Tag Archive for: Lennox Stakes

Audience delivers rousing performance in Lennox Stakes success

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Lockinge hero Audience got back on the winning trail with a dominant display in the HKJC World Pool Lennox Stakes at Goodwood.

John and Thady Gosden’s charge was a shock winner of the first Group One of the season at Newbury, where he made every yard of the running to upstage his fellow Cheveley Park-owned stablemate Inspiral.

Having since finished fifth in the Queen Anne at Royal Ascot, the five-year-old was eased in grade and distance for this seven-furlong Group Two and was visually impressive in the hands of Robert Havlin.

In a race in which only two horses were ever really in contention, 4-1 shot Audience sat in the slipstream of the pacesetting Art Power before being unleashed entering the final furlong and the race was soon over as a contest as Havlin’s mount sprinted four lengths clear.

Art Power boxed on to fill the runner-up spot, with 7-2 favourite Kinross – bidding for his third victory in the race following previous triumphs in 2021 and 2023 – making late headway to finish third.

Of the winner, Havlin said: “After he won the Lockinge, I told everyone it was no fluke and they laughed.

“He’s always had a lot of ability. We used to ride him without the hood on but I sat on him on Saturday and he absolutely flew so we thought this was the right time to try him without it.

“He wasn’t very competitive in the Lennox round here last year (finished sixth) but, with the hood off, it really sharpened him up. He’s so controllable now, as well.

“I didn’t think we were going overly quick up the hill but I let him go at the three (furlong marker) and by God, he was fast.”

Audience now looks set to stick at the seven-furlong distance for the City of York Stakes on the Knavesmire next month. Paddy Power cut his odds for that lucrative prize to 7-2 from 12-1.

“Plainly he didn’t quite stay the stiff mile at Ascot,” said Cheveley Park’s managing director Chris Richardson.

“We’ve stuck with Rab (Havlin) the whole way through and the horse continues to thrive and they have a great relationship.

“I was thrilled that Pat Thompson was there at Newbury when he won and I’m sorry that they are not here today, but defying a penalty has certainly given everyone plenty to think about.

“We’ll probably go to York for the City Of York Stakes, where he doesn’t carry a penalty, then it’s all to play for. We’ll look at all those races over his favoured seven furlongs.”

John Gosden added: “He’s matured and the mile’s too stiff at Ascot. He’ll go to the City Of York, he was second in it last year to Kinross. He’ll go there, no penalty. That’s the plan.

“We’ve put him in the Prix de la Foret, last year’s ground would be perfect as it was good to firm. He wouldn’t want traditional Parisian turf.

“He has the speed for a race like the Breeders’ Cup Mile at Del Mar. He could be a horse for it. Travelling would be no problem.

“Rab knows him really well. He rides him most mornings and every time he nearly takes him home!”

Art Power ran a fine race to finish second in the Lennox Stakes at Goodwood
Art Power ran a fine race to finish second in the Lennox Stakes at Goodwood (John Walton/PA)

Tim Easterby was proud of the performance of the admirable Art Power, saying: “He’s wonderful. He’s a pony, but he’s wonderful and tries like hell.

“He’s got an unbelievable temperament. We thought he’d run well. We wanted to run him over a fast seven somewhere; he ran well at York over seven.

“If it had been softer, it would have been better, but he goes on any ground.

“We want to go for the big race at Ascot in October (Qipco British Champions Sprint), but where we go before then, I don’t know. We’ll get him back home first. But he’s a wonderful horse.”



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Evergreen Kinross hunting third Lennox Stakes victory

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Kinross goes in search of a third victory in the HKJC World Pool Lennox Stakes at Goodwood on Tuesday.

Ralph Beckett’s charge plundered the Group Two prize in 2021 and 2023, and was only narrowly denied by Sandrine in 2022.

After pushing Montassib close in Newcastle’s Chipchase Stakes on his first start of the current campaign, the seven-year-old could only finish eighth in the July Cup at Newmarket earlier this month – but connections admit there will be “no excuses” on his return to the Sussex Downs.

“We’re excited to be going to Goodwood, a track that he loves – he probably should have won the race three times by now,” said Jamie McCalmont, racing manager to owner Marc Chan.

“It would be an amazing achievement for any horse to win three races at Goodwood and I think just due to the fact he’s getting older, he probably needs more than one race to get in tune.

“There’ll be no excuses on Tuesday. The ground shouldn’t be too firm hopefully.”

One of the biggest threats to the defending champion is the Ed Walker-trained English Oak, who steps up in class after a dominant handicap victory in the Buckingham Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot.

James Doyle aboard English Oak after winning the Buckingham Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot
James Doyle aboard English Oak after winning the Buckingham Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot (David Davies/PA)

The son of Wootton Bassett has proved himself versatile ground-wise this season and Walker is looking forward to seeing how he fares at Group Two level.

