Qatar Nassau Stakes (Group 1)
THE story of racing at Goodwood on Thursday was one of thunder and lightning, making it unsafe to start a couple of races from stalls and leading to a slightly unsatisfactory spectacle in the big race of the day, but in typical British fashion, everyone muddled through, and although the going went from good all over to heavy over the afternoon, it was only the turf, and not the spirits, that was dampened.
The Group 1 Nassau Stakes was the highlight of the day three card at the Qatar Goodwood Festival, but lightning in the area meant that the race had to be started by flag, resulting in a rather ragged start, albeit one which all the riders seemed happy enough to play out.
Whirl (Aidan O’Brien/Ryan Moore) had made most on the Oaks before winning the Pretty Polly Stakes at the Curragh from the front, and she was quickly in pole position as others dithered, with the 6/5 favourite never looking like conceding that track advantage.
Moore steered her towards the stands’ rail in the straight and she picked up again when asked to put her seal on the race, pulling five lengths clear of Coronation Stakes heroine Cercene (Joseph Murphy/Gary Carroll) as her stamina kicked in.
Sea The Fire (Andrew Balding/Oisin Murphy), who had to be led in at the start and was left poorly placed as a result, finished third, a length and a quarter behind the runner-up.
Moore told ITV Racing: “She keeps doing what she says she’s going to do, she’s very uncomplicated.
Racing machine
“She handles any ground, she’s tall and a racing machine according to Aidan. He keeps getting them to do great things. She’s kept on progressing and it’s just a shame that it wasn’t the spectacle it could have been. She would have to step up again against the boys, but she is progressive.”
O’Brien said: “Well done to everybody for getting the race on and keeping it going. Whirl is an amazing filly. I am delighted for the lads. She is a home-bred by Wootton Bassett, she gets a mile and a half, handles all types of ground, and Ryan gave her a lovely ride.
“He was going to go forward on her and no one else in their right mind was going to want to make the running on that ground in these conditions, so I would say everyone was waiting on Ryan to go.
“She is just a very, very good filly. Depending on what the lads want to do, she has all the options. She could go to York, or she could miss York and go to France for the Arc trials and the Arc. She is unusual as she has so many options and is so straightforward.”
THE Coventry Stakes win of Gstaad got a belated boost when Ascot third Coppull (Clive Cox/David Probert) went one better in the Group 2 Richmond Stakes, his rider quick to take him to the stands’ rail from his high draw and he showed his rivals a clean pair of heels from the outset, with Puerto Rico (Aidan O’Brien/Ryan Moore) and Havana Hurricane (Eve Johnson Houghton/Charlie Bishop) faring best of the chasing pack, but still two lengths and a neck adrift at the line.
Coppull was clipped for the Al Basti Equiworld Dubai Gimcrack Stakes at York later in the month, although it’s worth noting that Clive Cox’s previous winners of this race, Supremacy and Golden Horde, missed York in favour of a crack at the Middle Park Stakes at Newmarket in the autumn, the former winning that contest in 2020.
“I was worried about soft ground,” confessed Cox. “Because Coppull has such a beautiful action on a nice surface. He is very quick and did that really well. For Sophie and David Armstrong, breeding these horses as well as winning these sorts of races, a lot of years’ work gone into it. It gives me a great thrill to help them do it.
“I am still not sure Coppull will go on really soft ground. If we had been in the next race, it would have been harder work, but he is still very good and showcased that today. I think he is very gifted, similarly to that pair. He is a proper six-furlong horse, so usual plans from here and the Middle Park will be the end goal.”
THE Group 3 Gordon Stakes produced the most thrilling finish of the day, despite just seven going to post in deteriorating conditions.
After another flag start, it was outsider Too Soon who led after a furlong until the straight, but Wimbledon Hawkeye (James Owen/Sean Dylan Bowen) looked the likely winner when taking over two furlongs from home, only to be run down in the final stride by favourite Merchant (William Haggas/Tom Marquand); the latter won by the smallest margin, and the pair pulled seven lengths clear of third-placed Windlord (Andrew Balding/Oisin Murphy).
Interviewed on ITV Racing, Marquand said: “You needed a brave horse there.
“Wimbledon Hawkeye got a good run down the hill and kept building momentum. He put them to the sword. Mine hated the ground, but kept gritting his teeth and got there just on the line.
Get going
“I don’t think he knew how to get going on the ground and I was asking him to do something that he hasn’t done before. I think he’s a St Leger horse, but the chances of getting a quick ground St Leger would be slim enough.”
“I wasn’t sure if Merchant had won,” said William Haggas. “Roger Varian walked down the stands with me and said he had. It was tough and the horse had to show lots of guts.
Fantastic race
“James has got Wimbledon Hawkeye back to his best and that horse ran a fantastic race on this ground.
“Probably, James will say he was an unfortunate loser, but something had to lose and something had to win, and we were lucky this time.
“I don’t know yet about the St Leger. We will obviously talk to Harry [Herbert] about it. My gut feeling is no because I don’t think it did Desert Hero much good long-term. We had planned to go to the Voltigeur with Merchant, but he has had a race today and will need at least 10 days going very quietly before we decide what to do.”
ONCE again, all the races on the Goodwood card went to different trainers, including one for France in the shape of Kincsem Handicap winner Best Secret, saddled by Stéphane Wattel. No jockey rode more than one winner on the day, highlighting the competitive nature of the racing programme at Goodwood.