Goodwood Saturday review: Jim Crowley shines on Majestic Dawn
By Simon Milham
17:20 · SAT May 21, 2022
A review of the action from Saturday's meeting at Goodwood where Third Realm bounced back to form on his reappearance.
Stunning return from Third Realm
Third Realm bounced back to form in no uncertain terms, cruising to a six-length success in the William Hill Tapster Stakes at Goodwood.
The Roger Varian-trained Sea The Stars colt had not won in five starts since beating subsequent Derby winner Adayar in the Lingfield Derby Trial last year.
However, he showed plenty of spark in his first run as a four-year-old when third to Al Aasy at Ascot earlier this month and with the ground on the soft side of good, he made light work of his four opponents – including last year’s Irish Derby runner-up Lone Eagle, sent off the 8-11 favourite, having his first run since last July.
Andrea Atzeni took advantage of a modest early pace in the mile-and-a-half Listed contest and quickly drew clear on the 3/1 shot with two furlongs to race, with Something Enticing (12/1) giving vain chase.
Access to exclusive features all for FREE - No monthly subscription fee
Log in with your existing Sporting Life, Sky Bet, or Sky Games account. If you don't have any of those, it's completely FREE to register!
Atzeni said: “His first run back was a nice one at Ascot. The ground probably dried up for him and the horse got a little bit tired. We were looking for a bit more juice in the ground, which we got today. We were confident, but we wouldn’t know with Lone Eagle turning up. He obviously had not run since July last year.
“He hasn’t won since beating Adayar in the Lingfield Derby Trial. We ran him in the Derby on fast ground and I think he is the sort of horse who wants a mile and a half on slow ground. It was nearly good to soft today and he would handle bottomless ground – as long as it is not fast ground.
“He quickened up today and put the race to bed quite nicely. Taking the favourite out of the race, this was a very winnable race. It was solid, but I thought on his own form he would win. Speaking with Roger (Varian), he said he had definitely improved since Ascot and so we were very hopeful.
“I would think the Hardwicke would be next, but it obviously depends on the ground and we will have to speak to (owner) Sheikh Mohammed Obaid Al Maktoum. The Hardwicke would be the obvious race.”
Crowley shines on Majestic Dawn
Majestic Dawn turned the Listed William Hill Festival Stakes into a rout under a positive ride from Jim Crowley at Goodwood.
The Paul and Oliver Cole-trained son of Dawn Approach had finished 17 lengths behind Solid Stone when last of four in the Group Two Huxley Stakes at Chester over a similar 10-furlong trip.
Yet the drop down in class was clearly what was needed, as the six-year-old, sent off the 3/1 favourite, scorched to a three-and-three-quarter-length success.
Access to exclusive features all for FREE - No monthly subscription fee
Log in with your existing Sporting Life, Sky Bet, or Sky Games account. If you don't have any of those, it's completely FREE to register!
Oliver Cole said: “He gave him a great ride and that was the plan, to get him out in front. It is good ground and I suppose his ideal trip is one mile and one furlong and we could not be any happier. He is a very gutsy horse. He is in the mile at Royal Ascot (Royal Hunt Cup), but we will probably have to sidestep that, because he will have too much weight, and try to find a Group Three somewhere. If he’d have run in the Cambridgeshire last year, he probably would have won.”
Co-Owner Lee Green was quick to pay tribute to the Cole team, adding: “He has had loads of problems with his knees and they have worked so hard to get those knees right all through the winter – otherwise we would not have been here.”
Royal Ascot possible for Gosden juvenile
The possibility of the Albany Stakes at Royal Ascot was mooted after Fully Wet landed the British European Breeders’ Fund EBF Maiden Fillies’ Stakes at the first time of asking for John and Thady Gosden.
Though she fetched 120,000 guineas as a yearling, the light-framed daughter of Kodiac belied her 8-1 odds in the six-furlong contest to cruise past Baccarat Bay and score by a length and a quarter under Robert Havlin.
Thady Gosden said: “We will keep her at six (furlongs) for the time being but in time she will get seven or a mile, and the Albany is a possibility. They had a lot of rain here yesterday. It is riding a bit dead and she would appreciate a sounder surface.”
Access to exclusive features all for FREE - No monthly subscription fee
Log in with your existing Sporting Life, Sky Bet, or Sky Games account. If you don't have any of those, it's completely FREE to register!
Galiac swoops for Harroways win
William Muir is also looking ahead to the Royal meeting with Galiac, who took the William Hill Harroways Handicap Stakes.
The 16/1 shot drew a length and three-quarters clear of Find in the seven-furlong event and Muir feels the Britannia Handicap will be on the agenda, should he be able to sneak in at the foot of the weights.
Muir said: “This was a real top-class horse last year. But when he came up here today, he was lashing and kicking. I put him in the stable and he nearly kicked the back of the stable out. He has been working like a train and we are hoping to get him in the Britannia.
“He is a very good horse, but he is just a thug. I’m delighted with him.”
We are committed to Safer Gambling and have a number of self-help tools to help you manage your gambling. We also work with a number of independent charitable organisations who can offer help and answers any questions you may have.
