Ger Lyons has his sights on America – and possibly York before that – after Lady Iman made a successful Goodwood raid to regain the winning thread in the HKJC World Pool Molecomb Stakes.
The daughter of Starman had dazzled in her opening three outings but lost her unbeaten record to Aidan O’Brien’s Beautify at the Curragh in the Airlie Stud Stakes.
Reverting to five furlongs for her first taste of action on British soil, she was sent off the 11-8 favourite and Ryan Moore kept things simple, travelling smoothly in the slipstream of the early leaders before taking over in the final furlong where she was not for catching.
Lady Iman taking victory in her stride (PA)
Tim Easterby’s consistent Argentine Tango gave chase in vain for an honourable second, with Kevin Ryan’s early pacesetter Dickensian in third.
Lyons said: “Sweet this, because I love the filly. I ran her over six and my jockey kept telling me she should be going five.
“But as Ryan just said if she gets a low draw at Del Mar she wins, but then he also said we should head for the Nunthorpe. If that’s what he says and it’s what the owners want to do then we will.
“I got such a buzz out of Del Mar last year that I’d like to be going back with something special and if I’m allowed that’s where I’ll go with her.”
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Stable companions Saqqara Sands and Tabiti shared the honours after the judge announced a dead-heat following a thrilling renewal of the HKJC World Pool Oak Tree Stakes at Goodwood.
Tabiti was among the leading contenders for the Group Three contest at 9-2 and with blinkers applied for a second time, the three-year-old set out to make all the running in the hands of Ryan Moore.
Saqqara Sands, a much bigger price at 16-1 under Rossa Ryan, emerged from the pack as the biggest threat inside the final furlong and while she briefly managed to poke her head in front, Tabiti battled back and the Ralph Beckett-trained pair passed the post as one.
Bright Thunder, the 7-2 favourite, was only half a length further behind in third.
Ralph Beckett with his winning fillies Saqqara Sands and Tabiti (PA)
Beckett said: “I’ve definitely never done that before. They are two really tough fillies. This race can be a bit of a bun fight, I recall Roger’s (Varian) filly (Jabaara) being taken down last year (demoted to second from first place).
“Saqqara Sands worked very well at the weekend and I thought she was over priced, while it looked like Tabiti had gone west on us after the Fillies’ Mile.
“The mile is probably OK for Tabiti, but I’m not sure the other filly wants it. I’ve yet to work out their trips but hey, it’s been an enjoyable day.”
Ryan, who saw his big Tuesday hope Kinross withdrawn at the start before the Lennox Stakes, said: “That was mad. I just couldn’t quite get past Tabiti. I thought I’d win but my head was up and his was down.
“She stayed battling all the way to the line and it’s good to get in the scoresheet after a disastrous day yesterday.
“My filly is improving. She’s going the right way and I think better on better ground.”
Bright Thunder’s trainer Karl Burke was satisfied with third place and will keep an eye on conditions now as he seeks the next target.
He said: “I’m as happy with that as you can be without winning.
“She’s run a great race and looked like bolting up two out, but Ryan (Moore on Tabiti) got a freebie in front. If they’d gone really hard or she’d had a bit of a better draw, I think she’d have been bang there.
“She’s a progressive filly but she likes a bit of cut in the ground so August might be tricky, but hopefully we’ll find a nice race for her in the autumn.”
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Alan King is taking comfort from the many messages of support he has received since the sad death of stable stalwart Trueshan in what he described as a “freak accident” at Goodwood on Tuesday.
One of the most popular Flat horses of his era, the star stayer was making the 35th appearance of his stellar career and fourth start in the Goodwood Cup he had previously won in 2021, when pulled up by Hollie Doyle at halfway, suffering what proved to be a fatal injury.
An emotional King was keen to pay tribute to a horse that provided him with many memorable moments and thanked the kind words both he and his team have received.
Alan King enjoyed some great moments with Trueshan (Mike Egerton/PA)
King told ITV racing: “It’s been a very tough 24 hours, obviously, but the one thing I will say is the outpouring of messages has been unbelievable.
“I knew he was popular, but there’s been well over 200 messages and I’m still getting them now and it means an awful lot, it has helped me and it has helped the staff.
“He’s been a friend and a very straightforward horse to train. Incredibly sound and I don’t think he’s ever missed a day, I don’t think he’s had a bruised foot, I don’t think he’s had anything. All right, there have been days we haven’t run him and that was solely because he didn’t want fast ground.”
