'Dream Start' - Colin Keane Thrives with 'Stunning' Royal Ascot Win for New Employers Colin Keane enjoyed the “dream start” to his new role as Juddmonte’s retained rider when Field Of Gold delivered a stunning performance in the St James's Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot last week. The victory was described as the “performance of the week” by Vincent Finegan on irishracing.com’s YouTube show The Irish Angle, who praised both horse and rider for their commanding display against high-class opposition. High Praise for Horse and Rider "Field Of Gold and Colin Keane, first ride for his new employers in the new job - what did you make of that?" Vincent asked, highlighting the significance of the moment for Keane's career. Johnny Ward was effusive in his praise for the performance: "He was more impressive again than he was at Curragh... it was a stunning performance and with a lot of very exciting young potential stallions on the go at the moment, some trained in Ballydoyle, this son of Kingman is going to be very exciting." Ward emphasised how significant the victory was for Keane personally: "Colin Keane, this was a dream start for him because the horse was so good, pretty much anyone would have won on him, but it would have given Colin so much confidence and got him off to a great start." The performance showcased Field Of Gold's improvement from his previous runs, with Ward noting: "I think it's a fascinating time, he wasn't trained to win the 2000 Guineas that day, he was trained to win the Craven and he looked very good, but on the day I felt he ran into a very good horse in Ruling Court." However, at Royal Ascot, Field Of Gold blew his rivals away. The horse has "cantered through his races" and shown that he is "getting more reliable with every ride," according to Ward's analysis. Bargain Price for Gold The victory also highlighted the value in the horse's purchase, with Vincent Finegan noting: "He was bought for €530,000 as a yearling, that's some value, isn't it? You'd pay that for a point-to-point winner. "He's already won back twice that purchase price in eight starts, and what is he worth at stud, God only knows." For Keane, the victory represents not just a successful debut with new connections but a standout performance on racing's biggest stage, setting the tone for what promises to be an exciting new chapter in his riding career. Watch The Irish Angle Here
