Goodwood Tuesday report, reaction and free video replays

Gosdens make flying start

John & Thady Gosden made a flying start to the 2025 Qatar Goodwood Festival presented by Visit Qatar as progressive four-year-old Westridge (6/1) posted a decisive victory in the Coral Chesterfield Cup.

Westridge was well backed through the day and the son of Blue Point justified that market confidence by gliding through the 10-furlong handicap under a confident Billy Loughnane, who was having his first ride for the stable.

When Loughnane pushed the button, Westridge shot clear to win by just over three lengths, atoning for a short-priced reversal at Windsor last time out. Baaeed’s half-brother Naqeeb (28/1) was second, with Defiance (9/1) and Bolster (18/1), who was promoted to fourth by the stewards, filling the minor places.

John Gosden said: “Westridge enjoyed the space around him today and Billy gave him a lovely ride. It is not easy in a big handicap field, but he broke well and made good use of him.

“Westridge is owned by Glen Manchester, my wife and Nicholas Wrigley, so it is a proper partnership. We did have him in the July Sales but wisely chose to take him out three days before the sale. The handicapper will have him now but to win the Chesterfield Cup is a dream come true because Glen is very much Goodwood orientated.

‘‘He worse a sheepskin noseband because he is not very good at concentrating. Otherwise, he would have been looking for low-flying seagulls! He will have to go to York next, but I don’t know what we will run him in.’’

Loughnane said: “It is a privilege to be riding for such good connections and all thanks to my agent Mr Tony Hind for getting me the ride.

“I spoke to Rab Havlin before the race and he said Westridge has his own way of doing things, but it felt like he tried real hard today. I think he's just a little bit timid and enjoys his own space.

“Speaking to Mr Gosden beforehand, he was keen for me to try and get a little bit of room up the straight. Thankfully, the race went smoothly and Westridge accelerated nicely. When I got him out into a bit of daylight, he really picked up and extended well to the line.

"It rode like lovely ground, good genuine ground; they're making a little bit of a print into it, but it was enjoyable ground and they have done a great job.”

Bolt from the blue for Carr

The Ruth Carr-trained Brazen Bolt (28/1) was a brave winner of the Coral Golden Rewards Shaker Handicap under promising 5lb claimer Warren Fentiman.

A winner at York on his previous start, Brazen Bolt raced on the speed and found plenty to hold on as the action unfolded towards the stands’ side, with the first four home all drawn in double-figure stalls.

Royal Ascot winner Adrestia (9/2) came home strongly under Oisin Murphy but just failed to collar the winner. Redorange (5/1) was third and Nogo’s Dream (40/1) fourth.

Fentiman, who has had several notable successes this season, said: “I looked at the big screen when I went past the line and saw the cameras on me, so I thought I must have had it. As we were coming up towards the line, I got a little bit worried.

“Brazen Bolt won last time out with me at York by making the running, so I just wanted to do exactly what I did then. He travelled lovely without doing too much and I tried to keep him on the bridle as long as possible, just to keep as much energy. Then he has just battled, went up loads of gears and somehow, he's managed to find another gear in the last 50 yards, which got us the win. In these massive five-furlong sprints, you're on the gas pedal most of the way and to get that one breather into them, it can get them to put their head in front at the critical moment.

"This season has been brilliant. The Epsom 3YO Dash and now here, I have had a few nice class twos, and it is going brilliant. I want to ride as many winners as I can before the season ends. Everyone is speaking about the Champion Apprentice. I would love to go for it, but I don't want to get myself in that situation where I'm trying too hard to get it and, if I don't get it, I'll get a bit heartbroken. It is my dream to be Champion Apprentice and become a professional jockey, but I am trying not to get my hopes up and fall for a heartbreak if I don't get it.”

Peter Furr, Doncaster-based owner-breeder of Brazen Bolt, said: ‘‘He has been an unbelievable horse. We have bred a few horses, but nothing like him. He went to Bahrain and won last year but, when he came back, he was not very well. He had ulcers, a bad tummy, stress, everything. Me and my daughter got him back and had him on nebulisers. We took him to Ruth this season and she has been fantastic.

