Handicappers flag up two Godolphin ‘dark horses’

One of the more amusing sidelights to the official unveiling of the European Two-Year-Old Classifications occurs when the handicapper turns tipster and tries to pinpoint horses to follow for the coming season.

These are presented under the heading of ‘dark horses,’ usually lightly-raced youngsters that appear to be flying under the radar, so to speak.

At a press conference in London, British Horseracing Authority Handicapper Graeme Smith nominated the Charlie Appleby-trained Key Victory as a three-year-old to watch this season.

Godolphin’s Key Victory, a son of Teofilo, won a Novice Stakes at Newmarket in October, defeating an impressive collection of juveniles, many of whom were soon to frank the form.

While there was no French representative at the conference, Smith also pointed to another Godolphin horse, the French-based Wootton, a son of Wootton Bassett, as one to note.

The Alex Pantall-trained Wootton remains unbeaten after two outings. Both wins came at Deauville, by six lengths and five lengths, respectively.