King was also keen to stress that Trueshan’s death was nothing more than an accident and praised the veterinary team that attended to the nine-year-old.
Trueshan winning the Northumberland Plate (Richard Sellers/PA)
“What happened yesterday was a freak accident and nothing to do with the training or the ground and it is just one of those awful things that could happen going up the all-weather,” continued King.
“I remember old Viking Flagship who was retired and my hack. I never ride out Monday morning as we school and then Monday afternoon we turn them out in the outdoor school to let them chill and he got down, he rolled and took off, had a canter round and he broke a hind leg.
“It happens, it’s awful, but it does happen. Trueshan is coming back to Barbury, he will be buried to next to Viking Flagship, Balder Succes and Katchit, so that helps.
“It did help (being with him in the final moments) and Mark White my travelling head lad was there in an instant and I said please hang on until I get there to say goodbye. The vets were superb, I just want to get that across, it was peaceful, it was calm and they were professional and it means a lot.”
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After giving Joe Murphy the finest hour in his long training career at Royal Ascot, Coronation Stakes heroine Cercene steps up in trip in search of further honours in the Qatar Nassau Stakes at Goodwood.
The experienced Irish handler has always thought of his star performer as a stayer in the making, but having excelled at a mile has so far been kept to no further than eight furlongs.
However, after Cercene’s thrilling victory at the Royal meeting, Murphy now scratches his long-held itch to move up in distance, where he is confident the daughter of Australia can hold her own once more in elite company.
Trainer Joe Murphy and jockey Gary Carroll celebrate (David Davies/PA)
“We were very happy with her since her last run and we’ll find out how we get on up in trip, so it will be a learning curve,” said Murphy.
“She’s so relaxed, we always thought she would be a mile-and-a-half filly but she proved us wrong by being so good at a mile. We’ve options we could try over those distances before the season ends, so we’re looking forward to running and we’re fortunate we have her.
“We have her in the Matron Stakes just in case she doesn’t get the trip, but if she does it opens up more options for us and I do think she will stay.
“This is another test and another Group One. She’s been third in a Guineas and won at Royal Ascot so she deserves to take her chance and plenty will be revealed by Friday.”
Whirl is a major player in the Nassau Stakes (Brian Lawless/PA)
If Cercene is to add a second Group One to her resume, she will have to crack the Ballydoyle duo of Whirl and Bedtime Story who will bid to give Aidan O’Brien a sixth victory in the 10-furlong feature, having also taken home the spoils with Opera Singer 12 months ago.
Bedtime Story showed the ability that made her such an exciting juvenile last term when second in the French Oaks last month.
However, it is Oaks runner-up Whirl who will carry chief Coolmore hopes having downed Andrew Balding’s subsequent King George second Kalpana in tremendous fashion to claim the Pretty Polly Stakes at the Curragh.
“She’s a very straightforward, honest filly, she’s so uncomplicated it’s not funny,” said O’Brien.
“It was the obvious race for her and it isn’t over facing her, it’s baby steps her way and that’s why she’s coming here. We’ve been very happy with her since the Pretty Polly.”
See The Fire ran a big race in last year’s Nassau Stakes (Mike Egerton/PA)
Balding takes another crack at Whirl, this time with See The Fire, who was thwarted by a neck in this race last year and reverts to competing against her own sex after a fine third behind Ombudsman in the Prince of Wales’s Stakes.
“She has started this year in fabulous form and was very impressive in the Middleton, winning a Group Two in easy fashion. And then we thought she ran a super race at Ascot against the boys in the Prince of Wales’s Stakes,” said Balding, ahead of a race that guarantees a spot in the Maker’s Mark Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf at Del Mar.
“As a three-year-old we didn’t see the best of her until we got to the Nassau Stakes at Goodwood where she was narrowly beaten. Then she went on and won the Strensall Stakes against older colts at York.
“There is evidence to suggest she is improving all the time, and she certainly looks to have done physically. She is an exciting filly, and hopefully the best is to come.”
John and Thady Gosden’s five-time scorer Running Lion completes the line-up, running at this distance for just the second time since her second in last October’s Prix de l’Opera.
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Merchant could ignite seismic dreams for his team if able to recreate his impressive Royal Ascot heroics and deliver HKJC World Pool Gordon Stakes glory at Goodwood on Thursday.
Always held in high-regard by trainer William Haggas, the Highclere Thoroughbreds-owned three-year-old excelled when landing the King George V Stakes and after connections resisted the temptation of an Ascot return and a daring King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Stakes tilt, now climbs the ladder into Group Three company on the Sussex Downs.
