The Gurkha won the Qatar Sussex Stakes (Gr1), the feature race of the second day of the Qatar Goodwood Festival yesterday. Galileo Gold, who came second, had taken home the St James’s Palace Stakes, in which The Gurkha had finished second.
As in Royal Ascot, Galileo Gold took the lead of the race, followed by The Gurkha, never far behind. In the last 200 metres, Galileo Gold could not resist The Gurkha’s attack, but resisted against Ribchester’s, another three-year-old, who finished very well.
“He’s a very good colt, we think a lot of him and he showed in Deauville that he’s very good,” said The Gurkha’s jockey Ryan Moore.
“Things haven’t been right for him since, (but) I think that was a very good race with some good horses and he deserved his day today. I was always very happy because he travels so well and I knew as soon as one horse in front folded an inch he’d be able to find room and make room.
“He has so much pace just to go where you want him when you need him. I was delighted with him today. This is a fast mile and I think when he gets on quicker ground he’ll be better again. He’s finished second in an Eclipse and he’s a two-time Group One winner at a mile now.”
Speaking about future targets, trainer Aidan O’Brien said: “He has a lot of options. He has the mile races in France [Prix Jacques le Marois and Qatar Prix du Moulin de Longchamp], he has the Champion Stakes and he has York [Juddmonte International].”
Galileo Gold’s trainer, Hugo Palmer, said: “There’s nothing between Galileo Gold and The Gurkha. We debated whether to run a pacemaker. It’s hard when you’re sitting in front for so long, but no-one else wanted to go on. Ryan Moore was in our slipstream and when he came by, there was not much we could do. I thought Ryan would win by further, but the fact he didn’t show the talent and guts Galileo Gold has got. I never shy away from a fight and the question is where it will be next. The Jacques Le Marois is quite soon, then there is the Moulin, Queen Elizabeth II Stakes and Breeders’ Cup Mile.”
Only 12th in the Epsom Derby, Ulysses redeemed himself by winning the Gordon Stakes (Gr3), the first Group race of the second day of the Qatar Goodwood Festival yesterday. This Sir Michael Stoute-trained colt took the advantage 200 metres from the post, but he had to fight for a while against The Major General. The third place was closely-contested and it was finally taken by Shogun, who edged out Qatari Hunter, owned by Mubarak al-Naemi.
Ulysses gave Stoute his ninth Gordon Stakes win.
Jockey Andrea Atzeni said: “He put the race to bed really quickly. He was a little bit keen, but he’s a horse that’s probably still learning. He hasn’t got a lot of experience, but he’s obviously got a lot of ability. He was probably idling in front a bit at the end, but he was entitled to as he was in front a long way out. I don’t think he enjoyed the good to soft ground at Epsom. He’s a very good-moving horse. They always thought a lot of him before the Derby, so it’s good to get him back on track.”
Two-year-old Yalta imposed himself very fast in the Victoria Racing Club Molecomb Stakes (Gr3). He won from pillar to post and broke the track record for a 2yo, running 1,000m in 57”14.
He left The Last Lion three lengths behind whereas Global Applause, ridden by Frankie Dettori, came third at three quarters of a length.
Yalta was defeated in two Groups — the Arqana July Stakes and the Coventry Stakes — coming into yesterday’s race.
Trainer Mark Johnston said, “We were a bit devastated when he got beaten the last couple of times as we thought so much of him early on. At the beginning of the year, he was one of the ones — along with Sutter County and The Last Lion — that we said was among our leading colts.
“James McDonald said last time at Newmarket about bringing him back to five furlongs and I couldn’t believe it looking at his size and scope. I didn’t think he would be a sprinter. I couldn’t really believe it until about halfway through the race today when he was leading them a merry dance and I was pretty sure he would come home strongly, which he did. He had shown tremendous speed in his races, but I was amazed. I know what The Last Lion is like and to be leading him by three or four lengths when he had not even asked him I knew the writing was on the wall at halfway.”

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