Godolphin’s Belardo finished fourth to Gleneagles in the Irish 2,000 Guineas at the Curragh on Saturday.
Belardo was held up under James Doyle on rain-softened going and inside the final 400 metres the colt drew alongside long-time leader Ivawood to give hope for the Dubai-based operation.
Gleneagles was stuck in a pocket on the rail, but Ryan Moore waited until the gaps appeared before his mount motored through to win by three quarters of a length from Ger Lyons’ Endless Drama. Ivawood stayed on to deny Belardo third place.
Gleneagles became the third horse in the past 10 years to add the Irish Guineas to the English equivalent and, although the colt holds an entry in the English Derby, the St James’s Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot appears the more likely option.
“It looks pretty obvious,” John Magnier said of the Ascot route. “We paid for the Derby option yesterday, but it is unlikely.”
Earlier on the card Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid’s Mustajeeb put forward a strong case to be one of the stars of the sprinting division this season by winning the Group 2 Greenlands Stakes.
Mustajeeb accounted for a quartet of Group 1 winners in Sole Power, Gordon Lord Byron and Astaire, while Maarek was a length adrift as the runner-up.
The four-year-old colt won the Group 3 Jersey Stakes at Royal Ascot last season and he could return to the meeting next month in the Diamond Jubilee Stakes.
“I have said for a long time this horse was a six furlong [1200 metres] horse,” said Pat Smullen, the winning rider.
“I think he has a proper career ahead of him as a sprinter.”
Trainer Dermot Weld confirmed Royal Ascot was on the agenda.
“I’m delighted for Sheikh Hamdan, who bred this horse and he could be a stallion one day,” he said.
“We just wanted to see to give him a shot over this distance and he has answered the call.”
Follow us on Twitter @NatSportUAE
