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| Newmarket Guineas Meeting 2011 |
Gold Strike Could Prompt 2000 Guineas Bid
21/04/11
When all eyes were focused on Aintree and the John Smith’s Grand National in early April, it may well have gone unnoticed by the majority that Richard Hannon’s Dubawi Gold put up an impressive performance at Lingfield to land the (Listed) International Trial Stakes and place himself in line for a crack at the Qipco 2000 Guineas at Newmarket on April 30, writes Elliot Slater.
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Trained last term by Michael Dods, for whom he made a winning debut over six furlongs at Ayr in May (a top racing tip) before finishing a fine runner-up in the Woodcote Stakes at Epsom on Derby Day, Dubawi Gold won an Ascot conditions race last October before being highly enough thought of to bid for the Group 1 Racing Post Trophy, where he led to a furlong-and-a-half out before fading into ninth behind the impressive Derby candidate Casamento.
Joining Hannon during the winter, the handsome son of Dubawi, (who like last season’s 2000 Guineas winner Makfi is by the same stallion and is also out of a Green Desert mare), made a flying start for his new handler when scoring at Lingfield on the Polytrack over seven furlongs in Listed company at the end of last month. Stepped back up to a mile for Saturday’s event, Dubawi Gold was sent off a well backed 10/11 favourite in most betting horse racing tips, under Richard Hughes, and having been well placed throughout (despite taking a strong hold) duly quickened up well to take the lead a furlong out before being nudged out to comfortably hold the game Hamlool by a cosy half-length.
Connections believe that a strongly run mile will give the three-year-old the chance to settle somewhat better than he did on Saturday and show him to be an even smarter horse than is already apparent. Hannon is now seriously considering allowing the Andrew Tinkler-owned colt to take his chance at HQ at the end of the month, a race for which he is currently a best priced 66/1 chance.
