Bay Bridge

Bay Bridge put up a good performance to finish second to Luxembourg in the Tattersalls Gold Cup at The Curragh last Saturday. Settled in third place early on by Richard Kingscote along the inside behind the leader Luxembourg, he was slightly keener than ideal through the early stages of the race. He was a little short of room at the two-furlong marker as the leader came under pressure, at which point it appeared as if he was travelling best of all. He got a nice gap just inside the two-furlong pole, he was travelling well enough to engineer it for himself as Piz Badile started to weaken on his outside, and he stayed on well. He was out early enough in order to mount a challenge to Luxembourg but, while he closed all the way to the line, he just couldn’t get past the winner, who was game in front.

It was a fine run by Sir Michael Stoute’s horse, to go down by a half a length to a top class rival who made all the running at a track at which pace holds up well and who benefitted from an astute ride from Ryan Moore. Bay Bridge progressed nicely last year as a four-year-old, his season culminating in victory in the Champion Stakes at Ascot in October, when he kept on well to get home by a half a length from Adayar. His trainer’s top-class middle distance horses often progress again from four to five, and Bay Bridge has the ideal profile for that trajectory. He handles fast ground all right, but he is probably at his best with a little bit of cut. He was beaten in the Eclipse last year, but he reportedly came home with a knock, so you can allow him that, and he won the Brigadier Gerard Stakes by five lengths on his only other run at Sandown, so he will be of interest if he lines up in the Eclipse. We know that he goes well at Ascot too, so he will also be of interest if he takes his chance in the Prince of Wales’s Stakes and/or the Champion Stakes again at the end of the season. He will be of greatest interest when the ground is good or on the easy side of good.
The Curragh, 28^th May 2023