Chaldean will be Dettori’s ride if he wants it, say Juddmonte

Major Classic contender on course for 2000 Guineas.

The Juddmonte team are keeping everything crossed that leading 2000 Guineas contender Chaldean can give Frankie Dettori a Classic winner in his final year before retirement.

The popular Italian teamed up with Andrew Balding’s Frankel colt twice in the autumn, steering him to success in both the Champagne Stakes at Doncaster and the Dewhurst at Newmarket.

Speaking on a Zoom call to reveal the classifications for last season’s two-year-old crop, Juddmonte racing manager Barry Mahon confirmed Dettori will keep the ride on Chaldean, whose rating of 119 makes him the joint second-highest rated juvenile of 2022 along with Blackbeard.

Little Big Bear was crowned Europe’s champion juvenile with a mark of 124.

“He’s definitely Frankie’s ride if he wants him and he’s available and hasn’t any other commitments,” said Mahon.

“I spoke with Andrew last week about it and he was of the same mind that Frankie seemed to click well with the horse and in their two starts they built up a good rapport, so we definitely wouldn’t look to be changing anything there unless Frankie has a commitment anywhere else.

“Frankie has been a phenomenal jockey for so many years. He’s been phenomenal for the sport and is loved and adored all around the world.

“We’re very much looking forward to the next 12 months. Hopefully we’ll be able to retain his services plenty as we’ve a few nice horses in the Gosdens and elsewhere and Frankie is always top of our list when he’s available.

“Hopefully he has a good season and goes off into retirement on a good note.”

Nostrum is another exciting prospect
Nostrum is another exciting prospect (Mike Egerton/PA)

Chaldean is one of two leading Guineas contenders for Juddmonte along with Sir Michael Stoute’s Nostrum, who was beaten two and a half lengths into third place in the Dewhurst.

While Mahon is not ruling out the possibility of the pair renewing rivalry over the Rowley Mile in the 2000 Guineas, connections could instead opt to split their aces.

He added: “It’s a nice position to be in having a number of nice two-year-olds heading into the winter and looking forward to their three-year-old campaigns.

“I suppose we might be a bit far away to be making plans about keeping them apart. In an ideal world I suppose we would like to keep them apart, with possibly one running in the English Guineas and the other go to France or Ireland.

“But there’s a lot of work to be done yet and if something had a little setback along the way it would be nice to have a replacement to fill in for the English 2000 Guineas.

“I think we’ll aim for both of them to head towards Newmarket for the time being and get a bit closer and sit down with the Abdullah family and see what they’d like to do.

“In fairness they were gallant enough to let both of them run in the Dewhurst, which was a brave call, and it was the right call in hindsight.

“Maybe it’s the case that they would like both of them to run (at Newmarket).”

A horse viewed as a possible Derby runner for the team is John and Thady Gosden’s Arrest.

Placed behind Nostrum on his introduction, he went on to win his next two starts before being narrowly denied by Dubai Mile in the Group One Criterium de Saint-Cloud.

Mahon said: “John and Thady were always very bullish about him from July onwards. I happened to be there in July and they said to me that he was the colt that was standing out to them at the time.

“He’s a very nice horse and ran a good race on his debut, the form of which has worked out very well with Nostrum finishing in front of him, and then he went on and won his two novices nicely.

“It was a big jump up from him at Saint-Cloud. He was a very immature horse and unfortunately the ground that day was horrendous – the jockeys said it was as deep as you would ever get ground.

“He ran a good race and I think his weakness maybe caught him out in the last 50 yards when Mark Johnston’s horse came past him.

“He’ll start off in a Derby trial and could go to Sandown and follow the Westover route from last year – Sandown, Epsom and the Curragh.

“He’s a nice prospect and I hope he can make up into a nice middle-distance three-year-old.”

Mahon also gave mention to two maiden winners who have not yet tested their powers at the highest level, but could do before the year is out.

He added: “We have a filly called Bluestocking who won her maiden at Salisbury for Ralph Beckett, she’s a filly we like a lot. She’s very much a three-year-old type and being by Camelot she’s bred to want 10 or 12 furlongs.

“Then there is a filly called Coppice for John and Thady Gosden. She won her maiden first time out on the all-weather and she’s a sister to Calyx.

“I think John and Thady are taking her along nice and slow. It all depends how she winters and how she is in the spring, but I think if John and Thady feel that she’s in good form and her work is forward enough, there’s every chance she’ll start off in a Guineas trial.

“If she’s a little bit slow to come to hand we’ll be conservative and might go for a novice and aim towards bigger prizes in the summer, rather than pushing her to go to the Guineas.

“I think she’ll stay well. She broke her maiden over seven furlongs and hit the line very strong that day, so I don’t think she’ll have any problem with the mile.”

Follow us on Twitter racing365dotcom and like our Facebook page.

Latest