Flat Season: Three-year-olds to follow on the level from the Sun Racing team

WE still don’t quite know when the Flat season will get underway for good.

But what we do know is that there are hundreds of horses chomping at the bit to be unleashed. At Sun Racing we’ve picked out some three-year-olds to get in your trackers, from the well-handicapped to those destined for Group race glory.

Highland Chief – Paul Cole

I was a true Paul Cole groupie last season. If the Cole team arrived on course by tour bus I would have been first in the queue for a signed programme.

But it duly paid off with horses like Duke Of Hazzard winning some good races at decent prices.

And one that may have slipped under a few noses is Highland Chief, a smart looking colt by impressive stallion Gleneagles.

He won on debut at Newbury, before a taking third to Pinatubo in the Chesham Stakes at Royal Ascot on only his second racecourse outing.

We all know that form could not be any stronger and despite finishing third, he actually broke the original track record that day too.

The plan had then been to save the horse for the following season, but the Cole yard were tempted into an end of season shot at the Royal Lodge Stakes. He was stuffed out of sight, but clearly not right.

He would have strengthened up over the extended off season and you can expect him in some form of early season Classic trial.

He’s 50-1 for the 2000 Guineas, which is probably a bit unrealistic, but with plenty of other possible targets to come down the line he’s one to keep on side. CJ

Tritonic – Alan King

Trainer Alan King is slowly but steadily becoming equally as well known for his Flat string as his jumping exploits and with horses like Tritonic coming through, that trend will only sharpen.

A fourth on debut last season showed promise before he won two on the trot – one of which included the scalp of John Gosden hotshot Cape Palace at Newbury.

A no show in the Group 3 Zetland Stakes is no reason to write this horse off. It was a big jump in class and he was far from on a going day in very soft conditions.

By Sea The Moon, he’ll continue to thrive over further and a mark of 95 could look very generous if he kicks on this season.

King is brilliant with these improving staying horses and he’ll undoubtedly have a few rings around some valuable races on his calendar.

There’s all weather performers in the family too, which opens up further options for this exciting colt. CJ

Enemy – John Gosden

There’s no doubting John Gosden as a trainer. But he’d be the first to admit sprinters and two-year-olds are not necessarily his forte.

That said, it made Enemy’s winning debut at Ascot even more impressive and it was during a purple patch for the Newmarket master. He sent out plenty of useful types around the end of August and early September.

By Muharaar, you’d expect this horse to thrive over sprinting distances, but there is stamina on the dam side totalling into an interesting pedigree. Qatar Racing were certainly intrigued and forked out 420,000 euros for him.

Guineas and Derby entries have been made despite the form of his win taking some big knocks. He pulled clear with Charlie Appleby’s Law Of Peace who has done little for the strength of the race.

But Oisin Murphy was always confident despite his greeness and he very much shaped like a horse to take on some ambitious targets with and certainly over further than those seven furlongs.

Muharaar made his name in sprints but was a Greenham Stakes winner and tried in the French Guineas. He makes for an exciting project and is in the best hands possible in Mr Gosden.

A Guineas trial is the obvious step for him and odds of 50-1 could quickly disappear. CJ

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