Flat horses to follow: 'Everything about her screams top-class three-year-old'

Clive Cox

It was not long ago that Clive Cox transformed My Dream Boat from a tidy handicapper to a Group 1 winner and Aratus could be a similar type.

Second in a decent Newbury novice on his debut, the son of Free Eagle, who loves fast ground, has since won four on the spin and possesses a potent change of gear.

He can be keen but he has been gelded and former jump jockey Stuart Shilston, who won two Stayers' Hurdles on Crimson Embers in the 1980s, does a fine job on him at home.

Leicester's Listed King Richard III Stakes next month is the plan, but he will get further than 7f.
James Burn, Lambourn correspondent

Aratus: set to run in the Listed King Richard III Stakes at Leicester next monthCredit: Alan Crowhurst (Getty Images)

John and Thady Gosden

Audience didn't make his juvenile debut until the last week of October and was weak in the market (15-2), but he created a fair impression when streaking away to win his maiden by the best part of four lengths at Newmarket.

Despite seeing plenty of daylight on the outside, he looked pretty straightforward and cruised through that 7f race before sprinting clear.

His sire, Iffraaj, and damsire, Oasis Dream, were quick, so a drop down to sprinting shouldn't be ruled out, but either way he certainly looks like a colt with a big future.
Paul Kealy, tipster

Eldar Eldarov
Roger Varian

Eldar Eldarov was well noticed at the breeze-up sales when going for a hefty 480,000gns and ran out a most impressive debut winner when scoring by five lengths in division two of a 1m½f novice at Nottingham last October, having been backed down to 13-8 market leader.

The son of Dubawi has wintered well at Carlburg Stables, leading to a Derby entry earlier this year and could well be set for a Derby trial in the coming weeks.

From some of Kirsten Rausing's best staying stock, the three-year-old is not the biggest so won't mind sharp tracks this summer.
David Milnes, Newmarket correspondent

Existent
Stuart Williams

Existent proved disappointing for John and Thady Gosden last year, but his form has taken off since joining Stuart Williams and being gelded.

The drop to five furlongs saw him run out an impressive winner of handicaps at Chelmsford and Wolverhampton earlier this year and the way he travelled through those races suggests there's more to come.

It's not hard to see him progressing that bit further into a Group-class sprinter, perhaps even at the highest level given the standard is far from exacting.
Paul Curtis, Racing Post Ratings

Charlie Appleby

Hafit cost 2.1 million guineas as a yearling and has already shown more ability than winning half-brother Bright Idea (RPR 94).

He will come into his own over middle distances and further this season, and was only just touched off when third behind stablemate Goldspur in the Zetland Stakes over 1m2f at Newmarket last year.

He went off 6-4 favourite that day, so is evidently still held in high regard, and it will be disappointing if he can't make his mark in Group company this season. In the longer term, the St Leger may be the aim.
Graeme Rodway, tipster

Hafit: the St Leger could be the longer-term aim this season

Chris Wall

Kingmania looked like developing into a Britannia type early last summer following comfortable 7f wins at Leicester and Doncaster, but she missed the royal meeting and signed off her campaign early with a defeat at Newmarket’s July meeting.

A classy filly with a high cruising speed and sharp turn of foot, she promises to be even better when stepped up to a mile this year and can land a valuable handicap as well as gaining some all-important black type.
Richard Birch, tipster

Paddy Twomey

Paddy Twomey has a live Classic contender in his barn with Limiti Di Greccio, who would be of major interest in the Irish 1,000 Guineas.

Limiti Di Greccio went from strength to strength after moving to Twomey's stable in the middle of last season and signed off her year by winning the Staffordstown Stud Stakes at the Curragh. That performance marked her down as a hugely talented filly given she was trapped with nowhere to go on the rail for much of the straight. She showed a turn of foot few horses possess when switched by Billy Lee, quickening up to win smartly from a couple of rivals rated in the 100s.

