Field Of Gold has a provisional Timeform rating of 132p following his superb display in the St James's Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot.
Patrick Jupp: No chinks in Field's armour
As the dust settles after day one at Royal Ascot, and two of the three Group 1 races at a mile this week – the fillies get their turn on Friday - now is a good chance to assess the pecking order in the division.
Firstly, it almost goes without saying after his demolition job in the St James’s Palace Stakes, but Field of Gold is out on his own at the top. His performance catapults him into the elite group of milers who have run to 130 or higher in recent years. Indeed, only Baaeed has bettered Field of Gold’s provisional rating of 132p in this division since his father, Kingman, was doing his thing back in 2014.
A clash of the generations in the Sussex Stakes could well be next up and, provided we get similar underfoot conditions, Goodwood will provide more of a speed test than Ascot, but a Timeform standard time of 99.42 seconds, although appreciably faster than either the round or straight track at Ascot, is actually slower than either the Curragh (98.07) or Newmarket (98.38), so it’s hard to see any chinks in the favourite’s armour.
As for the older brigade, the Queen Anne was essentially unsatisfactory due to a pedestrian gallop, but did serve to highlight the two who will be suited by the speed-favouring test at Goodwood and may be best placed to chase home Field of Gold, or pick up the pieces if he bypasses the race.
The duo in question are Rosallion, who clocked the fastest last 3f at 34.06, and Notable Speech, who was still on the bridle when meeting trouble and then hindered again by William Buick dropping his whip.
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