“The Gordon was always the plan and the next logical step for him and a horse of his profile,” said Highclere’s Harry Herbert.
“He comes into it – according to William – in really good form and he’s been working well at home.
“It’s one step at a time with him and we will see how he gets on but we would be very hopeful of a big show as he’s a fast-improving horse and one we think the world of.”
The last four winners of this have gone on to contest the St Leger and although his team are refusing to rule out a Classic tilt, it could be an audacious trip to Paris that comes calling in the autumn if Merchant continues his rapid progression through the ranks.
Herbert added: “The St Leger is certainly possible it’s just whether we want to go the mile and six route or whether we stick to a mile and a half.
Tom Marquand aboard Merchant shakes hands with Harry Herbert, after winning at Royal Ascot (John Walton/PA)
“It will all depend on how he progresses and if he happens to win the Gordon Stakes we would then all being well head to the Great Voltigeur (at York, August 20) and if he happened to win that then the conversation would be do you go for the St Leger or have a crack at the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe.
“I think it’s wide open at this stage and of course there is a lot of water to flow under the bridge still. But William and I have been discussing it for a while and I’m not certain the St Leger would be the right move for this horse, although I hate to say that now when we’re nowhere near that point.
“Hopefully all goes well at Goodwood and once that is out of the way we can go from there.”
Eve Johnson Houghton has already made her mark in the juvenile Group races this week and will bid for Super Sprint compensation with Havana Hurricane in the Markel Richmond Stakes.
Havana Hurricane was a Royal Ascot winner (John Walton/PA)
The Royal Ascot winner narrowly missed out on a huge bounty when beaten a short head at Newbury but now returns to six furlongs, the distance over which he went down fighting to Charlie Appleby’s reopposing Maximized in the Woodcote Stakes at Epsom.
“It would be exciting to make it a Group Two double for the week,” said Johnson Houghton.
“He’s in great form, he’s done nothing wrong and I think six furlongs will really suit him now we know to hold on to him for a bit longer.
“We obviously kicked too soon at Epsom, but we learned from it.”
Clive Cox has bided his time since with Coppull since finishing third in the Coventry Stakes at the Royal meeting but with the form looking smart, is hopeful he can show the required progress in a race the Lambourn handler has won with Golden Horde (2019) and Supremacy (2020).
“I was really pleased with his effort in the Coventry and I just wanted to give him a little bit of time as he’s still developing,” said Cox.
Trainer Clive Cox will saddle Coppull (Mike Egerton/PA)
“He’s done nothing but please so far and this is another big step, but we really like him.
“It’s nice to be heading to these races with horses in form.”
Disappointing in the Coventry was Archie Watson’s Underwriter, but after being returned to Ayr for a confidence-boosting win since, attempts to go one better than owners Wathnan Racing’s The Strikin Viking who was touched off in this race 12 months ago.
“We took him back up to Ayr and he was impressive there on debut and again the other day, he just had a complete blip for whatever reason at Royal Ascot,” said Wathnan’s Richard Brown.
“We couldn’t find any reason for the poor performance at Ascot so we went back up to Ayr with a penalty and he showed us what he could do.
“It’s a step up in class, but we’ll find out where we’re at.”
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Saeed bin Suroor and Oisin Murphy teamed up to win a Group One in Germany on Sunday and were on the mark again in the Goodwood finale on Tuesday with Dubai Treasure.
The lightly-raced filly was having her first run over six furlongs since August 2023, yet despite that the race looked over from some way out. Under The Twilight did close to within a neck, but the 85-40 favourite was value for much more.
Bin Suroor said: “She shows plenty of speed. I was going to run her at Doncaster in the seven-furlong Group Three, but when I talked to Oisin he said to keep her at six furlongs.
“She shows that speed in the mornings when she works. Now we’ll look for a nice race for her.
“She hasn’t run over six since she was two. She has the class for Group races.
“I think we’ll have to look for a nice race over six furlongs. She had a setback when she was in Dubai.”
Murphy was completing a double having earlier won on Andrew Balding’s Stellar Sunrise.
Westridge continued his progression with a wide-margin win in the Coral Chesterfield Cup Handicap.
Trained by John and Thady Gosden and ridden by Billy Loughnane, the four-year-old has been faring well in handicaps recently and started a 6-1 chance in a field of 18.
From stall eight he hit his stride quickly and after a prominent passage through the race he took up the lead in the final furlong, then pulling clear of the chasing pack to score by an eventual three and a quarter lengths.
