bet365 Gordon Richards Stakes 2012

3.45 Sandown

bet365 Gordon Richards Stakes (Group 3) (Class 1)  (4YO plus)

Winner £31,190

Advice: 1 pt win Poet (15/8 general)

Colombian: Improved for step up in trip when a well backed and clear cut winner of Chester maiden, and has bettered that with two huge runs in major French races, fourth in the French Derby and then a luckless third in well contested Group 2 Guillame D’Orono; Held his own really well towards the end of the season and with ground conditions possibly explaining his odds on defeat in Leicester conditions contest, deserves major respect.

Lyssio: Acts on soft but up against it at this level.

Poet:  Goes well in soft ground as shown by numerous efforts like his Ayr Listed win (also 2 -3 on heavy ground) and has a lot of class to go with that, as shown by his second to Workforce; Last of all in Prix D'Harcourt but set too generous a pace early on ground that had dried up too much for him and this much more his bag; Should go well in conditions like these.

Twice Over: Had looked like age was getting to him last season but bounced back with Group 1 win in International Stakes at York; Satisfactory return when second to Questioning at Newmarket last week but unraced on heavy and that the big question.

World Domination: Much hyped throughought last season and went some way to justifying hype when winning good maiden (produced two Group placed horses and many winners) and while he might have disappointed when just fourth in Dante next time out,  but that form worked out in the end; Chipped bone when disappointing in King Edward Stakes but a horse for the future.

Sos Brilliante: Out of his depth here.

VERDICT: Twice Over is probably the best horse currently in the field (with Colombian not far behind) , while it would be no surprise to see World Domination turn out to be the best of these at the end of the season, but POET is a very useful horse when granted his conditions – he’s 2-3 on heavy ground – and there’s a feeling that today might be his day with the ground “as bad as it’s ever been at Sandown” according to Poet’s rider Ryan Moore.