Hand Of God is due to reappear on Saturday

Harry Charlton on Cosmic Year and Hand Of God

By Sporting Life

Horse Racing

Tue April 29, 2025 · 8M ago

Cosmic Year is due to run in the Nyetimber King Charles II Stakes at Newmarket on Friday despite being confirmed for the 2000 Guineas on Monday.

A winner on both career starts, Cosmic Year is an exciting prospect for Harry Charlton who plans to step his colt up in class gradually.

Charlton, though, wouldn't be afraid of pitching him into the season's first Classic a day later if called upon by owners Juddmonte, explaining the rationale on the Nick Luck Daily podcast.

"We left him in [the 2000 Guineas] on the basis that if something happened to one of their other horses, that we might be required. But for the moment, I think we can stick with the plan that we're heading to run on Friday.

"I would not be against running if required. I think one of the things this week, obviously, is that the ground is very quick. And we've said and maintain that we're not desperate to run on that track on very quick ground.

"One of the things that we're banking on is that Friday is going to be the best ground of the weekend because the Clerk of the Course has got a very tricky job trying to maintain fair ground for Sunday knowing that if he starts on Friday too quick, that it will be very tough to maintain given they don't really like watering on the nights of those races.

"So we're going there assuming that the second race on Friday that the ground's going to be as good as you can expect during a heatwave in May."

Charlton is not averse to letting Cosmic Year try his luck on quicker ground in the future, saying of the perception that some cut is required: "It's just a view that we had as a two-year-old, we minded him and ducked a couple of fast ground races.

"I will say that we worked him on the grass here last Friday on what would be good to firm ground and he worked very well and it made us more comfortable with the concept.

"We haven't said 'go on, let's see how good you are' at home and we're allowing him to do it on the track. We did let him do a little bit more on Friday and everyone was quite excited and that's why I say if I was suddenly told I had to run in the Guineas, I wouldn't be too afraid of doing it."

Goal for Hand Of God

One Beckhampton inmate that is scheduled to run on Saturday is Hand Of God who holds an entry in the Betfred Sussex Stakes [a nine furlong handicap].

The four-year-old has won three of his five career starts but has been off the track since taking the Golden Gates Handicap at Royal Ascot in June.

He has since been gelded and Charlton believes there's a lot more to come, saying: "We're excited about him.

"I think the key thing to him is we trust him and I think he's got a great character and mindset to what he does. He's a character but on the racetrack he's exceptionally professional and we're looking forward to getting him going this weekend. We've been aiming at this race for the whole of the winter really.

"A mile one may be a furlong short of his best and he may stay further again but it's a lovely starting point on a galloping track."

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