Well talked up before the race, Eminent, a son of Frankel, showed that the superstar colt has a nice offspring on his hands after Martyn Meade’s imposing colt ran out a ready winner of the G3 Craven Stakes at Newmarket on Thursday.
The 8/1 shot was settled in mid division by Jim Crowley early on in the one mile contest but made up stealthy ground in the closing stages to vie for the lead.
The strapping colt handled the dip well on Newmarket’s Rowley Mile, the track where he also won on his debut in October.
Meade’s charge kept on well close home to come clear of William Haggas’ Rivet by a length and three-quarters.
Aidan O’Brien’s War Decree, the 9/4 favourite, was a bitterly disappointing sixth of seven and his 2000 Guineas bubble looks burst.
By contrast Eminent was cut from a general 25/1 to around a 10/1 shot for the G1 Classic on May 6 after bookmakers reported sustained support for the colt after his Craven win.
A delighted Meade said:
He just stays and that is the thing. We have always been worried about his trip as to what it really would be. He doesn’t quicken too much but he just stays.
The way he hit the dip just there, Jim held him together nicely and I knew when he was in that position, they weren’t going to stop him. He is just a magnificent striding horse.
Today he has proven he can do it with those Group horses, which was obviously my worry bringing him here thinking ‘are we really able to step him up’, but this was the only way to find out.
He was not 100 per cent wound up today, but I didn’t want to overdo him as it is a trial after all. He was coming here for a trial, not to say this was his big day.
Analysis by Danny Archer
I thought this was a very impressive run from Eminent. He looked a horse to follow when making a winning debut at Newmarket in October where he quickened up takingly that day and he justified the hype and effusive praise of his trainer with a commanding performance here. On just his second run, this was a professional job by a son of Frankel, who is doing so well with his offspring.
He is plenty short enough in the betting for this event now but to be honest he was always going to be as further colts bubble’s are going to burst and blown up a little more in the coming weeks.
Eminent did what was asked of him and he might even be better over a longer trip, suggesting the Derby could well be on his radar despite his breeding suggesting a mile and a quarter might be ideal for him.
