12 Oct ‘Fantastic achievement’ as Gewan is champion two-year-old and is set to bid for 2,000 Guineas first time out
Andrew Balding’s colt is 2lb clear of Gstaad and ended a run of six straight Aidan O’Brien or Charlie Appleby-trained winners.
Dewhurst winner Gewan received the “cherry on top” by being crowned Europe’s champion two-year-old on Tuesday, when it emerged he is set to head straight for the Betfred 2,000 Guineas.
The Andrew Balding-trained colt ended a run of six straight champion juveniles from the yards of either Aidan O’Brien or Charlie Appleby, topping the 2025 table with a mark of 121 after assessment by a panel of international handicappers.
“It’s a huge honour for us to be involved with such a horse and to have the cherry on top to be what he is today, it’s a fantastic achievement,” said Paul Curran, bloodstock and racing manager to Ace Stud, about a colt who will run under the Forz Europe banner this year.
“It was a dream year we had with him in 2025 and to come out as the highest-rated two-year-old is a huge achievement for the horse.”
Looking to the spring with a colt who won three of his four starts, culminating in victory by three-quarters of a length in the Dewhurst in the colours of Yuesheng Zhang, he said: “At the moment we’re obviously looking at the 2,000 Guineas, we can’t look anywhere else really.
“We’re more than likely going to go straight there. We want to take him easy into the year; we’re looking at longevity with the horse. The Guineas isn’t the be-all and end-all as we know that he’s got a huge campaign ahead after that. We want to keep him lightly raced and give him every chance that he can progress.”
Asked whether Gewan could be a Derby horse, Curran added: “We’ll let the horse tell us what he wants to do, but we haven’t looked at anything past the Guineas. Who knows? It would be fantastic to think he could be. We’ll let him do the talking.”
The Dewhurst runner-up Gstaad, who went on to land the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf at Del Mar, comes next in the rankings on 119, alongside fellow Aidan O’Brien colt Puerto Rico. Their stablemates Hawk Mountain (116) and Action (115) are also prominent.
Ballydoyle’s Precise and True Love are the top fillies in the classification, awarded a mark of 115. Britain’s highest-rated filly is Prix Morny winner Venetian Sun, trained by Karl Burke.
Graeme Smith, BHA handicapping team leader, said: “Gewan became the first outright European champion two-year-old to emerge from Kingsclere in the 48-year history of the classification, bettering the achievement of Balding’s previous Dewhurst and subsequent 2,000 Guineas winner Chaldean in 2022.
“He follows Forest Flower and Mrs Penny, who were both crowned champion fillies [at two] for Andrew’s late father Ian.
“Gewan’s 121 performance in a representative Dewhurst Stakes capped a stellar year for his sire, Night Of Thunder. As well as being represented in 2025 by the top-class Ombudsman and 1,000 Guineas winner Desert Flower, the Darley stallion established a strong hand for the 2026 Classics.”
Irish handicapper Mark Bird added: “Aidan O’Brien trained Europe’s champion juvenile filly for the third year in a row and for a record ninth time in total as Precise and True Love shared top billing on a rating of 115.
“True Love’s victory in the Group 1 Cheveley Park Stakes at Newmarket was matched by Precise’s success in the Group 1 Fillies’ Mile at the same track two weeks later.”
Forz Europe is also eyeing possible cracks at the 1,000 Guineas with Lowther Stakes winner Royal Fixation and Fillies’ Mile third Evolutionist, both of whom are trained by Burke.
“Royal Fixation is an exciting filly for us,” said Curran. “She’s done really well. We’re going to have to ask the question whether she’s going to stay a mile; we’re going to take a good look at her early in the season. It’s something we’re not afraid of doing. If not, we’ve got an exciting filly back at six or seven furlongs.
“Evolutionist progressed really well through the year. It was no surprise to see how well she ran in the Fillies’ Mile. She’s a big, rangy filly and she will appreciate a step up in trip, but we’re more than likely going to keep her at a mile for the start of the season. She’s possibly another Guineas filly for us. She’s wintered really well and has filled out her nice frame. She’s a very exciting filly and who knows where she could end up?”