The dream is not over, that was the view on Damysus, who could now be bound for the Dante after his encouraging third in the bet365 Classic Trial.
A taking winner on debut at Southwell, John and Thady Gosden’s colt coped admirably with the step up in class at Sandown, with the smartly-bred son of Frankel – who cost 460,000 guineas as a yearling – beaten only a length and a quarter by Aidan O’Brien’s useful and more experienced scorer Swagman.
Richard Brown, racing adviser to owners Wathnan Racing, said: “We’re delighted and this was a big step up from seven furlongs at Southwell on the all-weather in December to running on turf for the first time over a mile and a quarter in a Classic trial.
“The two horses in front of him had more experience and William (Buick) gave him a sympathetic, educating ride. He was green around the bend before picking up nicely, before just getting a bit tired, so we have to be happy.”
Damysus can be backed at a general 50-1 for the Betfred Derby and his team could now choose to gain further evidence of his Epsom suitability by heading to York on May 15 for their pre-eminent Classic prep race.
Brown continued: “The (Derby) dream is not dead yet and we’ll go back and have a chat with the team in Qatar. John and William thought straight away it would be a good idea to go to York for the Dante, where he would get a flat track and a nice long straight.
“But we’ll chat with the powers that be and then they’ll make the final decision. The dream is not over after that and we have a nice horse on our hands, so we’re delighted with his performance.”
Other Recent Posts by This Author:
- Quddwah puts Queen Anne case with smooth return in Paris
- Liberty Lane aiming for Listed honours at Goodwood
- July Cup bid on Great Generation agenda
- Opportunity knocks for Haggas-trained colt at Goodwood
- Basher Watts determined to give Fellowes his first ‘official’ Group One
Leave a Reply
Want to join the discussion?Feel free to contribute!