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Golden Horn turns back The Grey Gatsby in Eclipse Peerless in the Dante S. (Eng-G2) at York May 14 and Epsom Derby (Eng-G1) June 6, Anthony Oppenheimer's Golden Horn (Cape Cross) had to fight harder taking on the older horses for the first time in Saturday's Eclipse S. (Eng-G1) at Sandown, but showed another side of his character to come out firmly on top again. Sent to the front from the outset as Frankie Dettori sought to avoid any tactical nuances, the 4-9 favorite was hassled from the top of the home stretch by chief rival The Grey Gatsby (Mastercraftsman) and may have been briefly headed by that four-year-old before the quarter pole. Stirred when the whip was drawn shortly after, he pulled steadily clear in the final furlong to record an ultimately authoritative 3 1/2-length triumph. "Jamie (Spencer) was very clever attacking me early, but when he was eyeballed he showed what a champion he is," Dettori said. "He knuckled down and showed a lot of guts. He had been working brilliantly and we were the Derby winner getting the weight allowance, so I didn't want to risk not making the running. We thought he was the best horse and so wanted to prove it by doing it the hard way." His owner-breeder added of the unbeaten bay, who is bound for the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth S. (Eng-G1) at Ascot in three weeks' time if he pleases in the interim. "Frankie says we haven't got to the bottom of him yet, which is very exciting but the horse and John Gosden will tell us where to go next," he said. "He didn't seem to have too hard a race, but we don't know how much it's taken out of him." In the late 1980s, the Eclipse was in its heyday and proved the natural port of call for the best of the classic brigade with Dancing Brave and Nashwan succeeding in enhancing their exalted reputations and Reference Point just failing to overcome the rock-hard Mtoto. All three of those went on to King George glory later that month and connections of Golden Horn will be hoping that he can emulate Nashwan in bringing off the treble this summer now that he has taken the first two tests in his stride. Delivered from behind in the Dante and Derby, the dark bay faced a different pace scenario in this first major clash of the generations with just four older rivals looking to overcome a sizeable weight-for-age disadvantage and their riders understandably reluctant to set the race up for the sophomore. Unperturbed by this potential quandary, Dettori sent Golden Horn to the lead after half-missing the kick where he was tracked closely by The Grey Gatsby. Knowing how much last year's Prix du Jockey Club (Fr-G1) and Irish Champion S. (Ire-G1) winner likes a tussle, Jamie Spencer asked the four-year-old to pull some early punches after the home turn and for about a furlong it looked as if he might have his younger rival's measure. Still relatively inexperienced despite his high-profile achievements, the Oppenheimer homebred needed a slap with the whip to assert his influence and from the furlong pole his late-race power came into play once again as he drew away for a decisive score. "It kind of took him by surprise, because he's never been in front and he had every chance to give in late on but he put some daylight between them at the end," Dettori said. "He's a very laid-back horse and you have to be aggressive with him, but in all his works and the races I've ridden him in he never finishes tired. He must have a remarkable physique, as he hits the line running every time and I think he's still got something left. He's a remarkable horse and is up there with the very best I've ridden." Golden Horn's latest exploits extended the annus mirabilis for trainer John Gosden and he paid tribute to the winner and the race as a spectacle. "I think the moment the draw came out, we knew we had to go forward and although we hoped someone else would go on, they didn't. What a lovely race it was, with The Grey Gatsby right there all the way and a top three-year-old and a top older horse in a clean, hard race. It was a real ding-dong battle and then in the last furlong he's asserted properly and strongly and has found three lengths. He's a very high-class horse. He's won his Derby, he's come here and won the Eclipse and I've got enormous respect for the second and personally I thought it was a purist's race and a great race." Gosden was keen to focus on the short-term targets only at present, with a tilt at the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe (Fr-G1) at Longchamp October 4 in the balance. "If he's in tremendous form, of course the King George would be wonderful to run in and the horse will tell me. That's my job and I have to watch and feel and see how he is. If we decide it's a dance too far, then he won't go to Ascot as we always do what's right by them. He's not in the Arc, so he'd have to be supplemented but I think he'd be an Arc horse unless it went bottomless." The Grey Gatsby was coming off second best again as he had in Royal Ascot's Prince of Wales's S. (Eng-G1) June 17, but trainer Kevin Ryan was far from downcast. "It was a great race, which the race deserves to be and I think we've seen two very exceptional and brave horses. For him to concede the weight he has done, he must be exceptional too. I thought two down we had him, but he is a very tough horse and there were no hard-luck stories. Both jockeys rode great races and we're very proud of our horse. "I think now we'll just wait for the (August 19) Juddmonte International (Eng-G1) -- I'd love to take him back to York, our home track and it gives us about six weeks, which I think he deserves now." Bet Horseracing Free Online at TwinSpires.com
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