Ante-Post Focus

Published 12/05

PRINCLING has barely felt the touch of a whip in a highly-encouraging start to his career, and he appeals as the potential big improver stepping up in trip for the Trade Nation London Gold Cup at Newbury on Saturday - live on Sky Sports Racing.

William Haggas’s choicely-bred colt is set to make his handicap debut in the £100,000 contest, and an eye-catching opening mark of 87 means he will be receiving weight from his apparent main rivals.

A relatively unfancied 11-1 shot on his debut at Kempton in October when looking in need of the experience under hand-riding only, he would have reeled in warm-favourite Fort Rock in another stride or two, with the Godolphin-owned winner going on to defy a penalty at even shorter odds at the same venue before shaping well off 90 on his reappearance at the Guineas meeting.

The selection himself was much stronger in the betting at Newmarket on his next run, beaten only by fellow joint-favourite Yazin, who though conceding 7lb did enjoy the run of the race in the centre of the track, while Princling finished strongly on the stands’ side.

Both those races were over seven furlongs - merely a starting point for Princling, most likely, given the middle-distance blood on the dam’s side of his pedigree - and the maths still works out favourably considering that Yazin is now rated 104 and has been handed a St James’s Palace entry by John and Thady Gosden.

Princling was stepped up to a mile for a penalty-kick qualifying run on his return from six-month absence at Wetherby just over a fortnight ago, with this prestigious prize in mind according to Tom Marquand in his post-race TV interview.

At the time of writing, Marquand is jocked up on the stable’s other entry Zennor Storm, but that pair’s names also appear together in the mile handicap later on the card, which would appear the more suitable option for a horse who has questions to answer after trailing in last of nine in the recent HQ race in which Fort Rock finished third.

Still green at Wetherby, that outing should have furthered Princling’s education (Marquand said as much after riding him to come through rivals), while moving up to 1m2f gives him the opportunity to deliver on the promise highlighted by Timeform’s analysis - ‘will stay further still and looks a colt of considerable potential’.