“He’s in cracking form and has not missed a beat since Ascot, so it will be interesting to see how he gets on,” said the Lambourn-based trainer.

“He’s got a lot to make up as on official ratings he’s the lowest-rated in the field and yet he’s vying for favouritism, which on the numbers doesn’t make a lot of sense.

“He’s also never run in a stakes race, so without being pessimistic he’s got to step up to win this.

“We’re very happy with him, we’ve no worries with the ground and we’ve got a good draw (stall four) I think he’ll run his race and I hope he gets a good trip round and then we’ll find out how good he is.”

Noble Dynasty and William Buick winning the Criterion Stakes at Newmarket
Noble Dynasty and William Buick winning the Criterion Stakes at Newmarket (Steven Paston/PA)

Noble Dynasty is two from two in Britain this season for Charlie Appleby, beating English Oak with an all-the-way success in a Newmarket handicap in early May before getting the better of the high-class Nostrum in the Group Three Criterion Stakes on the July course last month.

Speaking on the Godolphin website, Appleby said: “Noble Dynasty is a rock-solid horse who heads into this on the back of a pleasing win in the Criterion Stakes.

“He didn’t run very well at this meeting a couple of years ago, but he was backing up quickly that day and is a different horse now.

“This is a step up from his last run and he will need to bring his A-game, but he’s in good form and deserves his place in the line-up.”

John of Gaunt Stakes winner Tiber Flow (William Haggas) and the surprise Lockinge hero Audience (John and Thady Gosden) also feature in a competitive field.



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Marbaan heads for Lennox in search of more Goodwood glory

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Charlie Fellowes is convinced Marbaan will put up a bold show in his bid for back-to-back wins at the Qatar Goodwood Festival next week following a frustrating run at Royal Ascot.

The Oasis Dream colt shone in the Group Two Vintage Stakes on the Sussex Downs last summer before failing to land a blow in successive Group Ones before the end of his juvenile year.

He made a promising start to his three-year-old campaign by finishing fourth in the Commonwealth Cup Trial at Ascot and second to subsequent July Cup runner-up Run To Freedom at Salisbury, but beat only one home in the Commonwealth Cup itself at the Royal meeting last month.

Fellowes is adamant the three-year-old is better than he showed in Berkshire, though, and is targeting redemption in the Group Two Lennox Stakes on Tuesday.

“I was disappointed with Ascot because I don’t think we saw the real Marbaan. Everything that could have gone wrong went wrong,” said the Newmarket handler.

“Ascot is a horrible place to try to make the running and I don’t think Marbaan is the sort of horse you want to make the running with – all of his best performances have come when he’s been ridden with a little bit of cover.

“He was my one real frustration after Ascot, all my other horses ran well, and I’m just convinced it was because of the way the race panned out.

“The plan is to go back to Goodwood for the Lennox. I’m convinced he’s got the speed for six furlongs, but we’re going to go back up to seven and he has won over course and distance.

“He worked on Tuesday morning, he’s in great order and I know there’s a big performance in him this year.”



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Isaac Shelby enters Lennox calculations

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Brian Meehan’s Isaac Shelby looks poised to drop back to seven furlongs for the World Pool Lennox Stakes at Goodwood.

The move back in distance could prove a shrewd move with the son of Night Of Thunder, who has twice scored at Group level over the trip, claiming the Superlative Stakes as a two-year-old before adding the Greenham on his reappearance, making all in impressive style.

Since that Newbury return he has run twice over a mile and was denied by the barest of margins in search of Classic honours in the French 2000 Guineas before finishing a respectable fourth behind Paddington in the St James’s Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot.

Isaac Shelby (left) finished fourth behind Paddington at Royal Ascot
Isaac Shelby (left) finished fourth behind Paddington at Royal Ascot (John Walton/PA).

The Manton handler is now looking to get his charge back to winning ways and provide the big-spending Wathnan Racing with their first victory since taking ownership of the talented colt.

“He’s in great form, he has worked well and we’re looking at possibly the Lennox for him at Goodwood,” said Meehan.

“I think in time the mile is always comfortable for him, but for the moment we have got to look at getting a prize under his belt again.”

The Qatar Goodwood Festival could also be the next port of call for promising two-year-old Toca Madera following his third-placed effort in the July Stakes at Newmarket last week.

The son of Bated Breath had failed to get involved in the Norfolk Stakes at Royal Ascot, but having bounced back to show his true capabilities, has the potential to line up in the Markel Richmond Stakes on the Sussex Downs.

“I was slightly disappointed at Ascot, but I thought he really showed how good he was there at Newmarket and possibly there is going to be some more improvement in him I think,” added Meehan.

“Maybe we will go to the Richmond (August 3) if it isn’t too soon, but certainly we will have a look at the Gimcrack (York, August 25) or Prix Morny (Deauville, August 20).”



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