Limiti Di Greccio is in top hands and there could be a lot more to come during her three-year-old campaign.
Brian Sheerin, tipster

Aidan O'Brien

Aidan O'Brien sent out Group 1 winners High Chaparral and Powerscourt to contest Flat maidens at Punchestown, and this son of Churchill marked himself out as an exciting prospect for Ballydoyle when making a winning juvenile debut at that track in September.

A 320,000gns purchase out of a sister to 6f Group 3 winner Angel's Hideaway, he looks open to any amount of improvement at three and could be a smart miler this term, albeit he probably lacks the experience required for a test like the Qipco 2,000 Guineas.

He may not be entering this season as a Ballydoyle A-lister, but he's bound to make his mark at a decent level if progressing as anticipated.
Mark Boylan, tipster

Aidan O'Brien

Star Of India did not impress for most of the journey on his debut in a Leopardstown maiden in October, but it is the end product that counts and there was certainly plenty of that.

The Galileo colt was off the bridle for almost the whole way in this contest run at a decent gallop and it was not really until the final furlong that the penny started to drop. When he began to realise what was involved, he really picked up and lengthened to put distance between himself and his rivals fairly quickly.

He has quite a speedy pedigree, but it would be no surprise at all if he made up into a Derby horse and he might even take his chance in a Guineas. He could be an exciting horse once he learns how to race.
Justin O'Hanlon, tipster

Brian Ellison

Tashkhan made giant strides after joining the yard from Emmet Mullins last season.

Beaten off a mark of 70 in a 1m4f handicap at York in May, Brian Ellison's four-year-old improved the further he went and ran a blinder in the Long Distance Cup on Champions Day at Ascot at odds of 50-1 in October, splitting Trueshan and Stradivarius.

Tashkhan is still quite unexposed over marathon distances and, in a staying division which lacks depth, he could be the horse best positioned to serve it up to Trueshan this year.
Robbie Wilders, tipster

Aidan O'Brien

Late-season victories for Tenebrism in the Cheveley Park and Luxembourg in the Vertem Futurity Trophy rescued Aidan O'Brien's 2021 juvenile campaign after a period when it looked as if he was struggling to find authentic Classic candidates.

Tenebrism, a soft-ground 5f winner at Naas in late March, had not run for six months before producing a brilliant turn of foot to win the Cheveley Park on good to firm ground.

A daughter of Caravaggio, she appeals as a strong 1,000 Guineas candidate with prospects of emulating her dam Immortal Verse, winner of the Coronation Stakes in 2011. If she fails to stay a mile, expect O'Brien to reinvent her as a top-class sprinter.
Alan Sweetman, tipster

Villanova Queen: holds entries for both fillies' Classics in Ireland this seasonCredit: Patrick McCann (racingpost.com/photos)

Jessica Harrington

Villanova Queen looks a useful filly, having improved for her green Curragh debut when finding plenty to land what might have been a fair fillies' maiden at Leopardstown in the autumn.

The runner-up there, Kerkiyra, helped set a decent standard, having previously run well behind Discoveries, Concert Hall and Limiti Di Greccio.

A daughter of Mastercraftsman – sire of the stable's former star Alpha Centauri – Villanova Queen was entered at Naas on Sunday so she must be close to a run, and she has entries in both of the Irish fillies' Classics. She had just the two outings as a juvenile and could develop into a smart three-year-old.
Richard Forristal, Ireland editor

Aidan O'Brien

It took her three goes to get off the mark, but the way in which West Coast disposed of a dozen rivals in an autumn maiden at Leopardstown was very easy on the eye.

Seamie Heffernan put her first two defeats down to greenness and immaturity, and said she had the makings of a "very nice filly" after her all-the-way win at Leopardstown. I would echo that.

West Coast is a half-sister to the 113-rated Just Wonderful, who was sixth in the 1,000 Guineas in 2019 and second in the Belmont Oaks, as well as the speedy Lost Treasure, and everything about her screams that she will progress into a top-class three-year-old.

There is as big as 40-1 available for the Qipco 1,000 Guineas at Newmarket and, before then, she could exploit a handicap mark of 97 in the Madrid Handicap at Naas on Sunday.
David Jennings, deputy Ireland editor

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