Portcullis makes huge impression in the colours of the King and Queen

Portcullis carried the colours of the King and Queen to a spectacular debut success in the Betway Wood Ditton Maiden at Newmarket on Thursday.

This one-mile contest for unraced three-year-olds has been won by many a smart horse over the years and looks to have unearthed another potential star in this son of Frankel, whose dam Castle Lady won the French 1000 Guineas in 2019.

Bred by the King, John and Thady Gosden’s charge was slowly away and looked all at sea during the early stages but started to make inroads on the leaders from halfway and was in front well over a furlong out.

The further he went the more impressive Portcullis looked as he fairly sprinted clear late on to score by an emphatic five and a half length at odds of 7-1 in the hands of Ryan Moore.

John Gosden said: “He was a little lost leaving the gate, but he picked up and travelled well. Ryan said he found a nice rhythm and he left him alone so there we go – there goes the handicap mark!

“It’s obviously pleasing to win like that and you don’t know what the second and third are as they are all unraced horses, but it was a pleasing start and Ryan was very happy with him, albeit embarrassed by the winning margin.”

Keen to temper expectations slightly, Gosden added: “What we do now is try to keep the feet on the ground and probably look for a novice to learn. Maybe we should just take a small step before we take a big step.”

In stark contrast, the King and Queen’s racing manager is daring to dream after he conceded he could not help but be excited

John Warren said: “He’s really exciting and he looks like he has got some nice aspirations ahead.

“John liked him last year as a two-year-old but he had a little setback in November. It’s nice to see him come out and show he has the talent John thought he had last year.

“Ryan was very complimentary and a throwaway line was ‘I think you could be brave’ which I think is indicative of the feel he got for the horse which is interesting given he is not a man who wastes his words.

“The way he ran out there, there is an indication he should get further. If you could paint a picture you would go again at a mile in a bit better company and see how quick he could use his legs and then learn again in proper company where he can stretch out at the end of it. There’s a few steps to go yet.

“Being honest I’m really excited but I’m trying not to be as we’ve been in this position plenty of times and to be frank he’s got to run again before we can understand what we really have.

“But the style in which he did that – being bred in the purple like that and a magnificent physical who is not even close to being there and furnished off yet – it makes you excited. He is only on the first rung of the ladder, but it’s an exciting ladder but we’re on it.”

Adding further lustre to the Portcullis journey is that the colt was among the last mating plans pencilled in conjunction by the late Queen Elizabeth II before her death in 2022.

“I was with the Queen the weekend before she died and proposed the matings to her that weekend,” explained Warren.

“The skeleton of the plan was hatched with the Queen before she died but then I took the mating plan to the King and Queen Camilla in the November to see if they liked the mating list. So I will call it a joint effort by all.

“I’m so thrilled for the King and Queen and they are getting so much pleasure out of their horses, I never thought they would get as much pleasure as they are.

“I always thought the Queen might, but thought the King might be caught up with other things but they are enjoying it so much and it’s so nice as they give so much. To get a few nice pleasures is really nice and we look forward to the next step.”