Stablemates Gregory and Sweet William will compete in a six-horse field for the Betfred Howard Wright Doncaster Cup on Friday.
Trained by John and Thady Gosden, both Gregory and Sweet William are the top two favourites for this Group Two event, part of the St Leger Festival's second day. Both horses have shown strong performances in staying races this summer.
Gregory has secured third-place finishes in the Yorkshire Cup, Goodwood Cup, and Lonsdale Cup, while Sweet William was runner-up at Goodwood and previously took third in the Gold Cup at Royal Ascot, where Gregory did not perform as expected.
Philippa Cooper of Normandie Stud bred both horses. She still owns Sweet William, while Gregory was sold to the Wathnan Racing team last season.
“I find it difficult when they face each other,” Cooper said. “Having bred both horses feels like watching two sons compete – it’s a bittersweet experience. I’m proud of them, but it’s tough to watch.”
Cooper is hopeful but cautious, acknowledging that both horses may need to step up their performance to secure victory. “Sweet William is a classy stayer and one of the most attractive horses I’ve bred. He’s a half-brother to Hurricane Lane, who won the Irish Derby and St Leger after being sold to Godolphin. I believe Sweet William could have been a top Group One stayer if not for his injury, but he may have reached his peak now.”
She continued, “Sweet William usually performs well on soft or heavy ground, but Doncaster doesn’t look like it will have much rain. Both horses had tough races at Goodwood, so I requested John to avoid York with Sweet William to keep him fresh for this race. Stayers need adequate rest between long-distance runs.”
“It’s wonderful to have two horses in the same race, but it’s also painful. Howard Wright was a remarkable man, and it’s an honour to have two horses running in a race named after him. However, it’s rare for both horses to perform well when they run against each other. That’s the ‘glass half-empty’ side of me!”
Challenging the Gosden duo will be Andrew Balding’s 2022 Doncaster Cup winner Coltrane and the defending champion Trueshan, trained by Alan King. Aidan O’Brien’s Point Lonsdale and Adam Nicol’s Wise Eagle complete the lineup.
In the Carlsberg Danish Pilsner Flying Childers Stakes, Group Two glory is also at stake. Big Mojo will aim to give trainer Mick Appleby and owners Paul and Rachael Teasdale back-to-back victories following Big Evs’s win last year. He will face 11 rivals, including Ger Lyons’s Magnum Force, Archie Watson’s French Group Three winner Aesterius, and Simon and Ed Crisford’s hat-trick hopeful Coto De Caza.
The Listed Betfred Flying Scotsman Stakes is set to be an informative race, with Sandown debut winner Jonquil aiming to double his tally for the retiring Sir Michael Stoute.