June 22, 2026
Lost Boys overcame early trouble in running to win the Golden Gates Handicap as the 2-1 favourite under James McDonald — a third winner of the week for Wathnan Racing, with connections already talking Group races.
Lost Boys had to do it the hard way, but the rapidly improving colt threaded his way through traffic to land the Golden Gates Handicap on the final day of Royal Ascot 2026 — a third winner of the week in the Wathnan Racing colours.
Key takeaways
- Lost Boys won the Golden Gates Handicap as the 2-1 favourite under James McDonald.
- The colt overcame early trouble in running to score by half a length.
- It was a third win of the week for owners Wathnan Racing, with connections already eyeing Group company.
Trouble early, class late
Saturday's Golden Gates Handicap looked anything but straightforward for Lost Boys in the opening exchanges. The three-year-old struggled to settle through the first couple of furlongs, refusing to relax and unable to find a clear passage as the field bunched in front of him. For a moment it looked as though his chance might slip away in the scramble.
Once past the first bend, though, he seemed to gather himself, "recharge his batteries" and find another gear. James McDonald angled him through the traffic in the closing stages, and the colt picked up strongly to assert by half a length — justifying the market confidence that had sent him off the well-backed favourite.
Races like this are why big-field handicaps at Ascot are so punishing for short-priced favourites. A horse who wastes energy fighting his rider early is usually a horse with nothing left when the ground finally opens up, and the half-length margin flatters nobody: it is the measure of a colt who did the hard part twice and still had enough in reserve.
How they finished
| Pos | Horse | Detail |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | Lost Boys | 2-1 favourite, won by ½ length |
| 2nd | Amadeus Mozart | ½ length back |
| 3rd | Perisher | ¾ length further back |
Golden Gates Handicap, Royal Ascot — 1m 1f 212y, Good to Firm, winning time 2:05.11.
Connections sense a Group horse
Trainer David Menuisier admitted the early part of the race had been a worry, but came away convinced he has a special prospect on his hands.
"The first couple of furlongs were stressful to say the least — he couldn't get him to relax or to slot in,"
Menuisier said, adding that the colt shows "different traits every time" and that "Group races can't be too far away."
McDonald, who completed a treble at the meeting, was equally enthusiastic about the youngster's raw ability.
"For a young and immature horse, he's got a bundle of talent and he's a very good horse," the jockey said. "I think that he's a Group horse."
The form behind those words is hard to argue with. Lost Boys had already taken the London Gold Cup off a mark of 89, and here he defied a raised rating of 96 — the kind of progression that tends to point towards better things rather than a handicapping ceiling.
Why the 7lb rise is the real story
Handicapping is designed to stop exactly what Lost Boys has just done. Win well off 89 and the assessor raises the mark so the next race is harder; win again off 96 and the message is that the ratings have been chasing the horse rather than containing him.
That is the practical distinction between a useful handicapper and a Group prospect. The first improves until the weights catch up and then stalls; the second keeps beating its revised mark, at which point handicaps stop being the right race to enter at all. A colt described by his own rider as young and immature, defying a rise at Royal Ascot after throwing away ground at the start, fits the second profile far more comfortably than the first.
The next start will say a great deal. A step into pattern company removes the weight concession that handicaps provide and replaces it with opponents who do not need one — and it is the test connections are already talking about rather than avoiding.
The bottom line
A messy run, a cool head from McDonald and a clear step up the weights — yet Lost Boys still found enough to win. For a colt this immature to keep winning while climbing the ratings is a serious signal. If connections are right, the Golden Gates may be remembered as the day a future Group performer announced himself.
Race details and future plans are as reported at the time of writing and subject to change. Betting involves risk and isn't suitable for everyone — please gamble responsibly, set your limits, and if it stops being fun, take a break.
