3 minute read
Tony McFadden looks back on the remarkable career of Golden Horn who is set to retire after competing in Saturday’s Breeders’ Cup Turf.
By Cape Cross (sire of the great Sea The Stars) and out of an unraced half-sister to Group 1 winner Rebecca Sharp, Golden Horn took to the racecourse boasting the pedigree of a potential champion, and he looked something out of the ordinary from the outset, producing a devastating turn of foot to run down a promising rival in Storm The Stars in an end-of-season Nottingham maiden. Onlookers at the time couldn’t have envisaged quite how much success Golden Horn and Storm The Stars would enjoy as three-year-olds, but the visual impression –backed up by impressive sectional times – did mark both horses down as exciting prospects worth following closely.
It’s difficult to believe now, but Golden Horn wasn’t the star attraction at Newmarket when he made his seasonal reappearance in the listed Feilden Stakes. Faydhan, another highly-regarded, Gosden-trained maiden winner, had been heavily supported for the 2000 Guineas and was supposed to advertise his classic claims in the Free Handicap earlier on the card. Things didn’t go to plan, however, as Faydhan was well beaten at odds on, showing signs of inexperience on his way to finishing a never-threatening third – he hasn’t been seen on a racecourse since, incidentally.
The mood in the Gosden camp would have been buoyed just over an hour later, though, as Golden Horn took the step up to listed level in his stride, impressing with the smooth manner in which he came from last to first. A crack at the 2000 Guineas – which may have looked more appealing in light of stablemate Faydhan’s earlier eclipse – was quickly ruled out by Gosden, with the Group 2 Dante Stakes mooted as the next target.
The Dante Stakes has a rich history when it comes to producing Derby winners - North Light, Motivator and Authorized are just three horses who took in the Dante prior to triumphing at Epsom - and the 2015 renewal looked sure to throw up significant classic clues as unbeaten stable companions Jack Hobbs and Golden Horn clashed with Racing Post Trophy winner Elm Park and Aidan O’Brien’s highly-regarded John F Kennedy.
Golden Horn was once again relatively overshadowed by a stable companion as Jack Hobbs, a phenomenally-impressive, wide-margin winner on his previous outing at Sandown, was sent off as the 2/1 favourite. What’s more, Frankie Dettori, who had ridden both horses on their previous start, elected to ride Jack Hobbs.
Golden Horn, ridden by William Buick, was held up towards the rear as 40/1 outsider Lord Ben Stack cut out a decent pace. Elm Park took things up on the approach to the final couple of furlongs, tracked by Jack Hobbs, who looked set to throw down a serious challenge despite having raced in snatches. The eyes were quickly drawn to a near-motionless William Buick aboard Golden Horn, however, as his mount cruised up onto the heels of the leaders, showing his trademark turn of foot to power into the lead once given a shake of the reins.
The early pace had not been sluggish – the front three were able to pull miles clear – but Golden Horn still managed to record an impressive closing sectional time, his strength at the finish giving connections encouragement in regards his stamina for the Derby.
Following some debate, connections shelved the initial plan of sending Golden Horn to the French Derby and instead shelled out £75,000 to supplement him for Epsom: it proved to be money well spent.
Now very much the star of the show, with high-profile rider Frankie Dettori back in the saddle, Golden Horn was sent off as the 13/8 favourite in the Derby.
The free-going Elm Park and Hans Holbein were largely ignored at the head of affairs, but the field still went a sound gallop, dragged along by Storm The Stars with Epicuris also prominent. As the pace-setting duo inevitably folded on the approach to the two-furlong pole, Epicuris momentarily hit the front but was quickly passed by Jack Hobbs who swept into the lead despite hanging down the camber. Golden Horn hadn’t travelled quite so powerfully as usually – somewhat surprisingly given his confirmed speed – but he responded to his rider’s niggles and launched a sustained challenge down the outside, powering to the front just inside the final furlong before drawing clear to win in decisive fashion.