‘‘We didn’t expect to win at York last time and we came here today thinking it would be really firm ground and, when it wasn’t, we didn’t expect this again. It doesn’t happen to people like us.’’

Simon Crisford, co-trainer of Adrestia, said: “We are delighted with that. She has run a super race and it would have to be another career best. We had to choose between coming here or running in the three-year-olds only sprint, and I think we made the right choice. She’s going the right way still and is developing into quite a classy sprinter.”

Redorange’s trainer Clive Cox said: “He has run a super race. He was drawn next to the one that reared up and was withdrawn at the start [Democracy Dilemma] and he just half missed the break, but I think that was our only shortcoming, as he’s turned up in really good form and run right the way through the line. He finished really well, and the winner looked impressive beforehand, so I think it was a good horse race. He’s undoubtedly still improving, and it’s very pleasing for a three-year-old to run so well against his elders.”

Protest marches to victory

Protest (11/2) benefitted from a drop back to a mile as she captured the Ridgeview Fillies’ Handicap for Roger Varian and Silvestre de Sousa.

Having raced keenly when fourth over 10 furlongs at Newbury, the Cheveley Park Stud homebred proved more amenable here and was able to angle across to the stands’ rail in the straight.

With the rail to run against, the three-year-old daughter of Ulysses stayed on nicely to score by a length from recent Windsor winner Atlantis Blue (12/1). Blessed Star (11/1) shaped well for last year’s winning stable of Charlie Johnston, a half-length further back in third.

Varian said: “Protest has been in great form. The form of her Listed race fourth at Newbury in May was very strong and we thought we may have been fortunate that she stayed on her handicap mark [92].

“We hope she can go back into Listed company. It is lovely to win a race at Glorious Goodwood for great supporters Cheveley Park Stud with a homebred filly. She has a great pedigree. Hopefully, she can go on and get some black type.

“She maybe didn’t get home at Newbury over 10 furlongs, but she looked good at a mile today, so we will stay at that and see what is around the corner.’’

De Sousa said: “Protest broke sharp and it felt like nobody wanted to go to the front. I was going so well and I didn't want to do too much, I just wanted to get a bit of cover. I managed to do that and, as soon as I got cover, she relaxed for me and I felt I always had plenty of horse.

“I didn't think they'd come over to the middle and stands' side and I got carried that way. She is a really good, willing horse and put the race to bed nicely. I think she will come on a bit for the run. In the work she shows at home, she could be a black type filly and I have no doubt about that.”

Chris Richardson of Cheveley Park Stud said: “Hopefully, Mrs T[hompson] will have been impressed with what she's seen today and why not [stay in training]? Protest is a nice filly and her form has been well franked since Newbury. She is classy. I think the family tend to improve and she is full of potential – let’s hope she can continue an upward curve.

“I am delighted for Ulysses, our young stallion. He is flying and hopefully this project will continue to fly his flag. It is tough times at the moment for those sorts of stallions but, if people rally round and support these sorts of horses, we will keep standing them and hopefully we'll keep having days like today.”

George Baker said of Atlantis Blue: “She is a cool filly who won last week at Lingfield. We talked about coming here, which was a bit of a step up in class, and Jim (Crowley) and I both agreed that with a mare in form you should get on and run them. We swung the bat, and she’ll go up a bit in the handicap for that, but I’ve always thought she was a bit better than her mark and if we stick to fillies’ handicaps, we’ll have a bit of fun with her.”

Blessed Star’s trainer Charlie Johnston said: “She has only had five runs in her life. She was hitting the crossbar a lot as a two-year-old, and then we were just struggling with her a bit in the spring, so she only had her comeback run a couple of weeks ago. I wanted to run her tomorrow in the mile-and-a-quarter fillies' handicap, but she’d have been 3lb out of the handicap, so we came here instead. She’s run really well but she will improve again when she goes up in trip.”

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