‘Very exciting’ 2000 Guineas gamble Cosmic Year to kick his season off at Kempton under Oisin Murphy
HARRY CHARLTON admits the pressure will be on when his big Guineas hope lines up at Kempton on Wednesday.
The Beckhampton trainer saddles the exciting Cosmic Year in a one-mile novice at 6.10, in which he is likely to be a red-hot favourite.
The colt bolted up by nearly seven lengths on his debut at Sandown last September and has been smashed into 8-1 from 20-1 for the 2,000 Guineas over the last month.
The plan had been to bring him back in Saturday’s Greenham Stakes at Newbury, but his trainer is reluctant to run him on quick ground first time out.
It means he will have his sights set lower than anticipated for his comeback on the all-weather, so both horse and trainer are on a hiding to nothing.
Charlton said: “I’d have loved to run him at Newbury, it’s been the plan for a long time but we walked the track on Sunday and it’s going to be pretty quick.
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“I’m just a bit reluctant to run him on fast ground first time out, and on top of that Field Of Gold has been rerouted there from the Craven.
“They would have been more than happy to run two, but with Jonquil going there too I think they were reluctant to run three, and luckily we had the option to go to Kempton.
“I don’t know how much we’ll learn and there is probably more pressure now than if we’d gone to Newbury.
“You could have run an encouraging third in the Greenham and been very happy, but anything other than a nice win at Kempton we may come away disappointed.
“We may have to ride him a little differently as well to try and get him as much experience as we can, but as Notable Speech showed last year running at Kempton isn’t a bad way to prepare for the Guineas.”
Cosmic Year has been back in full work for a few months now and has been impressing Charlton, who took over the licence from Derby-winning dad Roger last year, on the Beckhampton gallops.
And while riding arrangements are not set in stone this season, he hopes Oisin Murphy will be able to ride as much as possible.
He added: “He’s looked good at home and he is an exciting horse. I’m looking forward to getting him going.
“The intention is for Oisin to try and ride him, but he’d have ridden Jonquil if they both ran in the Greenham as he is Andrew Balding’s jockey.”
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