The first British Classics of 2022 take place at Newmarket this weekend and at this crucial juncture of the season our Racing Editor has identified a trio of horses to look out for this Flat season, and in particular, the Classics it could pay to side with them in. Check these out below, along with an exclusive sign-up offer of Bet £10 and Claim £40 In Bet Bonuses at 888sport.
BUCKAROO (Joseph O’Brien)
Potential Target: Cazoo Derby (4th June 2022)
Luxembourg heads the market for this year’s Derby and you’d imagine a top-four finish in this weekend’s 2000 Guineas could well see his price shorten. For ante-post purposes, however, it looks worth chancing something at a decent price and one that fits that bill is the current 33/1 hopeful BUCKAROO.
Joseph O’Brien’s colt runs in the famous Qatar Racing silks, who had 2018 Derby third Roaring Lion, yet as opposed to that horse, Buckaroo looks far more stoutly bred being out of Qatar Racing’s very own 1m4f Listed winner Roheryn.
Buckaroo recorded progressive RPRs in each of his four starts as a juvenile, catching the eye when staying on for fourth in the Group 1 Criterium de Saint-Cloud back in October.
Connections always felt that whatever Buckaroo achieved at 2 was a bonus, and the son of Fastnet Rock put up a solid showing on his 3yo debut when runner-up in the Ballysax at Leopardstown earlier this month. Buckaroo travelled eye-catchingly well into that race having been last at one stage and only lost out in a head bobber.
Joseph O’Brien had stated before that contest that Buckaroo would “probably take a run to tighten him up”, so he should be seen to better effect next time out, and he does hold a couple of entries over the next week. If he was to run out an impressive winner of either of those assignments it would be no shock to see his Derby odds tumble, and therefore at a price, he looks one to keep a close eye on.
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ONLY (Aidan O’Brien)
Potential Target: Juddmonte Irish Oaks (16th July 2022)
Aidan O’Brien currently shares the title of the most successful trainer in Irish Oaks history with six wins, the same number as Sir Michael Stoute, and the Ballydoyle maestro will be hoping to claim that title outright in 2022, with ONLY perhaps the pick of his battalion.
This filly is impeccably-bred being the first foal out of the four-time Group 1 heroine Winter. Although her dam did her winning over a mile, Only has an injection of stamina into her pedigree courtesy of her sire, the legendary Japanese stallion Deep Impact.
Only didn’t race at 2, but she was sent off 100/30 to make a winning racecourse debut at Leopardstown last month. Ryan Moore took the ride that day, and although Only was ultimately beaten into second, she shaped with a great deal of promise behind her more clued up stablemate Lullaby, who also got first run on her.
Aidan O’Brien spoke very positively about Only after that run, stating that “she could be an Irish Oaks filly” and confirming that middle distances would ultimately be her aim.
Whilst it’s always a concern backing once-race horses to win Group 1s, a maiden should prove a formality for Only, and given her pedigree if there’s any horse you could chance to strike at the top level it’s her.
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ROYAL PATRONAGE (Charlie & Mark Johnston)
Potential Target: Cazoo St Leger (10th September 2022)
The St Leger is a race that Mark Johnston is yet to win, but he has gone close on a number of occasions, particularly in recent seasons, and the first year that his son Charlie’s name is included on the racecard could be the year to break his duck, with their ROYAL PATRONAGE rating an ideal St Leger candidate.
A quick look at Mark Johnston’s recent St Leger runners will show Dee Ex Bee was fourth in 2018 before Johnston supplied the second and third home in 2019 with Sir Ron Priestley and Nayef Road, and his subsequent Gold Cup hero Subjectivist finished 7th in 2020.
It’s certainly, therefore, to be presumed that this is a race that he targets, and this could ultimately be the main aim for Royal Patronage in 2022.
This Highclere Thoroughbred owned colt gained a hat-trick of wins as a juvenile last year, supplementing an Epsom novice win with victories in the Group 3 Acomb at York, and the Group 2 Royal Lodge at Newmarket.
On the latter occasion Royal Patronage showed strong staying attributes to run down leader Coroebus in the closing stages, a performance which strongly suggested that he would need further than a mile as a 3yo. Royal Patronage’s juvenile campaign ended on somewhat of a bum note when last of eight in the Vertem Futurity at Doncaster in October, but considering he was found to have been struck into there it looks well worth forgiving the run.
The first foal out of a French 1m4f winner in Shaloushka, herself closely related to an Irish Derby third in Shalapour, Royal Patronage certainly has a stamina laden pedigree on the dam’s side, and that offers plenty of hope that he will be capable of staying 1m4f and beyond this season.
Whilst he may lack the class of a Derby winner, the St Leger could prove the ideal race for Royal Patronage in 2022.
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