It is looking very likely that John Gosden’s impressive Ladbrokes St Leger winner Arctic Cosmos will fly out to Canada to take on an international field in the in the Grade 1 Canadian International at Woodbine on Saturday, 16 October, writes Elliot Slater.
Those looking at horse racing tips note how the three-year-old colt started the term landing a modest maiden on the Polytrack at Wolverhampton in April, since when he has made incredible progress, stepping up to win a Kempton handicap before belying his official handicap mark to chase home the talented Monterosso in the Group 2 King Edward VII Stakes at Royal Ascot in June.
Unsuited by the track at Glorious Goodwood when a staying-on third in the Group 3 Gordon Stakes to Rebel Soldier, the son of North Light defied a lack of market confidence and reacted particularly well to the first-time blinkers in cosily defeating Aidan O’Brien’s Irish Derby runner-up Midas Touch in the season’s final classic at Doncaster last month.
Following a pleasing recent piece of work on the Newmarket gallops, Arctic Cosmos, who is part-owned by Gosden’s wife Rachel Hood, was given the green light to head to North America for the mile-and-a-half contest, the winner of which receives automatic qualification to contest the Breeders’ Cup Turf at Churchill Downs early next month.
Given the surprises that Arctic Cosmos has already sprung on the British and irish racing public and the fine record his handler has on the American racing scene, it would be unwise not to take this Canadian bid very seriously indeed. The availability of Gosden’s stable jockey William Buick, (who gave the horse such a great ride at Doncaster), could be the only black cloud on the horizon, as he might well be in the saddle on board Arlington Million winner Debussy in the Dubai Champion Stakes at Newmarket on the afternoon of October 16th.
It seems fair to say that riding arrangements surrounding the two top level bids by the Gosden team across two continents on the same day, should prove most enlightening.
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