“He enjoyed the space around him today and Billy gave him a lovely ride. It is not easy in a big handicap field but he broke well and made use of him,” said John Gosden.
“He is owned by Glen Manchester, my wife and Nicholas Wrigley, so it’s a proper partnership.
“We did have him in the July sales but wisely we chose to take him out three days before the sale, thank God we did that.
“He’s a grand horse and he’s done well, the handicapper will get him now but to win the Chesterfield Cup is a dream come true because Glen is very much Goodwood orientated.
“It’ll have to be York now though I’m not sure which race, Mr Wrigley will demand it. Rachel is just the silent partner, she does whatever they want!”
Ruth Carr’s Brazen Bolt made the long journey from Yorkshire to Sussex worthwhile with success in the Coral Golden Rewards Shaker Handicap, where he prevailed by a nose at 28-1 under Warren Fentiman.
Peter Furr, Doncaster-based winning owner-breeder, said: “He has been an unbelievable horse. We have bred a few horses but nothing like him. He went to Bahrain and won last year and when he came back he was not very well.
“He had ulcers, a bad tummy, stress, everything. Me and my daughter got him back and had him on a nebuliser. We took him to Ruth this season and she has been fantastic.
“We didn’t expect to win at York last time and we came here today thinking it would be really firm ground and when it wasn’t we didn’t expect this again. It doesn’t happen to people like us.”
Roger Varian’s Protest built on recent Listed efforts to make a winning handicap debut in the Ridgeview Fillies’ Handicap over a mile.
The Cheveley Park Stud owned and bred chestnut struck at 11-2, steered by Silvestre de Sousa to a one-length win.
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Goodwood Galaxy ran a race full of promise to finish fourth as a 25-1 shot in the Coral Vintage Stakes at Goodwood.
Trained by David Menuisier, Goodwood Galaxy was a relatively cheap purchase at 45,000 guineas as a yearling but hails from the family of last year’s Irish 1,000 Guineas winner Fallen Angel and had made a winning debut at Salisbury late last month.
Swiftly hiked to Group Two company, Goodwood Galaxy was last approaching the final furlong but stayed on with real purpose to beaten just over two lengths by winner Zavateri, offering plenty of hope for the future at this seven-furlong trip and beyond.
Field Of Gold bids to continue his sensational summer when he meets his elders for the first time in the Visit Qatar Sussex Stakes.
Narrowly denied Classic glory in the 2000 Guineas at Newmarket, John and Thady Gosden’s grey has made no mistake in two subsequent starts, demonstrating his dazzling acceleration in both the Irish Guineas and the St James’s Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot.
His sire Kingman landed both of those Group One events before completing his hat-trick in this race 11 years ago and Field Of Gold is odds-on to follow suit in the hands of William Buick, who takes over in the saddle from the suspended Colin Keane.
“The horse is athletic, he’s got great balance, and hopefully he’ll handle the track well. It’s very different to the round mile of Ascot or the Curragh, that’s for sure,” said John Gosden.
“He does have that great turn of foot, let’s hope we get a clear run and he can produce it on the day.
“His father won the Sussex in somewhat cheeky fashion, it was an extraordinary race. They literally crawled, then sprinted in the last two furlongs, and fortunately we got it just right on the line.”
Field Of Gold renews rivalry with St James’s Palace runner-up Henri Matisse, who had previously landed the French 2000 Guineas for Aidan O’Brien.
Henri Matisse takes on Field Of Gold again (Brian Lawless/PA)
The Wootton Bassett colt has three and a half lengths to find with the hot favourite from their Royal Ascot meeting and O’Brien is keeping his fingers crossed he can at least close the gap.
“So far everything has gone well since Ascot and we’re looking forward to seeing him run,” he said.
“We think he’s gone the right way since Ascot.”
The older brigade is headed by Docklands and Rosallion, who were split by just a nose when second in the Queen Anne Stakes at the Royal meeting.
Harry Eustace, the trainer of Docklands, said: “The track should suit him. He has run there before (in 2023) and to the eye was a little disappointing, but it was his first run off the back of his win in the Britannia and, in hindsight, I don’t know whether I had him 100 per cent.
“He handled Epsom well, so I have no problem with the cambers at Goodwood. The quality of the race might be another matter.
“It can’t be overstated how important he’s been for us for the last three years. We’ll cherish his two wins at Royal Ascot forever.
“We’re a relatively young business and he is by a long way our flagship horse – he has been key to everything that’s happened since.”
