Horses flying under the radar often do well on Vodacom Durban July day, especially in the two-year-old events,  and one such individual is the Alistair Gordon-trained Argonaut colt Beat The Retreat, who has landed a plum draw of seven in the Gr 1 Golden Horseshoe over 1400m.

Gordon said, “Alec (Forbes) thought he had a big chance in the Gr 1 Tsogo Sun Gold Medallion, but he pulled up shin sore and that must have affected him.”

Shin soreness is a common condition for young horses and Beat The Retreat did some swimming in Gordon’s pool at Summerveld after that last run and is now “fine”. He put up a good gallop on the Summerveld grass on Monday.

Argonaut has proved to be disappointing as a stallion and some will claim that his progeny tend to be temperamental. However, Beat The Retreat not only has “a magic temperament”, but he also comes from a fantastic family. His dam Spring Lilac by Joshua Dancer won the Gr 3 Fillies Nursery over 1200m at Kenilworth by four lengths and she is a half-sister to the like of Rabiya (Equus champion three-year-old male), Secret Of Victoria (dual Gr 2-winning sprinter and dam of Equus champion two-year-old filly All Is Secret), Touch The Sky (dual Listed winner) and Rafiya (Listed winner).

Argonaut won both the Gr 1 Golden Horseshoe and the Gr 1 Premier’s Champion Stakes and in the latter he went start to finish and won by five lengths, so on pedigree Beat The Retreat should get a mile.

Gordon described him as a “useful horse” and pointed at his formline. Before the Medallion he had finished just 1,5 lengths behind Seventh Plain in the Gr 3 Godolphin Barb Stakes over 1100m at level weights and on that occasion had pulled up well. No horse got within 2,5 lengths of Seventh Plain in the Medallion and Beat The Retreat was 8,9 lengths back, so it was clearly not his run.

Forbes will be back aboard on July day and although up against a strong field Beat The Retreat should not be ignored.

By David Thiselton

Picture: Beat The Retreat (Nkosi Hlophe)