Perfect return for Nathaniel…could a rematch with Frankel be next?

Nathaniel holds off Farhh (slightly obscured) in today’s Coral-Eclipse Stakes at Sandown Park, with Twice Over back in third. Could Nathaniel take on Frankel next? Image courtesy of racingfotos.com.

A brilliant training performance by John Gosden saw Nathaniel win the Coral-Eclipse at Sandown Park this afternoon on his seasonal debut and there is chance that he could next take on Frankel in the Juddmonte International at York on 22 August.

Having won last year’s King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes (sponsored by Betfair) over a mile and a half and run a fine fifth in the QIPCO Champion Stakes over a mile and a quarter, Nathaniel’s return to the track this season had been delayed by various niggles.

Gosden, whose main summer aim had been another King George, elected to go for the mile-and-a-quarter Coral-Eclipse first and it could not have worked out better.

Having tracked the pace-setting City Style early on, William Buick sent Nathaniel into the lead fully three furlongs from home, knowing that stamina was absolutely not an issue for the son of Galileo.

First Cityscape came with a threatening challenge, but his stamina ebbed away with just a over a furlong to run and then it was the luckless Prince of Wales’s Stakes third, Farhh, who threw down the final gauntlet.

For a moment it looked as though Frankie Dettori’s mount might prevail, but Nathaniel was not for stopping and was well on top at the line for a determined but comfortable half-length victory.

Twice Over ran a great race to finish third, two and three quarter lengths back, with Cityscape fading into fourth and Crackerjack King in fifth. Bonfire, Sri Putra and the Dubai World Cup winner, Monterosso, never got into it and were all a long way behind.

The winning jockey said: "I have to say that was a fantastic training performance from John Gosden.

"To get the horse here in the shape he was in, all credit to John.

"He’s got real quality and he showed today what a good horse he is. I have always had a lot of faith in this horse.

"He showed his versatility today and all being well he’ll go for the King George again."

His trainer, however, is concerned by the two-week gap between the Coral-Eclipse and Betfair King George this year because of the Olympics, saying: "It’s two weeks to the King George and that’s not great.

"He’s put in a massive effort here, so we will just have to have a good think about whether we run again (so soon)."

Gosden did, however, raise the intriguing possibility of taking on Frankel again.

No horse has ever finished closer to Frankel in a race than Nathaniel when they were first and second on their racecourse debuts in a maiden race at Newmarket in August 2010.  

"It would be fun to take on Frankel once more, as there was only half a length between them in a maiden a long time ago. The Juddmonte (International) would be an option, as would the Champion Stakes at the end of the year."

Farhh’s trainer Saeed bin Suroor said of his charge, who broke on terms this time and did not meet traffic problems as had been the case at Royal Ascot: "He travelled very well all the way but was beaten by a better horse today.

"There is no plan but we will keep to Group One races at the same distance."

Teddy Grimthorpe, racing manager to Twice Over’s owner, Prince Khalid Abdulla, said: "He had been freshened up and has run a blinder. We were very pleased."

Roger Charlton’s Cityscape was a creditable fourth in the Abdulla colours and Grimthorpe said: "He didn’t quite stay after travelling very well through the race.

"We could look at something like the Jacques le Marois. I imagine he wouldn’t go for the Sussex Stakes if Frankel does."