Juddmonte running plans for Lead Artist, Zazoun and Red Letter

Lead Artist coulds head straight to the Lockinge Stakes at Newbury if he doesn’t come to hand early enough for a prep race.
Lead Artist, trained by John and Thady Gosden, progressed at three, winning the Group 3 Benhams Thoroughbred Stakes at Goodwood and the Darley Stakes at Newmarket.
He had one more run in 2024, finishing second to Spirit Dancer in the valuable Bahrain International Trophy over 10 furlongs but could drop back to a mile for his first crack at a Group 1.
Barry Mahon, Juddmonte’s General Manager of Ireland and European Racing, told the Nick Luck Daily Podcast: “The Lockinge is part of the plan. He worked yesterday morning, he worked very nicely. We’re looking at the Sandown Mile just before the Lockinge as a prep run.
“John and Thady were a little 50-50 yesterday whether they just have him ready for Sandown but he worked well and they thought it was plausible. So I think he’ll do another bit of work at the weekend and that’ll tell us whether we’ll go to Sandown or whether we’ll wait and go straight to the Lockinge but he’s a very good horse.
“He obviously didn’t get to the track at two and he had a bit of a hit and miss campaign at three but I think the promise is there and I think he’s a horse we could have an exciting year with.”The Gosdens are also responsible for the same owner’s Zanzoun who won the Nell Gwyn Stakes at Newmarket on Tuesday. The Group 3 is a recognised trial for the 1000 Guineas but Zanzoun’s trainers felt their filly appreciated the soft ground on the Rowley Mile and are leaning towards the French Guineas [La Poule d’Essai des Pouliches].
” Kieran [Shoemark] said she just loved the ground, she sprouted wings on it,” Mahon continued.
“She’s a Dubawi out of a Frankel mare which would lead you to believe she’d like a bit of juice in the ground; she’s not in the English Guineas. The option is there for the owners if it looked like it was going to be a wet week to supplement her but the fact she’s not in it, we’ll aim towards France and we’ll do a bit of weather watching along the way.”
Juddmonte could still have a representative in the fillies’ Classic in the shape of Red Letter, trained in Ireland by Ger Lyons, although the ground is also thought to be important to her.
“She’s coming along well, she’s a little bit the same [as Zanzoun],” revealed Mahon.
“Ger has said to me that she wouldn’t want the ground too quick. She’s a filly that will probably want further than a mile but she’s in good form and still on track for Newmarket.”