Goodwood review: David Ord on what we learned over the five days on the Sussex Downs
By David Ord
16:28 · SAT August 03, 2024
From star milers, a king stayer and a regally-bred filly who might just live up to her pedigree - David Ord on what we learned at Goodwood.
Where are we now with the milers?
Well, where we were before the start of the week really. No that's not quite true. We can put Notable Speech's Royal Ascot flop to the back of our minds and thankfully concentrate on the turn of foot he showed to settle the Sussex Stakes in a handful of strides at the furlong pole.
It was a performance crackling with electricity, as was his 2000 Guineas success. Rosallion was missing though with a respiratory infection and on Timeform performance ratings, Wednesday’s hero was running to the exact same figure as he had at Newmarket.
That was enough to beat Richard Hannon’s charge that day and a pound higher than the Blue Point colt registered himself when winning the aforementioned St James's Palace Stakes.
There's nothing between them when both are on song – and it could be a rivalry to light up the autumn potentially at Ascot and Del Mar. Settle down and pray we have round three somewhere with both fit and firing because there's nothing on these shores or in Ireland to beat them right now.
Henry Longfellow can be forgiven his Sussex flop, they went without a pacemaker seemingly in the hope of the Ballydoyle colt being gifted a soft lead anyway and setting his own fractions. The keen Sonny Liston was in no mood to follow that script, forcing the front two to go too quickly. But still, this looks a two-horse division right now.
William Buick celebrates as Notable Speech wins the Sussex Stakes
More straightforward with the Stayers?
Kyprios is back operating at the sort of level that places him a cut above his contemporaries.
He again looked in a league of his own as he came four lengths clear of Sweet William and Gregory in the Goodwood Cup and was so strong at the line that he was only going to increase that advantage.
The Irish Leger is next and the only horse around who looks capable of taking him out of his comfort zone is Trawlerman.
He of course beat Aidan O’Brien’s star at Ascot in the mud last autumn and took ages to allow the 2024 model past him in the Gold Cup at Ascot in June. He’s the one horse who’ll ensure the king doesn’t have too much wiggle room if he decides to try and regain his Champions Day crown. But ultimately you sense he'll end up handing it back.
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Are you ready for round three?
I certainly am. Big Evs took revenge on Royal Ascot conqueror Asfoora in the King George Qatar Stakes. On two pounds better terms and a downhill five furlongs, the three-year-old proved a short-head too good for his closing rival.
So what happens now in the Coolmore Nunthorpe at York? To be honest we don't really know and in a division where there's a length or three between the top seven or eight, luck in running, draw and fate may well all have their part to play.
My first impression was to side with the Australian speedster, who will rarely have experienced a track like Goodwood before this week, engaged top gear late after a bump and will of course have a small weight swing in her favour in the Group One.
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But then Big Evs is the one who could still improve a little - and don't forget Believing who had a penalty herself and was only beaten a further three-quarters-of-a-length in third. Ryan Moore said 'Nunthorpe' after winning aboard her in Ireland the time before and George Boughey and the Highclere team must be thinking that way now.
We might never get a definitive answer over who is the fastest sprinter in Europe this year, but my goodness they're serving up an intriguing series as we try to find out.
It's 3/1 the field for round three. That probably says it all.
The negatives, well we don't know she truly stays a mile-and-a-half and it's not absolutely guaranteed although looks likely, and she’s not operating - yet - at the sort of level an Arc winner usually does.
She still has a 'p' attached to her Timeform master rating of 118 and you sense there's a bigger performance in her somewhere.
And to be fair this in an Arc that at this stage looks unlikely to be filed away in the vintage folder. King George winner Goliath and King Edward VII hero Calandagan are ineligible owing to being geldings and are sorely missed.
Opera Singer has Sea The Fire's measure in the Nassau
French Derby hero Look De Vega (120p) heads the market - and by some way - ahead of this week's Goodwood winner and Sosie (118), winner of the Grand Prix de Paris having finished third behind the market leader at Chantilly.
Delius was given too much to do when third behind Sosie last month, losing his unbeaten record in the process. There’s more to come from him but needs to be.
Mqse De Sevigne is three from three this year including Group One victories in the Prix d’Ispahan and Prix Rothschild. The Arc is her target but will she stay?
City Of Troy doesn’t look to be holding a ticket for the Eurostar, White Birch remains sidelined and you’re getting among big-priced horses now.
Bluestocking is putting together a fine season but while she ran well to be second in the King George, she never looked like winning.
There’s no depth here and maybe it’s surprising to see Nassau third Sparkling Plenty trading at 20/1 having been set an impossible task given the steady early gallop before rattling home to be beaten about a length. Then again she will always be a hostage to fortune and circumstance with her running style.
All of that is a long-winded way of saying yes, Opera Singer is an Arc contender.
Which two-year-old impressed most?
If I'm honest the big races were all a little underwhelming. You sense as admirable as he is, Vintage Stakes winner Aomori City is some way down the Godolphin pecking order and Black Forza picked up the pieces after the leaders went too quick in the Richmond.
The Strikin Viking, second there, would be a big player in the Gimcrack having done by far the best of those who raced close up on Thursday, while the York race was mooted as a potential target for surprise Molecomb winner Big Mojo. He might well get six furlongs but looked quick hurtling down the five on the Downs and connections might sit on their hands and wait for the Flying Childers.
No, the one I’d like to take back home with me please is Dreamy who made a winning debut in the fillies' maiden on Thursday. Being by American Pharoah out of a Yorkshire Oaks winner I don’t think they're going to hand her over without a fight but the way she came home to beat the freewheeling leader Bouvier was very taking.
Timeform reached for the upper-case 'P' and you’d imagine a trip back over to these shores for a prestigious autumn pot at Newmarket is very much on the cards for yet another exciting prospect for team Ballydoyle.
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