Godolphin blue has been the dominant colour at the Craven meeting in recent seasons, but for the second day running Amo purple held sway here on Thursday as Indestructible entered the 2,000 Guineas reckoning as a 16-1 chance with a one-and-a-quarter lengths success in the Group Three Craven Stakes over the Classic course and distance.
The market for the 2,000 Guineas on 6 May is still headed by Aidan O’Brien’s Auguste Rodin, the Vertem Futurity winner at Doncaster in October, while Indestructible’s win was also a boost for the form of Chaldean, the Classic second favourite, who beat him by three and a half lengths in the Champagne Stakes at Doncaster last September.
But Indestructible has clearly wintered well, and also settled into his new home at Karl Burke’s Middleham stable after a switch from Michael O’Callaghan’s yard in Ireland.
Kevin Stott, in his first season as the No 1 rider for Kia Joorabchian’s Amo Racing operation, reported that he struggled to pull up Indestructible after he stayed on strongly up the final slope to beat The Foxes, with Dancing Magic back in third. Charlie Appleby’s Mysterious Night, the 15-8 favourite and also the only runner for Godolphin, was last of the seven runners.
“The horses have hit form at just the right time,” Burke said. “If you would have been talking to me two weeks ago I would have been tearing what is left of my hair out but things have clicked into gear.
“He is a lovely scopey horse, he’s had a good blow today and he will come on. I don’t think the soft ground suited him when he was second [to Chaldean] at Doncaster and I’d say I would have to fight Kia not to send him back here [for the Guineas] in two weeks’ time.”
Ayr 1.15 Traprain Law 1.50 Rocky Man 2.25 Hourvari 3.00 Christopher Wood 3.35 Charm Offensive 4.10 One Mill Harbour 4.45 Ladronne
Fontwell Park 1.40 Ilot De L’Isle 2.15 Mickyh 2.50 Hudson De Grugy 3.20 Ike Sport 3.55 For Gina 4.30 Jigginstown King 5.05 Solstice Saint
Newbury 1.30 Kalik 2.05 Crazy Luck (nb) 2.40 Beccara Rose 3.15 Chesspiece 3.50 Mostly Sunny 4.25 Tafreej 4.55 Valtellina 5.30 Heartbreaking
Bath 4.40 John Betjeman 5.20 Talamanca 5.55 Juniper Berries 6.25 Get Ahead (nap) 6.55 All Blues 7.25 Havana Goldrush 7.55 Sociologist
Exeter 5.00 Pure Theatre 5.35 Getaway Tom 6.05 Gabriel’s Getaway 6.35 Roger Rarebit 7.05 Greatest Star 7.35 Quintin’s Man 8.05 I’m Ravenous
Indestructible was cut to 16-1 (from 100-1) while Chaldean, who is due to run in the Greenham Stakes at Newbury on Saturday, is the 5-1 second choice behind Auguste Rodin, the 3-1 favourite.
Godolphin’s best chance, meanwhile, appears to be the unbeaten Noble Style, at around 10-1, who worked over seven furlongs before racing here on Thursday.
Noble Style has yet to race beyond six furlongs and the step up to a mile for the Classic remains a significant question mark over his chances.
“You really don’t know if he will see it out at that level until you try him,” Appleby said. “We will be going into it with that mindset, to be brutally honest, hoping he will see the trip out. He won’t be going beyond a mile, that’s for sure.”