Meanwhile, Richard Hannon will be looking to replicate some of the great days his father enjoyed in this race with the likes of Canford Cliffs and Toronado as he runs his stable star Rosallion.
Sean Levey aboard Rosallion after winning at Royal Ascot last year (John Walton/PA)
Like Field Of Gold, the son of Blue Point suffered defeat in the 2000 Guineas before landing Classic honours in Ireland and then scoring at Royal Ascot and his loyal pilot Sean Levey is relishing this mouthwatering clash of generations.
He told Ladbrokes: “There’s no doubt Field Of Gold is going to be very difficult to beat, based on what we’ve seen of him so far. He’s an exceptional horse, but I think we have the right attributes to take him on.
“He’s a four-year-old this year which means he has to give away weight, but he’s improved with every run, in my opinion, from the Lockinge to just being denied at Ascot in the Queen Anne. He’s improved, as good horses do, and I know he’s in a really good place coming into this.
“To be fair, I think we were very unlucky to be denied in the Queen Anne by what was literally the flare of a nostril and he ran into a specialist in Docklands, who was very good on the day.
“But Goodwood is a different story altogether and Rosallion is a good horse who has shown his versatility across a number of racetracks.”
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John and Thady Gosden’s Morris Dancer took a significant stride forward when narrowly beaten in the Coral Vintage Stakes at Goodwood.
The Godolphin-owned son of Palace Pier was a winner when last seen in a Haydock novice, but with rivals proven at Group level, he was a 22-1 shot under William Buick.
Those odds meant little to him as he chased home Eve Johnson Houghton’s Zavateri, missing out by just a short head on the line.
John Gosden said: “We are thrilled with him, he has run a great race. He won at Haydock and then just had a little niggle and cough. So we backed off and he has come here off the minimum work and run a great race.
“That’s the July Stakes form, with the winner by an old friend of ours in Without Parole. Morris Dancer is by Palace Pier so it is nice to see your old pals in Group Two races like this.
“William said don’t be frightened to step up to a mile with him and we will do that somewhere.”
Ed Walker is not inclined to lower the sights of Do Or Do Not after his third-placed run under Tom Marquand, the latest in a string of placings in highly-competitive races.
“He’s a star, isn’t he? He just doesn’t know how to win yet, annoyingly!” said Walker.
“I actually thought today he was coming in to win but it was just greenness and whatever you want to call it, he was wandering around a little bit. He seems to find a way of not winning, which is frustrating.
“I think we’ll go for something easier but I don’t think we need to go for a maiden or a novice. The horse who was second in the Chesham (Thesecretadversary) was then beaten at 2-13 in one, it happens.
“There’s nothing to gain, he doesn’t need to win a maiden or a novice.
“He is a really solid horse and we are throwing the kitchen sink at him. He keeps answering. We might just try to find a slightly lower race – not a maiden because there isn’t any point – to give him some confidence.”
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Hollie Doyle was at her brilliant best to steer Witness Stand to HKJC World Pool Lennox Stakes success and give Dr Richard Newland and Jamie Insole a marquee Group Two victory at Goodwood.
There was early drama as Ralph Beckett’s race regular and leading fancy Kinross was withdrawn at the start after receiving a kick, while Ed Walker’s Royal Ascot winner Noble Champion was eased down and pulled up early into the piece.
However, Doyle avoided any complications as she latched Witness Stand on to the small cluster to go forward from start, always in the slipstream of customary front-runner Quinault and defending champion Audience.
It looked momentarily like Audience would recreate last year’s heroics, but the 25-1 winner found plenty in reserve inside the final furlong to gallop home two-and-three-quarter-lengths clear of William Haggas’ Lake Forest, the only runner to emerge from the chasing pack late on.
Insole said: “As a trainer you wait your whole life for a good horse and to win the Lennox is pretty incredible.
“We bought him for a hundred grand and felt he’d gone under the radar as there were higher offers for him that came our way afterwards. I already had this race in mind for him.
“It was his Chester run (second in a Listed race) that gave us the confidence to come here, and when I saw the rain this morning and the slower ground I knew it would be to his advantage.
“He’s in the Hungerford (at Newbury), but would have to carry a penalty now. I also put him in the Foret this morning.”
For co-trainer Newland it was a red-letter day in his new venture alongside Insole training on the level alongside his Grand National heroics in the jumps sphere. He is also a part-owner of the winner.
Newland said: “It’s a great result and fair play to Jamie and all the team. It was a lovely ride from Hollie in a funny sort of race, but I’m not complaining.
