Sandown Park Review

An excellent card at Sandown Park featured four Pattern races on Thursday evening. The feature event was the Group 3 Brigadier Gerard Stakes with Ombudsman going one better than last year defying a seven pounds penalty in the process. Off the track since winning the Group 1 Dubai Turf at Meydan in late March, John & Thady Gosden's runner got the better of the progressive Gethin by a neck with three lengths back to the third Almeric. Leading over a furlong out, the triple Group 1 winner stayed on well to beat Owen Burrows' charge. It was a pleasing performance which ought to put him spot on for the Prince of Wales's Stakes at Royal Ascot next month, which he won in 2025. It will be a different ballgame facing the Arc winner Daryz but he is a top-class horse with a lethal turn of foot. It promises to be a tremendous clash. The runner-up was only racing for the sixth time and he is capable of winning a big prize this term, while the third wasn't disgraced on ground which is likely to have been quick enough.

Top 40 entry Talk of New York booked his place in the Group 1 St James's Palace Stakes at the Royal meeting with a convincing success in the Listed Heron Stakes. A colt by Wootton Bassett, Charlie Appleby wisely decided to skip the 2000 Guineas at Newmarket and that patience is likely to be rewarded this summer and beyond. Sitting off a strong early gallop, William Buick unleashed his mount inside the final two furlongs before strolling clear to win by five and a half lengths. It won't be easy against the likes of Bow Echo and Gstaad but the Godolphin runner won't look out of place in such company in June.

I was working at Hamilton Park on Wednesday and was told of two highly promising juveniles owned by Wathnan Racing who are due to be in action over the next few days. Cosmic Mystery is viewed as a potential Queen Mary Stakes filly and the grey daughter of Havana Grey lines up in the Hilary Needler Fillies' Conditions Stakes at Beverley on Saturday - she has reportedly shown all the right signs since being acquired for 220,000gns at the breeze-ups. Stablemate Terminology is set to make her racecourse bow at Nottingham next Wednesday (3rd June). She, too, is a grey filly by Havana Grey and cost €360,000 at the Arqana breeze-ups earlier this month. I suggest keeping an eye on the pair.