Nick Luck’s Five To Follow for the 2023 Flat season

Cicero’s Gift

I feel, given how much we do with Charlie Hills over the season, it would almost be disloyal of me not to pluck one from Farringdon Place. It is quite clear who the trainer is pinning his hopes on and that is a horse called Cicero’s Gift, who is unbeaten in three starts and by a horse in Muhaarah that the trainer’s done extremely well with, from a family that just consistently throws up very high class performers, but the exciting thing about this horse is that, if he can go a bit further and stretch his speed, it’ll open up all sorts of options.

Yes, the trainer is talking about perhaps the Prix de Jockey Club, if things go well, but even if he doesn’t quite reach that level, I think he’ll be a very handy money-spinner through the season.

.@nickluck's 🖐️ to Follow

First up is one of @cbhills, who the trainer has very high hopes for… pic.twitter.com/0AB90b04Qq

— William Hill Racing (@WillHillRacing) May 4, 2023

Highfield Viking

Well, here’s one that’s only rated in the 60s but he has won a race already this season at Doncaster: Highfield Viking is his name. If you think ‘that sounds familiar’, that’s because he’s a half-brother to Highfield Princess. I’m not saying he’s going to be as good as her, but she started off marks in the 60s as well. He only won by a narrow margin at Doncaster but he was value for way more; he was racing away from the action, he got up close home – I think he could have won by three or four lengths, if he’d had the rub of the green. The handicapper cant do a lot to him, I’d say he’ll win under a penalty and he might not stop there. I think this is a horse we’re going to see rated 15 or 20 pounds higher by the end of the season.

Juliet Sierra

One of a number of very good fillies trained by Ralph Beckett this year – she hasn’t got the best form of them yet but she won the Dick Poole rather against the bias as Salisbury, a race that often throws up good horses and then she ran an excellent race when apparently overmatched in the Chieveley Park Stakes. She looks as though she wants to go a bit further; she’s from a very good Juddmonte family. Just keep an eye on her for the rest of the season. I think she will burn bright as the season progresses.

Royal Scotsman

I’ll be disappointed if Royal Scotsman doesn’t make the grade this year. There’ll be loads of races for Royal Scotsman and I think he could be quite versatile trip-wise as well. He has a lot of speed. I think he should have won the Dewhurst, he broke the track record in the Richmond Stakes and if a horse can break the track record in the Richmond on really fast ground, but you feel on pedigree and the way he races that he’ll get at least a mile, then in theory the world should be his oyster. Connections have even put him in the Derby. For all those reasons and given the way he has apparently been working this spring, he has to be a horse to keep on the right side of.

Nick Luck's 🖐️ To Follow

🗣️ "The best domestic hope for the 2000 Guineas."

⭕️ Royal Scotsman (4.40pm Newmarket, Saturday)

@nickluck pic.twitter.com/08T2i0K2YT

— William Hill Racing (@WillHillRacing) May 5, 2023

Imperial Emperor

I’ll try and pick a long-range Derby horse at this stage to follow through 2023, well, whether it’s Derby or no Derby, Imperial Emperor is a horse I really like. He’s got the pedigree, by Dubawi, and out of the Group 1 winning Zukova, she’s by Fastnet Rock. I’m not saying he’s a certain stayer, but the way he won his maiden at Newmarket and the fact that he’s been talked up as Godolphin’s potential leading Derby horse gives me hope. He’ll clearly have to run in a Derby trial and come through it well, but all the portents are good. I don’t think it was a deep maiden, but he couldn’t have done it more impressively. He came home strongly, but he’s got a stride on him that suggests middle distances will be well within his compass. I like the way his trainer talks about him; Appleby is good at forecasting a horse from a long way out, and I think he could be taking very high order amongst middle-distance colts this season.