Goodwood record smashed
Tax Free smashed Goodwood’s six-furlong track record by almost half a second in an epic Sporting Index Starlit Stakes.
The Listed contest only comprised five runners, yet it produced a thrilling finish with Ashdown Express (11-4) – who dead-heated with Moss Vale in this race last year – giving second best by a neck, with Beckermet a further next back in third.
David Nicholls’ Yorkshire raider, sent off the 5-4 favourite, looked cooked approaching the furlong pole as Desert Lord cut out the running with Ashdown Express tanking in behind, but Adrian Nicholls conjured a late run up the stand side from Tax Free and the four-year-old hit the front in the last strides.
The winning time of 1.09.18 was 0.40 seconds quicker than the previous track record.
“He wasn’t doing a tap in the last half a furlong,” the jockey admitted to his father afterwards.
Nicholls senior, still rueing his faux pas when forgetting to enter his classy sprinters in the Ayr Gold Cup, thinks the best may not be seen of Tax Free until next year.
He admitted: “I think that might be it for the year with him. He might have one run again, but I’m not sure. It’s nice to see him back, because I don’t think he’s been the same since he pulled his plate off at Ascot.”
There was another course record set in the Listed Sporting Index Stardom Stakes as the Sylvester Kirk-trained Caldra supplemented his Solario Stakes second with a comfortable victory in the seven-furlong event.
The son of Elnadim had previously disappointed the Upper Lambourn handler, but he powered home to defeat Big Robert for a new juvenile track-record time.
Now Kirk is in a quandary.
“Because we’ve cut him, I’m not sure where we can go with him next,” he admitted.
“He’s been a different horse since – it’s obviously been enough to concentrate his mind!
“We could go to for the Horris Hill and there is also the Autumn Stakes race at Ascot which is an option, but in some ways I regret gelding him. Having said that, he may not have won this Listed race had we have not done so.”
Richard Hannon looks to have another smart youngster on his hands in the shape of Minos, who justified 11-10 favouritism in the one-mile European Breeders’ Fund Community Day Maiden Stakes with the minimum of fuss.
His length and a quarter victory over Ajhar was easier than it looked and after the Grand Lodge colt had broken his duck at the third attempt, Hannon admitted: “We’ll go to the Goffs Million with him and take our chance.
“He’s got plenty of speed, but he’s a lazy so and so. And I’ll tell you something, he won’t be far away, either. He’s my big hope, anyway. He wouldn’t mind a bit more ease in the ground, either.”
Illustrious Blue received a quote of 20-1 with VC Bet for Newmarket’s Cambridgeshire in three weeks’ time after a highly impressive display in the nine-furlong Mirror Image Stakes.
The three-year-old will carry 8st 5lb in the first leg of the ‘Autumn double’ after victory at the Sussex track for the fourth time in six visits.
After Illustrious Blue (11-4 joint-favourite) had run on well to beat Tucker by a neck, winning first-season trainer William Knight admitted: “He’ll go for the Cambridgeshire – it has always been the plan. I was worried that he might not get in, but with his 4lb penalty he should get in without any trouble.”
Cliché it may be, but backing the outsider of three is a tried and trusted method for finding winners – and Twill (4-1), ridden by Ted Durcan, saw off Theatre by a length and a half in the two-mile Sporting Index Handicap Stakes, with odds-on favourite Sir Monty training in third.
The winner clearly has talent, yet he threw away a race at Sandown in July and trainer Hughie Morrison admitted: “He’s very frustrating, but he is a good horse with lots of ability. He’s a Triumph Hurdle horse – a big, strong sort who stays.
“He’s in the horses in training sale and I think some of the jumping boys will be interested.”
Travis Block led his 11 rivals a merry dance to land the seven-furlong TrufTrax.com Handicap Stakes aboard King’s Caprice (33-1).
The Jonathan Geake inmate made most of the running to beat Bayeux and Prince Of Thebes by a neck and three-quarters of a length respectively.
Geake was absent but the Andover trainer’s representative Toby Balding said: “This race was absolutely right for him. He enjoys himself when he is allowed bowl along in front, but he burns himself out when he’s taken on.”
Peter Winkworth’s Safari Mischief (7-2 joint-favourite) was on the mark in the concluding Goodwood Racehorse Owners Group Handicap Stakes under Jim Crowley.
Having been twice second recently, the three-year-old came good, getting up to beat Devine Dancer by a head.
Winkworth said: “He’s only a modest handicapper, but he’s been used to going up hill at places like Bath. We’ve now found that he likes going over five (furlongs) downhill, so we’ll probably look for something at Brighton or Epsom.”
