by the thought of a Triple Crown bid. But it's hard not to allow the mind to wander, particularly in a year when Betfred, the sponsor of all five British Classics this year, has put up a £2 million (AU$4.13 million) bonus for a winner of that particular challenge, not completed for 55 years.
The trainer doesn't appear to have changed his view. “You could see him as a Derby horse and that's what we had our minds set on in the winter. There will be nice, healthy discussions on Derby plans,” Appleby said amid a press scrum at Newmarket after Ruling Court had been cut to favourite in the Epsom betting.
War Of Will (USA) | Image courtesy of Claiborne Farm
“In a way he's (Ruling Court) too kind, in that he'd almost run through a brick wall for you, but then when he pulled up after the race he was like a pony. I think this horse really is something special.” - Charlie Appleby
Brick walls he won't need to face. Just Tattenham Corner and all the wonderful weirdness of Epsom. After that, who knows?
