Put the John Gosden trained Lead Artist in a weight for age race with 3yo stable mate Field of Gold and they would probably go 2/5 Field of Gold.
That says a lot for the class of the 3yo but also that the older generation milers could be overrated. The Lockinge in which Lead Artist won his first Group 1 fending off the challenge of Dancing Gemini with last year’s top two milers over 2L back in third suggests that could be the case.
The connections of Rosalion and Notable Speech were quick to state how much their inmates would come on for their first seasonal debuts, but both were equally adamant before the race they were pretty much spot on. Is it simply a case that the Lockinge 1-2 have improved beyond them?
In any case were last year’s 3yo milers just an average bunch? A look through the top mile races for 3yo’s against the older horses in 2024 provides evidence that this a correct assumption.
Last season’s champion miler the 4yo Charyn easily put away the 3yo challenge defeating Notable Speech and Irelands leading 3yo colt at the trip Henry Longfellow but unable to cope with the 6yo Tribalist.
His best rating was in the Queen Anne in 2024 when be beat Docklands, Majloom, and Witch Hunter all Group 2 horses at best and it would have been right to expect the top 3yo milers to have really tested Cheryn, it turned out that only the progressive filly Tamfana was the horse from the younger generation to run him close.
The low opinion of the 2024 3yo milers has been substantiated in 2025 with Dancing Gemini an also ran last season, improving sufficiently, to get beat by only the late developer Lead Artist going down by a short head in the Lockinge.
The Queen Anne is open to 4yo’s and older and I believe another Gosden trained colt Sardinian Warrior can improve past last years leading 3yo’s and his stablemate Lead Artist.
A race fit Charyn won the Queen Anne in 2024 beating Docklands and running to a Timeform rating of 123 by just over 2l where as on his seasonal debut Sardinian Warrior beat the same horse achieving a rating of 119+.
He suffered his first defeat at Longchamp over 9f+ when the supplemented Sosie now Coral Eclipse bound and 3rd favourite wore him down near the line.
The ground was on the soft side and it looked just to stretch Sardinian Warriors stamina.
Sosie could turn out to be the No 1 older horse in Europe this season and because of the trip I think Sardinian Warrior has been underrated.
Lead Artist is 5/1 but there seems nothing great about the Lockinge and i expect Sardinian Warrior to be sent off the shorter of the Gosden pair in the final market
Another dark horse the William Haggas 4yo Lake Forest has an opportunity at a big price to also play a major part but he wont run if there is cut on the ground and is likely to be available at his current price of 14/1 on race day – so there is no need to get involved Ante Post
On the other hand I expect Sardinian Warrior to be much shorter on race day than the current price of 12/1 in places and 10/1 generally.
Diary of a Season Ante Post 1pt win Sardinian Warrior Queen Anne Stakes 12/1 W Hill Bet 365 or 10/1 Sky, Paddy Power, Betfair
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