Seven days have passed but John Best remains entranced. He is still in awe of the gallop completed by Inler, who warms up for the Stan James 2,000 Guineas at Leicester today week.
“It was an exceptional piece of work,” the trainer said. “I have always thought he is very good, but it shocked me and everyone else who saw it. I feel that we have an exceptionally talented horse on our hands.”
A few of those have passed through his Kent stable - notably Kingsgate Native, winner of the Nunthorpe and Golden Jubilee Stakes. Yet Best does not hesitate to place Inler in that league. “His work was as good, if not better, than what we saw from Kingsgate Native,” he said. “I feel he will possibly be a better horse than Kingsgate Native over six furlongs.”
Inler's 2,000 Guineas odds have since tumbled but that gallop introduced a note of caution in Best's mind. The horse whose sole start saw him win a six-furlong Newmarket maiden in October might almost be too fast“My one concern is whether a horse with his pace will stay a mile,” Best said of the Red Ransom colt. “His pedigree says that he will, but you just wonder. Even if he doesn't get it, he will be a very good horse between six and seven furlongs. I'm convinced of that.”
In that respect he will be none the wiser after Inler runs next week. The Leicester race is over six furlongs, the only conditions event of its kind that Best could find. He said: “I'd like to run him over seven, but the Leicester race gives us just over three weeks to the 2,000 Guineas, which is ideal.”
It would be refreshing to see Inler lining up with a genuine chance against the sport's superpowers at Newmarket. Best has saddled one previous 2,000 Guineas runner, Hurricane Spirit, a 100-1 chance who fractured his knee when unplaced behind Cockney Rebel three years ago. Inler, however, promises much more.
Nor is the colt his only intended runner. Elspeth's Boy is being prepared for the classic after he defied odds of 33-1 in a Wolverhampton maiden on his debut in November. “We did almost nothing with him before that run,” Best said. “He had none of the preparatory work we put into Inler and has been slower [to come to hand], but he's moving well. We're hopeful that he'll make it and the owner is keen to have a go.”
Best is relishing the challenge of getting the best from a team of 85 horses he believes is his strongest yet. “At this time of year I'm usually wondering how we are going to win races with badly handicapped three-year-olds,” he said, “but there are some nice prospects. We come up with at least one good one every season but this year we could have more.”
Two he nominates are Kingsgate Choice and Agent Archie, the latter a winner at Goodwood in September. “I feel he is listed class at least, but he has an attractive rating so we'll start him off in a handicap,” Best said. “I just hope I can keep them all in one piece. Sir Mark Prescott once said that horses spend their time trying to kill themselves while we try our hardest to keep them alive, and he is absolutely right.”
Inler is owned by Harry Findlay, which raises an intriguing possibility. In normal circumstances Findlay would balk at running another horse against Denman, yet should Inler fail to stay a mile his natural target will become the six-furlong July Cup, the objective for Denman, the Australian sprint star who has joined Godolphin for a European campaign.
For now, however, Best is reluctant to entertain the prospect. “Inler was certainly not stopping when he won over six furlongs at Newmarket,” he said. “I am sure he would have stayed seven furlongs last year, and it's not much further to go the mile in the Guineas.”
If Best's assessment of Inler's natural ability is correct, the speed his colt shows may simply reflect his class. Top-class milers are a match for all but the finest sprinters; it would be of greater concern were Inler seemingly short of pace in his work.
It is also encouraging that Inler's preparation has been flawless. “So far everything has gone as we wanted,” Best said. “With any horse, you have got to be fit. You can't hold back. The 2,000 Guineas is his main aim and we have cracked on with it.” Both horse and trainer are straining at the leash.
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