STRADIVARIUS pulled off a dramatic piece of racing history with a memorable performance to win his fourth successive Group 1 Al Shaqab Goodwood Cup and is now set to be trained for the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe.

Sent off the 4/7 favourite, John Gosden’s brilliant stayer faced a major challenge on paper from the Royal Ascot and Irish Derby winner Santiago, a three-year-old in receipt of 15lb.

Frankie Dettori and the three-time Gold Cup winner had plenty on their plate in the two-mile showpiece, forced into fifth on the inside of the field as several rivals came from off the pace which was set by Nayef Road and Santiago.

They managed to extricate themselves just in time, however, and Stradivarius produced a trademark change of gear to move past both big rivals in some style.

Nayef Road again had to settle for the runner-up spot, as at Ascot earlier this month, but this time was seen off by just a length, with another length and a quarter back to Santiago.

After the race, John Gosden said: "Stradivarius is not big in stature and actually today he is carrying 10st 1lb because he has 3lbs for the jockey's equipment and 3lbs for the weight allowance due to Covid-19 and the way the season is.

"So, to carry 141lbs round two miles on dead ground - it's beautiful ground, but slow ground - is some achievement. He had to work for it today.

"He has been in tremendous form since Royal Ascot. But I knew that, you know, you keep piling those big races on. He ran in the Coronation Cup and he ran brilliantly and obviously the Gold Cup before this, so he is going to have a freshen up now.

"The owner [Bjorn Nielsen] wants to go a different route with him. Obviously, the Weatherbys Hamilton was a fantastic £1 million bonus which they have put on for two years running so he would have gone for the Lonsdale Cup at York, but that bonus doesn't exist anymore.

"So instead, he would like to freshen him up, give him a nice holiday and go for the Prix Foy at Longchamp in September. If he runs a nice race there and handles the track and everything, then he will run in the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe.

"I think he showed enormous speed when third in the Coronation Cup. Ghaiyyath broke the track record and he was there third probably equalling the track record. Obviously, his work might be a little sharper but not dramatically.

"This horse has got a turn of foot and I will play to those strengths. I don't go and work him over great long distances, he only runs over them. He wouldn't work much beyond seven furlongs and sometimes over a mile and 110 yards on the round gallop.

"Let us hope Enable and Stradivarius are in top order [for the Arc]. Frankie will have to decide what he is riding, I probably know the answer, but that will be his decision. You will have some lovely three-year-old fillies like Love the Oaks winner in the race probably as well. There could be Sottsass and other French runners along with horses from the Juddmonte International."

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