“Jamie leads the Flat team day-to-day, but I am involved in the background and discussing the training and placing of horses.
“I’m also a part-owner of that horse so it’s a terrific result. He was bought to be a flag bearer due to his high rating and it was a superb bit of purchasing by Jamie and Matt Holdsworth at the sales and now we’ve had a payday to get some money back and give us a high-profile winner which is fabulous.”
He added: “It’s more than dipping our toe in and we’re more of a Flat yard now. There’s a number of reasons for that but I’m loving the new challenge of it and it’s quite a big thing to try and re-establish yourself as a Flat yard after being a jumps yard for so long.
“I’m thrilled with how it’s going and we’ve some lovely horses coming through. It’s great fun and I’ve been doing the job 20 years so it’s nice to have a new challenge.”
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Westridge continued his progression with a wide-margin win in the Coral Chesterfield Cup Handicap at Goodwood.
Trained by John and Thady Gosden and ridden by Billy Loughnane, the four-year-old has been faring well in handicaps recently and started a 6-1 chance in a field of 18.
From stall eight he hit his stride quickly and after a prominent passage through the race he took up the lead in the final furlong, then pulling clear of the chasing pack to score by an eventual three and a quarter lengths.
“He enjoyed the space around him today and Billy gave him a lovely ride. It is not easy in a big handicap field but he broke well and made use of him,” said John Gosden.
“He is owned by Glen Manchester, my wife and Nicholas Wrigley, so it’s a proper partnership.
“We did have him in the July sales but wisely we chose to take him out three days before the sale, thank God we did that.
“He’s a grand horse and he’s done well, the handicapper will get him now but to win the Chesterfield Cup is a dream come true because Glen is very much Goodwood orientated.
“It’ll have to be York now though I’m not sure which race, Mr Wrigley will demand it. Rachel is just the silent partner, she does whatever they want!”
Ruth Carr’s Brazen Bolt made the long journey from Yorkshire to Sussex worthwhile with success in the Coral Golden Rewards Shaker Handicap, where he prevailed by a nose at 28-1 under Warren Fentiman.
Peter Furr, Doncaster-based winning owner-breeder, said: “He has been an unbelievable horse. We have bred a few horses but nothing like him. He went to Bahrain and won last year and when he came back he was not very well.
“He had ulcers, a bad tummy, stress, everything. Me and my daughter got him back and had him on a nebuliser. We took him to Ruth this season and she has been fantastic.
“We didn’t expect to win at York last time and we came here today thinking it would be really firm ground and when it wasn’t we didn’t expect this again. It doesn’t happen to people like us.”
Stellar Sunrise got off the mark for Andrew Balding and Oisin Murphy in the British Stallion Studs EBF Maiden Stakes.
The Space Blues colt had been placed in both starts prior to his Goodwood run, and that experience served him well as he came to the fore at 6-1 to win by a length and a quarter from evens favourite Naval Light.
“He had the experience, and I think the draw helped as well,” said Balding.
“He was given an astute ride, as the stands rail was definitely an advantage in a big field with these younger horses.
“He’d shown a fair level of form in his previous races, but he’s getting more streetwise and he was very professional today.
“We’ll look at nurseries now and we’ll find out more next Tuesday (when he is given a rating).”
Roger Varian’s Protest built on recent Listed efforts to make a winning handicap debut in the Ridgeview Fillies’ Handicap over a mile.
The Cheveley Park Stud owned and bred chestnut struck at 11-2, steered by Silvestre de Sousa to a one-length win.
https://www.geegeez.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/2.81132649-scaled.jpg12802560Geegeez Newshttps://www.geegeez.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/geegeez_banner_new_170x78.pngGeegeez News2025-07-29 13:09:242025-07-29 16:40:14Westridge powers clear in Chesterfield Cup
Ameeq’s natural speed should be a huge asset to him at Goodwood when he takes his chance in the HKJC World Pool Molecomb Stakes, according to assistant trainer Adam Ryan.
The Mehmas colt ran a stormer in the Norfolk Stakes at Royal Ascot to come home fourth as a 100-1 shot and should find conditions on the Sussex Downs more to his liking.
Previous to that, he broke his maiden at Nottingham in fine style when beating Chairmanfourtimes, who has since franked that form with a victory of his own at Pontefract.
Ryan, who is assistant to his father, Kevin, said: “It was a fantastic race at Ascot.
“Probably a little bit unlucky with being drawn slightly on the wrong side. Obviously the winner (Charles Darwin) was very good.
