Colin Keane will ride Field Of Gold in the G1 Irish 2,000 Guineas at the Curragh on Saturday for owner Juddmonte and the John and Thady Gosden training partnership.
Ireland’s six-time champion jockey earned his first classic success in the same mile classic back in 2020, wearing the Juddmonte silks aboard the Ger Lyons-trained Siskin. The news comes on the back of a treble for Keane at Naas on Sunday that included an impressive Group 3 win on Juddmonte’s sharp filly Babouche.
“I’m delighted to be riding Field Of Gold,” Keane told Idol Horse. “It’s a brilliant ride to get. He looked very good winning his trial and he was very close to winning an English classic, so he looks to be a great ride for an Irish classic.”
Field Of Gold started his campaign with an impressive win in the G3 Craven Stakes at Newmarket, but was at the centre of the 2,000 Guineas fall out, which resulted in the Gosdens announcing that the Juddmonte hombred’s hitherto regular jockey Kieran Shoemark would no longer be the stable’s retained rider, and that the operation would use “the best available”.
The grey colt was beaten into second as the 11-8 favourite in the straight mile contest at Newmarket having raced keenly under Shoemark in the early stages. Field Of Gold was then caught flatfooted when the pace quickened, before running on strongly to be beaten half a length behind Ruling Court.
“I can understand why Kieran did what he did the last day trying to get him to relax because he was a keen going horse as a two-year-old by all accounts,” Keane commented.
“I’ll think about how the race might be run closer to the time. When I’ve seen the decs and seen what’s in the race, we’ll all have a better idea of what the race might look like.”
Keane, 30, rode 141 winners in 2021 to set the Irish record for most wins in a season.
Thady Gosden told Idol Horse: “Colin’s record in Ireland certainly speaks for itself and of course he was successful in this race in the Juddmonte silks for their exceptionally talented colt Siskin in 2020.” ∎
