The weekend started well for Godolphin when their unbeaten filly Good Cheer won the Group I Kentucky Oaks on Friday and it got even better on Saturday when record priced €2.3million Justify colt Ruling Court landed the Group I Newmarket 2000 Guineas in the UK.
Ruling Court has been a high profile horse since recording an explosive breeze up gallop last year that saw him sell as the highest priced European breeze up horse in history at the Arqana May Breeze Up Sale.
That exceptional talent came to fruition on Saturday in the best way possible when he tasted G1 success at just his fourth race start.
Trained by Charlie Appleby and ridden by William Buick, Ruling Court won a maiden at Sandown last July before finishing third to The Lion in Winter in the Group III Acomb Stakes at his only other run at two.
Dispatched to Dubai earlier this year, Ruling Court won the Listed Jumeirah 2000 Guineas indicating he had come back well at three, so duly took his place in the first of the UK classic races at Newmarket.
The final furlong produced a stirring battle with last year’s Champion 2YO Colt Shadow of Light in front for Godolphin but overhauled by Ruling Court with the race favourite Field of Gold charging late to split the pair and grab second beaten a half length.
William Buick won a pair of G1 races on Shadow of Light last year, but got off the Shamardal colt to ride Ruling Court and was rewarded.
“It was a hard choice for William but he saw it right in respect of the fact he thought Ruling Court was going to see the mile out and that's what he did. He outstayed them, I felt,” Charlie Appleby said.
“People are obviously going to ask about him being the only horse we've entered in the Derby but most importantly we're going to enjoy today and let the dust settle and try and formulate a plan as to whether we stick to that Derby route.
“I'd be confident that we will do, hopefully, but they're the kind of decisions that we'll make collectively. When you watched them walk round the paddock he's got the High Chaparral (damsire), he's got that sort of length to him that you can see him as a Derby horse and that's what we had our minds on during the course of the winter.”
Ruling Court seems likely to try and emulate the success of last year’s Epsom Derby winner City of Troy, who is also by his remarkable Triple Crown winning sire Justify.
Ruling Court was a super successful pinhook having initially been bought from Keeneland September as a yearling for $150,000 by Norman and Janet Williamson of Oak Tree Farm.
He is the first winner for Group III placed High Chaparral mare Inchargeofme, a sibling to a pair of Group I placed horses in Mythical and Johann Strauss as well as the dam of Group III winner Nagirroc.
It’s a high class female family packed with elite G1 performers including the likes of Miss Kller, Harbour Law and Poet’s Word.
Ruling Court is the eighth Group I winner for Justify and the 16th as a broodmare sire for High Chaparral, who is becoming such an influential sire for the Australian breeding industry with his burgeoning sire dynasty.
While Justify is not coming back to Australia, we will see his Epsom Derby winning 2024 European Horse of the Year City of Troy here this spring at Coolmore Australia at a fee of $49,500.