“He did himself very proud there. He’s got a lot of natural speed so Goodwood should suit him.
“We don’t run horses at Ascot thinking they haven’t got a chance. The horse doesn’t know his odds and we thought he’d do himself proud and he did just that.”
Ryan will be double-handed with Dickensian trying his luck at Group level for the first time.
The son of Pinatubo found only Havana Hurricane too good in the Windsor Castle at the Royal meeting and heading to Goodwood was always the plan.
Ryan added: “He’s come out of Ascot well. He was a good second there, just getting caught late on, so the Molecomb was tagged up straight away to head to and he goes down there with a big chance.”
Charlie Appleby’s Military Code won his first two starts before disappointing in the Coventry Stakes. He bounced back to form at Sandown recently when beaten just a head by Staya.
“Military Code put up a good performance at Sandown, with the winner going on to run well at Ascot over the weekend. We highlighted this race straight after his last run and he goes there in good order,” Appleby told www.godolphin.com.
Ger Lyons sends Group Three scorer Lady Iman from Ireland after she lost her unbeaten record last time out in the Airlie Stud Stakes at the Curragh when racing too keenly.
Tim Easterby is represented by three-time winner Argentine Tango, who has some fine form behind Karl Burke’s star filly Venetian Sun.
“The ground is good which suits her, but she’s drawn in stall one which is not ideal, but what can you do. She should run well,” said Easterby.
“She’s been training very well into the race and we were very happy with her Newmarket performance behind Venetian Sun. She’s got seven others to beat though, but she’s going into it as well as she could be.”
David O’Meara runs Rogue Supremacy with Andrew Balding’s Sands Of Spain and David Simcock’s Rydale Frosty completing the line-up.
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It is hard to imagine the HKJC World Pool Lennox Stakes without Kinross and Ralph Beckett’s evergreen stalwart is back in search of a third victory at the Qatar Goodwood Festival.
The popular eight-year-old has been a standing dish in this contest on the Sussex Downs, taking home the first prize in 2021 and 2023.
After showing no signs of decline when reappearing with a narrow defeat in Haydock’s John of Gaunt Stakes, he now makes his fifth appearance in Tuesday’s Group Two event, looking to better last year’s third.
“He’s been great since Haydock,” said Jamie McCalmont, racing manager for owner Marc Chan.
“I would say it’s as competitive as any other Lennox he has run in, that’s for sure. It’s a very open race, but we go there in good shape.
“Every race is a bonus for him at this stage of his career, so fingers crossed he runs well.”
Andrew Balding struck with Sandrine in 2022 and attempts to repeat the dose with Jonquil, who returns to the distance over which he landed the Greenham Stakes after failing to figure down at six furlongs in the Commonwealth Cup.
Also bidding to bounce back to his best is John and Thady Gosden’s Audience, who took home the spoils impressively 12 months ago but has struggled to trouble the judge since.
Gosden said: “He hasn’t quite repeated last year’s run yet. We sent him down to Dubai, which might not have been the smartest move in the world, running him over six furlongs.
“He’s well in himself and happy. He enjoys the track and I think he’ll run a big race again.”
It was Ed Walker’s Ten Bob Tony who denied the aforementioned Kinross earlier in the season. He has been freshened up since that victory in Lancashire and his handler said: “Ten Bob Tony loves a bit of ease in the ground and goes well fresh.
“It was a huge performance to come back and beat Kinross at Haydock and he’s obviously a very talented horse.
“He’s a real yard favourite, he’s completely chilled, a real kind, straightforward horse to deal with.”
Walker in fact holds a strong hand in the seven-furlong event and will also saddle his Jersey Stakes scorer Noble Champion, who represents the same owners and will be ridden, like at Royal Ascot, by Kieran Shoemark.
“Ascot wasn’t a surprise at all, as he’s always been an exceptionally good work horse,” continued Walker.
“He’s exuberant and playful, and the set up was ideal, although I do worry about the nature of Goodwood compared to Ascot as it’s a completely different track.
“We’ve always had huge belief in this horse. On his day when everything’s right, he’s very, very good.
“It’s quite hard to get everything right with him, but I think when he gets it right, he’s an exceptional horse and he has been flying since Ascot.”
https://www.geegeez.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/2.73206745-scaled.jpg12802560Geegeez Newshttps://www.geegeez.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/geegeez_banner_new_170x78.pngGeegeez News2025-07-28 15:13:172025-07-28 15:13:17Kinross primed for another Lennox tussle at Goodwood
Royal Ascot scorer Humidity will attempt to turn up the heat on his rivals when he puts both his unbeaten record and growing reputation on the line in the Coral Vintage Stakes at Goodwood on Tuesday.
