Friday Glorious Goodwood review
A round-up of the action from day four of the Qatar Goodwood Festival where Battaash was a brilliant winner for the second successive season.
Brilliant Battaash delivers again
Battaash put up the best performance of the week with a scintillating performance to win the King George Qatar Stakes at Goodwood for the second successive year. Jim Crowley originally seemed content to take a lead off the veteran Take Cover, but after barely a furlong he had switched back inside and was soon towards the head of affairs.
Kachy attempted to match strides, but by halfway it was obvious nothing was going to be quick enough to stay with the 8-11 favourite. nside the final two furlongs Charlie Hills' Battaash just pulled further clear and crossed the line four lengths ahead of some of the fastest horses in training.
What made the performance all the more remarkable was Battaash was conceding 3lb and more to his rivals, and his defeat at Royal Ascot can now be forgotten. The veteran Take Cover, now 11 and a dual winner of the race, finished second with Muthmir, in the same ownership as the winner, just holding off Mr Lupton for third.
Battaash is now 4/6 with Sky Bet for the Coolmore Nunthorpe at York later this month, where it did not go to plan 12 months ago as he got very worked up beforehand.
Hills said: "It was pretty special, he's some horse. Jim always looked in control. It was fantastic, apart from the fact that they split a bit at the start and he had no company it all went to plan. Jim had no option but to let him go forward. He's been training a lot better at home since Ascot and Gary Witheford has done a great job with him at the stalls. He's growing up and I think that's the best he's behaved in the whole of his career.
"Today he came right back to his best and there is a great programme ahead with three weeks between each of three races, starting with the Nunthorpe. He'll go to York, then there's a race in Ireland (Flying Five) and then France (Prix de l'Abbaye). I don't think the Everest (in Australia) is on the agenda, as it would rule a lot of races out over here, but America (Breeders' Cup) might be something we think about."
Crowley said: "He's the Batmobile. He dragged me to the front, there isn't a horse in Europe fast enough to lead him. This year I've noticed he's a bigger, stronger horse. I don't think he was in the same form at Ascot as today. Last year I got to the start early at York and it blew his brains. I can't wait (to go back). I've been lucky with some good sprinters, such as Ertijaal in Dubai, but he tops the lot and is as good a horse as I've probably ever ridden."
Royal winner in Golden Mile
Seniority provided the Queen with a winner at Goodwood as Ryan Moore picked a path through to claim the Unibet Golden Mile.
It was a third successive victory in the valuable handicap for Moore on the William Haggas-trained four-year-old, who was sent off favourite for the Royal Hunt Cup at Royal Ascot but could finish only eighth.
The 9-2 joint-favourite on this occasion together with the unlucky Escobar, Seniority was briefly short of room before quickening impressively to prevail by half a length.
Poet's Society stuck on gamely for second, while Original Choice, a stablemate of the winner and third over 10 furlongs earlier in the week, was third once more. Cape Byron was fourth.
Haggas said: "It was a rough old race, but in that situation, if you are travelling, and he certainly was, you've got half a chance. When the gap arrived he showed a smart turn of foot and in the end won not a shade cosily, but certainly well enough. I think a big handicap like this with a big field suited him, but I'm not sure where he will go, we will get him home and make a plan."
John Warren, racing manager for the Queen, said: "I can't be sure Her Majesty will be watching right now, as I'm not sure what she's doing today, but she'll be watching very shortly."
Regal relief for Dettori
Regal Reality took a big step forward to land the Bonhams Thoroughbred Stakes at Goodwood and give Frankie Dettori his first winner since returning from a riding suspension.
Having just his third run, the Sir Michael Stoute-trained colt was sent off at 10-1 in a field of seven. Britannia Handicap winner Ostilio was keen in front and along with Chief Ironside they had an eight-length break on the field at one stage. But with a furlong to run Dettori could be spotted breaking out of the pack and the result had a sense of inevitability about it from some way out.
The two favourites, Threading and Aidan O'Brien's Threeandfourpence, were very disappointing.
Dettori was able to take things easy in the final strides, as Ostilio battled back past Chief Ironside on the rail to claim second, a length and three-quarters behind the winner. The Italian smiled: "I was told he had a good turn of foot, but when I got a bit far behind I thought 'this will test it!'. He's got some serious gears, it took about five strides for him to hit top gear and then he took off. When the turbo kicked in I thought I'd get them easily. He won cosily in the end.
"He's definitely smart, Sir Michael was very keen when I spoke to him. He put some nice horses to bed in a good manner and I'm sure he's got a bright future. Perhaps he could come back here for the Celebration Mile, he's got many options now and I'll leave that to Cheveley Park and Sir Michael."
Cheveley Park Stud's racing manager Chris Richardson said: "It's most exciting to have a colt with this level of ability and the reason he hasn't run for a while is that he got loose on the gallops and cricked his neck.
"He is a bit of a character, but is obviously back now and has just given us our fourth Group-race win in the space of 12 days, which can be nothing but great for Cheveley Park.
"We made a commitment to obtain and stand his sire Intello five years ago, while his dam (Regal Realm) won both the Prestige and the Oak Tree here at Goodwood.
"Today was a fact-finding mission and we will go away and look at the options open to him."
Dancer back in the groove
Mirage Dancer opened up a number of big-race options when landing a hefty punt to win the Bombay Sapphire Glorious Stakes at Goodwood.
Settled in third by Ryan Moore, the four-year-old was backed from 9/4 into 6/5 favouritism and those who took those odds never really had anything to worry about.
With Scotland putting the pace to the race and Eminent racing keenly behind him, Mirage Dancer got a lovely tow into the race before Moore kicked on with a quarter of a mile to go.
On entering the final furlong James Doyle appeared to be covering Red Verdon up in behind him for a late challenge, but he could never get on terms and Mirage Dancer pulled right away to win impressively by three lengths.
It was a sixth win in the race for Sir Michael Stoute, who trained last year's victor Poet's Word, the subsequent winner of the King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Stakes.
Owner Khalid Abdullah's racing manager Teddy Grimthorpe said: "It was a very pleasing race to watch and the good thing is he settled really well and the whole thing went very smoothly.
"I think Ryan wanted to kick on a bit earlier, but he didn't have to. This horse does fit the profile of a Michael Stoute improver.
"Coming into today we hoped he was a horse with whom we could raise his sights and amongst a spectrum of possibilities is the Canadian International, in which Michael has a very good record.
"I think this will rule out any possibility of him going for the Melbourne Cup, because the handicapper might think a bit too much of him after today."
Don of the Downs
Don Armado (11/1), trained by Newmarket-based Stuart Williams who was enjoying his first Qatar Goodwood Festival victory, has now run six times in his young career, winning last time at Nottingham and backing that up today in the six-furlong Unibet Nursery.
Winning jockey Harry Bentley said: "He's a progressive colt. I thought he did everything right when he won last time at Nottingham - then he was a bit green throughout the early strides, but the penny really dropped in the final furlong there.
"Coming into the race today, I was pretty confident of a good run and was happy on his handicap mark of 85 - I actually won this race last year on Red Roman who was on the same mark.
"Through the race I stuck to my draw in four, I think the ground is slightly fresher ground down there. There was plenty of pace and Stuart said if you are niggling along, then they are going strong enough up front.
"That's what happened and I managed to get him on the back to follow through the right horses."
Of the future, Bentley said of the Camacho colt: "He'll get seven, and he's growing up with every run now and that will help him get the seven."