 |
|
| Sumita Pawar |
 |
John and Thady Gosden are getting ready for the Qatar Goodwood Festival and have assembled a formidable team. Their stable stars, Courage Mon Ami, Inspiral, and Nashwa, are all potential contenders for the exciting five-day event.
Courage Mon Ami, the winner of the Gold Cup, and Gregory, who emerged victorious in the Queen's Vase, may both risk their unbeaten streaks in the prestigious £500,000 Gr.1 Al Shaqab Goodwood Cup on Tuesday, August 1.
From Royal Ascot To Goodwood: Gregory's journey
In an attempt to follow in the footsteps of the stable's previous standout stayer Stradivarius, who triumphed in the Royal Ascot competition before clinching glory in the Al Shaqab Goodwood Cup as a 3YO in 2017, Gregory will be aiming for a similar feat.
John Gosden said, “At present, both horses will be left in the race and then we will make a decision nearer the time whether one of them runs or they both run.
“Gregory is by Golden Horn, who we know well. His dam Gretchen was very tall and he has been quite overgrown like his mother. She won the Park Hill for us and her owner-breeder Philippa Cooper. It is very much Philippa’s family and Golden Horn has complemented it in many ways.
“Gregory saw the mile and six furlongs out the other day and I think he will see the two miles out, too. I think he is very much a progressive sort. He is a three-year-old getting the weight in the race, which is a very big edge. We have done it before with Stradivarius.
“We have been very happy with him since Ascot and he has learnt a lot since then. He would be short on experience, but he is a talented colt with a great mind, very much like his mother and father. He has a very relaxed attitude to life.
“I always have plenty of respect for the opposition, as you learn down the years to have that respect. I think the horse who finished second in the Gold Cup, Coltrane, will be there. He sets a high standard himself.
“Goodwood has its own demands, you swing left right, up, down. It demands a lot of agility from a horse. Interestingly enough, both horses have won there, though I have to say they looked a bit up in the air galloping at some stages, but they would have learnt a lot from those experiences previously at Goodwood.”
Before Royal Ascot, both Courage Mon Ami and Gregory were acquired by the Emir of Qatar's Wathnan Racing. Gosden was eager to emphasize the importance to the owners of having prominent contenders at the Qatar Goodwood Festival.
Gosden said,“It is extremely important, as the owners put a great deal into the meeting. To me it has lifted the whole event, particularly with the sponsorship and presence there. To that extent I think it’s key and let’s hope we can at least be running well for them.
“Goodwood is a great meeting. Let’s face it, you have Royal Ascot, then the July Meeting, and then Goodwood followed by York. They are the huge summer meetings. They are very important to the whole fabric of British racing and, in a sense, the British sporting summer, which turned a little soggy in Lancashire with the cricket and the golf in pouring rain. We can’t put a roof on it like centre court at Wimbledon – we’ve just got to get on with it.”
On Wednesday, August 2, Star fillies Inspiral and Nashwa will compete in prestigious races. Inspiral will face Paddington in the £1m Gr.1 Qatar Sussex Stakes, while Nashwa aims to defend her title in the £650,000 Gr.1 Qatar Nassau Stakes on Thursday, August 3.
Inspiral, a three-time Gr.1 winner, participated in the G1 Queen Anne Stakes at Royal Ascot earlier this year, narrowly missing out on victory. Meanwhile, Nashwa showcased her brilliance by winning the Gr.1 Falmouth Stakes at Newmarket in a dazzling performance earlier this month.
Thady Gosden said, “Inspiral ran a great race on her return in the Queen Anne, when she was just beaten by a very good horse of Kevin Ryan’s in Triple Time. She has come on for that and been in great form since. Last year she went to the Falmouth, which didn’t quite go as planned. A lot of horses when they run at Ascot have a tough race and it can often take them a while to come back and, although they appear in good form, you sometimes have to take into account the bounce factor.
“Paddington is a horse who has made rapid progression. He is a horse with plenty of speed and plenty of ability. He won the St James’s Palace and then went on to the Eclipse. That is quite an unusual route but it demonstrates how brilliant he is. It will be tough taking him on but a championship race like the Sussex Stakes is never going to be an easy race.
Thady Gosden added, “Nashwa has taken a bit of time to come to herself this year as can often happen with fillies who are going from three to four. You could tell in the couple of weeks after the Hoppings Stakes that she really had taken a step forward. She looked very well in herself before the Falmouth, relaxed during the race and quickened up past some smart fillies.
“She is going to a track that she knows, having won the Nassau last year. She seems in good order and stepping back up to a mile and a quarter shouldn’t be an issue. It is a fast mile and a quarter, which should hopefully play to her strengths.
“Blue Rose Cen is a brilliant filly and this year she has shown what she can do, having won both fillies’ French classics. It will be a different test for her coming over here and taking on some different fillies, but she is certainly a brilliant filly. We have to give her eight pounds in the race, so we’ll have to see how things go."