Andrew Balding’s son of Ulysses excelled from the front when winning the Chesham Stakes and although the form of that race has taken the odd knock since, connections are hopeful they have identified the perfect Group Two spot for the exciting youngster to cement his position near the top of the juvenile ranks.
“I loved the way he did it at Ascot and he was just lolloping along and James (Doyle) felt if someone had come to him he would have picked up and gone again,” said Richard Brown, racing adviser for owners Wathnan Racing.
“The form has taken a few whacks which would make you nervous, but he did it in great style at Ascot and it makes you excited to seeing him go again.
“He’s drawn 10 which might be a bit wider than ideal, but hopefully he can get out and get striding.
“I’m sure we’ll try to go forward with him, but it’s not like he has to make the running and he’s a really relaxed horse who has a very big stride and I think he will be fine.”
Also arriving with a 100 per cent record from two starts is Eve Johnson Houghton’s Zavateri, who renews July Stakes rivalry with Ed Walker’s Do Or Do Not having fought out the finish at Newmarket last month.
Both colts are stepping up in trip here, something Johnson Houghton believes will bring improvement from Zavateri.
Zavateri in the parade ring after winning the July Stakes (Steven Paston for The Jockey Club)
“He’s been in very good form since Newmarket and won the July Stakes impressively,” said Johnson Houghton.
“I know he’s got a 3lb penalty now, but we think that won’t be a problem to him and we’ve always thought he wanted further so this was the obvious next step for him.”
Aidan O’Brien has won this three times in the past, with Highland Reel his most notable graduate, and this time he relies on Dorset, who has caught the eye both in defeat on debut and when returned to the Curragh to open his account next time.
O’Brien said: “We think he’s come forward from the last day and it will be interesting to see.”
Dorset is joined from Ireland in the line-up by Joseph O’Brien’s Coventry Stakes fourth Andab, who has not only had the misfortune of bumping into an on-song Gstaad but also Albert Einstein since a clear-cut winner on debut.
Dorset in winning action at the Curragh (Brian Lawless/PA)
David Menuisier’s Goodwood Galaxy, Richard Hannon’s Gharma Sutra and Hugo Palmer’s Laureate Crown have all raced once, won once and step up in grade, with the latter given the chance to emulate subsequent Classic hero Galileo Gold who won this for Palmer 10 year’s ago.
Charlie Johnston’s Vincenzo Peruggia showed marked improvement when off the mark at the second time of asking, while John and Thady Gosden’s Haydock winner Morris Dancer.
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Ground conditions are likely to dictate whether Cercene will take on the likes of See The Fire and Whirl in what looks a quality renewal of the Qatar Nassau Stakes at Goodwood on Thursday.
Just seven fillies remain in contention for the 10-furlong Group One following the confirmation stage, with Aidan O’Brien’s Oaks runner-up and Pretty Polly Stakes winner Whirl the 6-4 favourite with Coral.
The Andrew Balding-trained See The Fire is next in the betting at 7-4, having finished third against the boys in the Prince of Wales’s Stakes at Royal Ascot, where Joe Murphy’s Cercene ran out a surprise winner of the Coronation Stakes over a mile.
With connections of the latter subsequently deciding against stepping up to a mile and a half for the Irish Oaks, she is set to run over the intermediate distance on the Sussex Downs, with Coral making her an 8-1 shot, but Murphy is keeping an eye on underfoot conditions.
“The plan is to go for the Nassau, ground permitting – we don’t want any rain,” he said on Friday.
“We’re very happy with the filly, but if there’s any soft in the ground I couldn’t see her going. Good/good to firm would suit us perfect.
“We thought going the mile and a quarter would be better for future reference, rather than going straight to a mile and a half (in the Irish Oaks). We’ve no problems with a mile and a half as she’s a very relaxed filly, but she travels well.”
On handling the undulations of Goodwood, Murphy added: “She’s a very well balanced filly and we don’t envisage any problems with it, but you don’t know until you try.
“There’s only one Nassau, it’s a good race and they’re the races you want to win.”
Whirl is one of two potential runners for O’Brien along with French Oaks runner-up Bedtime Story, with Karl Burke’s Fallen Angel, John and Thady Gosden’s Running Lion and Gavin Hernon’s potential French raider Dare To Dream the other hopefuls.
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