Field Of Gold found to be lame after Sussex Stakes disappointment

Plans are on ice for Field Of Gold after the Classic and Royal Ascot hero was discovered to be lame following his below-par display in the Sussex Stakes at Goodwood.

John and Thady Gosden’s star three-year-old was sent off the 1-3 favourite to emulate his sire Kingman and thrive against his elders on the Sussex Downs, but could only finish fourth as his Juddmonte-owned pacemaker Qirat caused a seismic shock at 150-1.

The Clarehaven training team suggested the “engine wasn’t there” in the immediate aftermath of the contest and now a potential reason for his disappointing performance could have been found.

“We don’t have the full picture yet, but he is lame on his left-hind,” Barry Mahon, European racing manager for Juddmonte, told the PA news agency.

“John called me this morning at 7am and said he was ‘off’ behind with a bit of swelling in his leg and the vet is due out to see him later today so until we have the full picture we can’t fully diagnose it.

“But the fact he is lame suggests that could potentially be why we didn’t see the true horse that we know yesterday. We just have to sit tight now until the vet can run through all the tests he can run through.”

With the severity of Field Of Gold’s setback still to be determined, it is unknown at this stage when one of the standout performers of the 2025 season will be next seen in competitive action.

Mahon continued: “Plans are on ice and the thing with these things is, it might be a week before anything will show up on an X-ray or whatever, so it’s not something you will have an answer for straight away.

“But the fact the horse is lame indicates there is an issue and we have to address that. What that is and whether it will be a short fix or a long fix, we just don’t know at this stage.”

Despite Field Of Gold’s surprise reversal, there was still plenty of joy for the Juddmonte team with Ralph Beckett’s Qirat stealing the spotlight, with Mahon reflecting on a race of contrasting fortunes.

He added: “It was disappointing from a Field Of Gold point of view, but from a Juddmonte point of view the winner is a home bred and won it in good style and there has to be some satisfaction in that.

“As someone said to me yesterday, it was bittersweet but there was still plenty of sweet.”