The Flat season in Britain and Ireland has now engaged top gear after the Guineas Festival at Newmarket witnessed the first two British Classics of the year.
May will bring with it the Dante Festival at York as well the Irish Guineas meeting at the Curragh and, of course, Chester’s ever-popular May Festival starting the month off.
As the Flat season is now in full swing and set to dominate over the summer months, we’re taking a look at some possible rising stars that might be worth putting in your tracker.
Up and Coming Horses
Atsila (Donnacha O’Brien)
A filly with a bright future could be Atsila for Donnacha O’Brien after her impressive winning start at Bellewstown in April.
The daughter of Phoenix Of Spain was learning on the job, moving up from the rear of the field to challenge on the running rail and then defying her inexperience as she weaved out amongst rivals to come widest and go through to beat a couple of more experienced rivals in clear-cut fashion.
Connections will quickly step her up into Group 3 company at the Curragh in early May and she’s one to follow.
Field Of Gold (John & Thady Gosden)
Ultimately he couldn’t hand John Gosden his first ever 2000 Guineas win at Newmarket, but Field Of Gold stormed home to be second-best behind Ruling Court in the Rowley Mile Classic and will surely be winning Group 1s before long.
His Clarehaven handler could scarcely hide his dejection after the Guineas, clearly feeling that allowing William Buick and Ruling Court to get first run had contributed to that defeat.
There was a diminishing half-length splitting them at the line and Field Of Gold could well turn it around if they meet again at Royal Ascot in the St James’s Palace Stakes.
Storm Free (James Tate)
Storm Free looked a three-year-old colt worth putting in the notebook after his winning comeback at Nottingham over 6f in April.
James Tate’s charge had shown ability in three runs last season over the trip and duly won this Colwick Park maiden when turning over odds-on favourite Dan Keefe with a little more up his sleeve than the winning margin suggested. A handicap rating in the high 80s likely awaits and there are more races to be won.
Hotazhell (Jessica Harrington)
A four-time winner in his juvenile season, Hotazhell signed off last term by landing the Futurity Trophy at Doncaster, the final British Group 1 of the season.
Trainer Jessica Harrington opted against going to Newmarket for the 2000 Guineas but the French version could be on the agenda at Longchamp on May 11th.
The Wootton Bassett colt has already beaten big Derby hope Delacroix twice and Harrington said of the son of Too Darn Hot: “He’s got the most brilliant attitude. He hates being beaten and never wants to be passed.”
He looks a really exciting prospect for Ireland’s most successful female trainer of all-time.
City Of Delight (David Menuisier)
French-born but UK-based, David Menuisier is an excellent handler and his four-year-old City Of Delight is still progressing based on his wins at Doncaster and Epsom this spring.
He won four on the trot from June-August last year before his sequence ended on Town Moor in October.
He got up late back at the Yorkshire layout in March at the Lincoln Meeting and followed it up at Epsom (1m2f, good) in April, defying a mark of 87.
That handicapper has applied some more pressure but he showed a really willing attitude last time and is far from finished it seems. He likes an undulating track and so handicaps at the likes of Epsom and Goodwood this summer could be for him.
Zgharta (Andrew Balding)
This daughter of Ghaiyyath produced an excellent effort at Newmarket on day one of their Guineas Festival to win the Darley EBF Maiden Fillies’ Stakes over a mile-and-a-quarter.
She had shown promise in her two previous starts at the same track over 7f/1m at the back end of last season and beginning of this one, but the step up in trip really appeared to aid Hollie Doyle’s partner on this occasion.
She was pushed into the lead at the furlong marker and held off Pearla from the William Haggas yard and Charlie Appleby’s Silent Love late on.
She’s a three-year-old and should go on to better things at middle distances this summer, possibly even with Group-race ambitions.