The Coral-Eclipse – and a clash of the generations – was next on Golden Horn’s agenda. There was a fear that the late defection of French Derby winner New Bay, along with a weak Irish challenge, would take some of the gloss off the race, but in the end we were treated to a fantastic spectacle as dual Group 1 winner The Grey Gatsby forced Golden Horn to dig deep to preserve his unbeaten record.
With little pace on the cards, Frankie Dettori sent Golden Horn straight into the lead, whilst Jamie Spencer, riding The Grey Gatsby, sat close behind, keen not to give the leader too much rope. The Grey Gatsby drew upsides soon after entering the straight and from that point the two protagonists engaged in a titanic tussle, the verdict hanging in the balance until Golden Horn gallantly edged clear inside the final furlong and asserted close home.
A late absentee from the King George on account of conditions being deemed too testing, Golden Horn was rerouted to York for the Juddmonte International where a clash with crack three-year-old miler Gleneagles and impressive Royal Ascot winner Time Test seemingly lay in wait. What was potentially the race of the season – and was billed as such in many quarters – turned out to be something of a damp squib, however, as Gleneagles was withdrawn after overnight rain had left conditions on the soft side of good, whilst Golden Horn, The Grey Gatsby and Time Test failed to run up to their best in a muddling race.
Pacemaker Dick Doughtywylie was quickly rendered ineffective as Silvestre de Sousa, riding 50/1 shot Arabian Queen, opted to ignore the leader, heading the main pack at a modest tempo. As had become customary, Arabian Queen took a keen hold, but she was nowhere near as free as Golden Horn who refused to settle in the early stages.
De Sousa upped the ante soon after turning for home, asking his mount to stretch the field, and it was soon apparent that those towards the rear were struggling to make up ground. Golden Horn was under pressure but was close enough to strike, and he nearly drew upsides at the furlong pole, his assured stamina looking sure to carry him to victory. He failed to see things out as strongly as he had done at Epsom or in the Eclipse, however, as his free-going antics took their toll, and he was unable to overhaul the well-ridden Arabian Queen.
Rain on the eve of the Irish Champion Stakes again meant that Gleneagles was a last-minute withdrawal, but viewers were still treated to a high-class and dramatic renewal. Having blown his chances at York by racing keenly, Golden Horn was allowed to stride on, setting a sound gallop. Dettori asked Golden Horn to put the race to bed as they swung into the straight, but he was quickly challenged by the strong-travelling Free Eagle. The pair soon had the race to themselves and were both finding plenty for pressure when Golden Horn, still marginally in front, swerved suddenly and violently to his right, cannoning into Free Eagle and almost bringing him to a standstill, effectively ending the race as a contest.
Would Golden Horn have won without hampering Free Eagle to such an extent? Probably. But the air of invincibility that surrounded him following the Eclipse no longer existed in light of the defeat at York and the hard-fought, controversial success at Leopardstown. It was feared that Golden Horn had had enough for the year, but connections evidently didn’t feel that way as the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe and a clash with history-seeking Treve was set as the next assignment.
The biggest price Golden Horn had gone off since winning the Dante had been at 13/8 in the Derby, but he was available to back at 7/1 on the morning of the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe. Hindsight is wonderful, but at the time Golden Horn had some serious questions to answer: was his wide draw going to pose a problem? Was his violent swerve at Leopardstown a sign of temperament creeping in? Was his plateauing form a sign he’d had enough for the year? And, regardless of all that, was he even good enough to beat an on-song Treve? Treve failed to produce her best having been disadvantaged by the run of the race, but the other questions were all categorically answered with a no.
Under a masterful Frankie Dettori ride, Golden Horn raced wide before slotting into the perfect position behind the pacemaker, wasting no energy in overcoming a potentially-disadvantageous draw. He travelled fluently, took up the running two out, kicked a couple of lengths clear on the approach to the final furlong and maintained the advantage to the line, beating Flintshire by two lengths with New Bay a neck further back in third.
In form terms, Golden Horn just about matched his best effort in the Arc; it can’t be considered a marked improvement on the level he showed at Epsom or Sandown. However, by winning the Arc and Derby in the same season, emulating the achievement of Sea the Stars and Workforce, Golden Horn assured his legacy as one of the most consistent, versatile and top-class racehorses seen this century.
