Racecards
14:25 Sandown Park
bet365 Gordon Richards Stakes (Group 3) (Class 1)
- 6 Runners
- Distance: 1m 1f 209y
- Going: Good to Soft (Good in places)
- Surface: Turf
- £70,000 added
- Winner: £39,697
- 2nd: £15,050
- 3rd: £7,532
- 4th: £3,752
- Form 12137P/
- Age 6
- Weight 9-0
- Official Rating 110
- Trainer H & R Charlton
- Jockey K Shoemark
took keen hold, held up in rear, steady headway on outside 3f out, went 3rd over 2f out, stayed on same pace inside final furlong, edged right and lost 3rd towards finish
- Form 2/13312-
- Age 4
- Weight 9-0
- Official Rating 118
- Trainer Sir Michael Stoute
- Jockey R L Moore
dwelt, soon tracked leader and keen, led over 2f out, ridden and narrowly headed 2f out, sustained battle with 2nd throughout final furlong, won on the nod
- Form 46115-1
- Age 6
- Weight 9-0
- Official Rating 112
- Trainer M L W Bell
- Jockey James Doyle
tracked leaders on outside, challenged 3f out, ridden to lead narrowly 2f out, ridden over 1f out, sustained battle with winner throughout final furlong, lost on the nod
- Form 713187-
- Age 7
- Weight 9-0
- Official Rating 114
led, pushed along and quickened 3f out, headed over 2f out, soon ridden, weakened inside final 2f
Morando (FR)
199- Form 17/1432-
- Age 5
- Weight 9-0
- Official Rating 113
- Trainer A M Balding
- Jockey Oisin Murphy
keen, tracked leaders on inside, pushed along and outpaced over 2f out, switched left inside final 2f, stayed on into 3rd towards finish, not pace to challenge
- Form 10925-3
- Age 7
- Weight 9-0
- Official Rating 109
- Trainer Eve Johnson Houghton
- Jockey Charles Bishop
held up in last pair, headway over 2f out, soon chasing leaders, ridden and not quicken over 1f out, weakened inside final furlong
- Form 251236-
- Age 7
- Weight 9-0
- Official Rating 109
- Trainer B J Meehan
- Jockey Tom Marquand
NonRunner
Previous results
In depth
Verdict
CRYSTAL OCEAN will likely prove competitive at the highest level this year. He won a Group 3 at Goodwood before finding only Capri too good in the St Leger and Sir Michael Stoute’s charge should have the measure of these. Fabricate made a winning return at Kempton having shown good progress last season when winning a handicap at Goodwood with What About Carlo well beaten and then beating Spark Plug in a Group 3 contest at Windsor in August. The latter had beaten First Sitting in Listed company earlier but Morando came up short in Group 3 races at the end of last year. Almodovar was placed over 1m4f in the Hardwicke at Ascot back in 2016 but missed the whole of last year.
Formwatch
Almodovar (IRE) 13-8fav (9-0) Towards rear, ridden and weakened 2f out and pulled up, at Ayr 1m 2f lst stks (1) sft in Sep.
Crystal Ocean 5-1 (9-1) Held up behind, headway over 2f out, ridden over 1f out, kept on to take 2nd place towards finish, 2nd of 11, 1/2l behind Capri (9-1) at Doncaster 1m 7f Grp 1 stks (1) gs in Sep.
Fabricate 13-8fav (9-0) Tracked leader, led well over 1f out, ridden and ran on final furlong, comfortable, won at Kempton 1m 2f lst stks (1) pol in Mar beating Autocratic (9-0) by 2 1/4l, 5 ran.
First Sitting 14-1 (9-6) Raced wide in touch, ridden 2f out, never a factor, 7th of 9, 8 3/4l behind Monarchs Glen (8-13) at Newmarket 1m 1f Grp 3 stks (1) gd in Oct.
Morando (FR) (9-3) 2nd of 5, 1l behind Zafiro (9-3) at Bordeaux Le Bouscat 1m 1f Grp 3 stks sft in Oct.
What About Carlo (FR) 10-1 (9-0) Held up in 4th, switched right and headway over 3f out, 2nd over 2f out, ridden and every chance over 1f out, stayed on same pace inside final furlong pressing for 2nd, no chance with winner, 3rd of 6, 2 1/2l behind Defoe (9-0) at Newbury 1m 4f Grp 3 stks (1) gs in Apr.
Spark Plug (IRE) 5-2fav (9-7) Tracked leaders, pushed along 3f out, weakened over 1f out, 6th of 7, 13 1/4l behind Permission (8-13) at Newmarket 1m 2f lst stks (1) gs in Nov.