The Aidan O'Brien-trained juvenile Highland Reel had a striking victory in the Veuve Clicquot Vintage Stakes at Goodwood yesterday.
Sent off the odds-on 10 to 11 favourite after winning by 12 lengths at Gowran on his latest outing over a mile, he was dropping a furlong in trip but showed lively speed to take two and a quarter lengths out of runner-up Tupi.
It was actually jockey Joseph O’Brien’s first Glorious Goodwood winner, and his father said: “This race just fell really nicely. The spacing of the race worked out just lovely.
“He has a lot of speed and a lot of natural energy. He’s by Galileo and they can be classy and sharp. He has lots of options, the Futurity Stakes or the National would be two of them.”
Both William Hill and Betvictor make Highland Reel their 12 to 1 favourite for next year’s Investec Derby.
Classic success
Snow Sky gave trainer Sir
Michael Stoute
his eighth Neptune Investment Management
Gordon Stakes
as the first of the significant Ladbrokes St Leger trials took place at Goodwood.
Only one of those, Conduit in 2008, went on to success in the Doncaster Classic and Khalid Abdullah’s colt was trimmed to 12 to 1 from 16s by the sponsors after holding on by a neck and a head from the closing Windshear and the determined front-runner Somewhat.
Snow Sky (9 to 2), who won the Lingfield Derby trial but missed Epsom due to a knock, struggled to run straight and true for James Doyle but did enough to hold on.
Doyle and Abdullah were to enjoy an even bigger victory later in the afternoon through Kingman in the Qipco Sussex Stakes. Teddy Grimthorpe, the owner’s racing manager, said: “I think he possibly saw that kink in the rail by the winning post, but he changed his legs and stayed on.
“The great man [trainer Sir Michael Stoute] isn’t here today, so I’ll have to talk to him, but I’d have thought the Voltigeur at York would be an option and we’ll take it from there.”
Asked about the St Leger, Grimthorpe replied: “He’s got stamina in his pedigree and he stays a mile-and-a-half. There’s always an element of chance when they have to go further than that.”
Royal Razalma (10 to 1) had some experience on the board already but she took a big leap forward when bounding clear in the Markel Insurance Maiden Fillies’ Stakes.
Teak and Silvestre De Sousa caused a 33 to 1 upset in the marathon Goodwood Stakes and trainer Ian Williams plans to have the sound stayer back hurdling in the autumn.
Magique signed off on a fine note by causing another surprise, this time at 25 to 1, in the EBF Stallions Breeding Winners Fillies' Handicap while the concluding Turf Club Handicap went the way of 6 to 1 shot Related, trained by David Simcock and ridden by Richard Kingscote.
Meanwhile, Richard Hannon’s Ivawood, among the favourite’s for next year’s 2000 Guineas, takes his chance in today’s Qatar Bloodstock Richmond Stakes at Glorious Goodwood.
The scopey two-year-old has left a big impression following his two races to date and comparisons are being made between him and impressive stable companion and multiple Group One winner Toronado.
The son of Zebedee, bought for 220,000 guineas, won the July Stakes going away three weeks ago and will be hard to stop. He was trading at a slim 4 to 9 with Paddy Power yesterday and headed the betting. Mark Johnston’s Jungle Cat takes him on again and is 3lb better off in a race Hannon’s father won four years in a row between 2008 and 2011.
Cavalryman can land the Artemis Goodwood Cup for Godolphin. Now an evergreen eight-year-old, he showed the fire still burns brightly by winning the Princess of Wales’s Stakes. He was a best-priced 5 to 1 yesterday.
