Group Three Winter Derby Stakes Guide 2023

Experienced flat horse who is the second runner for John & Thady Gosden here, with six career runs since his debut in 2018. His last outing brought his latest victory, in a class two race over 1m 2f at Newcastle last month.

Forest Of Dean won this contest two years ago in the hands of Robert Havlin, beating Felix and Hollie Doyle by three quarters of a length. He also ran in this race last year, where he came 2nd behind Alenquer.

This is a track he loves and has performed well at and should be in the running for another shot at a second Winter Derby Stakes victory.

Lord North returns after a 238-day break since his fourth-place finish in the Group One Coral-Eclipse at Sandown last year, where Vadeni won by a neck.

He’s an experienced runner for John & Thady Gosden with his last win coming in a Group One contest at Meydan last March over 1m 1f.

This seven-year-old has been winning races since 2019, with a lot of those coming in group one to three contests and if returning on song, can be in the frame for another group one success here.

He couldn’t, could he? Pistoletto sits a long way away in the ratings and is the massive 200/1 outsider for this contest.

He has been around for a while, making his debut in 2019 but his last win was 17 runs ago, at Lingfield in a class three.

Since then, his rating has been dropping with each run, before running in a maiden hurdle earlier this month, finishing last of seven at Fakenham.

The price and recent form say no, but a 200/1 would be a longshot here. Dismissed, unless you fancy 50p each way and this is a track he has won at before.

Experienced runner since debut in 2019, boasting four career wins at Pontefract, Yarmouth and two at Doncaster.

This seven-year-old’s last win came at the latter in 2021, winning a class two event over 1m 2f, beating Sinjaari by a head.
Another of the Gosden runners here finished third behind fellow runner Forest Of Dean in a class two race at Newcastle last month, a contest which he led before being pipped by Ziggy for second.

If he runs like he did in that race, he can also run a big race back down in company.

The first of the outsiders in this race at 16/1 or above is Lucander, a six-year-old gelding running for George Baker for the first time after being with Ralph Beckett who finished 14th of 28 in a class two handicap last time out in September last year at Newmarket.

His last win came in May of that year, at Windsor over 1m 2f in a handicap race, beating Jewel In My Crown by a neck. That was his first win for two years since winning at York in August 2020.

The six-year-old has been inconsistent in his career which makes it harder to make a case for him here, especially up against group one winners.

Experienced horse who was impressive in his early career, winning or placing in 12 of his first 14 runs. His last win was in a handicap contest at Newcastle in November last year, where he beat Pirate King by three quarters of a length.

He has since struggled in class two company, with his last couple of runs being fifth placed finishes at Newcastle and Kempton.

This looks a tough ask for the six-year-old against group company winners.

Foxes Tales returns after 203 days, with his last run coming in the Group Three Betfred Rose Of Lancaster Stakes at Haydock in August last year, where he finished ninth of ten.

His last win was in that race the year before, holding off Fancy Man by three quarters of a length to claim group three success.

He can do it on his day, but since then he hasn’t really troubled the top three of races and the form he showed before his break doesn’t make much appeal.

Lightly raced five-year-old for Roger Varian who hasn’t been seen since an 11th out of 20 runners finish in the Balmoral Handicap at Ascot in October 2022.

His last win came in a handicap contest at Newcastle in February of that year, which completed a hat-trick of wins at the same course in the first three runs of his career.

He hasn’t tasted success since then and we haven’t seen him for over a year so he might be one to avoid or watch the market.