Review of the action from day one of the Qatar Goodwood Festival

Gallant Stradivarius on track for £1m bonus

Stradivarius set up the prospect of a £1million bonus for his connections as he continued his fantastic campaign by successfully defending his crown in the Qatar Goodwood Cup.

John Gosden's star stayer had already won the Yorkshire Cup and the Gold Cup at Royal Ascot this season, leaving him on course to land the bonus if he could add the Goodwood Cup and next month's Lonsdale Cup at York through the inaugural WH Stayers' Million.

With Andrea Atzeni on his back for the first time since last year's Goodwood Cup, replacing the suspended Frankie Dettori, Stradivarius was the 4-5 favourite to continue his winning run and travelled powerfully throughout.

Gold Cup runner-up Torcedor was sent straight to the lead by Colm O'Donoghue and briefly looked to have slipped his rival after pinching a couple of lengths halfway up the home straight.

However, Stradivarius reeled him in late in the day and was ultimately good value for the winning margin of half a length.

Gosden confirmed all roads now lead to York on August 24. He said: "He's got a lot of heart, and he was very determined to go and win his race. He (Atzeni) said the race was comfortably under control in the last furlong. That (Lonsdale Cup) would be the obvious choice, I'm sure they've got it very well insured!

"We'll have to do everything we can to try to win it. We'll see how the horse is, there's three and a bit weeks, which should hopefully be fine, and he was conscious of not giving him a hard race in the last part, he was already thinking ahead. Let's see if we can get there, with horses you've always got to be in top order, that's the key point. He's the most charming horse to be around. He's a lovely ride."

Reflecting on the race, Gosden said: "It was a tremendous horse race. They (Stradivarius and Torcedor) are two really brave horses and it's the Ascot Gold Cup form.

"I thought Colm rode a very clever race from the front. He (Stradivarius) went past Jessica Harrington's horse and then he came back again. He had to work to get there, but he is a great horse. There is nothing but congratulations to the second for putting up a fantastic race He (Stradivarius) is a beautifully balanced horse, he's not a big horse, he's neat. To that extent he's improved a lot from three to four."

Connections of Call To Mind have revealed the Queen's high-class stayer has run his final race after suffering an injury in the Qatar Goodwood Cup.

The William Haggas-trained four-year-old carried the Royal colours to victory in America last month, landing the Belmont Gold Cup in New York.

He stepped up to Group One level in the two-mile feature on day one of the Qatar Goodwood Festival, but was pulled up sharply in the home straight by jockey James Doyle.

The British Horseracing Authority reported Call To Mind had been assessed by vets at the racecourse for a tendon injury in his right fore and was transported home for further assessment.

After winning the concluding fillies' handicap with Move Swiftly, the trainer's wife, Maureen, confirmed it was a career-ending injury.

Haggas said: "He is alive, that's the main thing, but he'll never race again.

"The veterinary staff here were brilliant.

"Hopefully he'll go on to be a stallion or something. Hopefully they'll find a job for him.

"He never came down and it could have been a lot worse. James Doyle pulled him up in plenty of time."

Dancealot edges Lennox thriller

Sir Dancealot got up in the very last stride to win a thrilling renewal of the Qatar Lennox Stakes at Goodwood.

A field of 12 runners went to post for the seven-furlong Group Two, with the David Elsworth-trained Sir Dancealot and Roger Teal's 2000 Guineas runner-up Tip Two Win the 5-1 joint-favourites.

Donjuan Triumphant adopted a pacesetting role for a long way, before last year's winner Breton Rock took over in the final half-furlong.

Suedois briefly poked his head in front as the post loomed, but Sir Dancealot, who had encountered trouble in running, lunged late in the hands of veteran French jockey Gerald Mosse.

A photo-finish was called, but the judge confirmed Sir Dancealot the winner by a short head, with Suedois second and Breton Rock just a head further back in third

Tip Two Win was under pressure a long way from home and eventually trailed home last of all.

Elsworth said: "He got into more trouble than I get into in the pub on a Saturday night when I've had a few! Seriously, he would have been an unlucky loser "His level of form has been very good, which gave him a very good chance today.

"Stall four was a difficult draw for a horse that needs to be taken back a little bit and relaxed. Gerald had a problem in organising him, if you like. Everybody is trying to win. There is a lot of good luck involved and good fortune. We would have been an unlucky loser, but we better be gracious in victory and say it was a scramble."

Asked about future plans, the trainer added: "We had a crack at a Group One the other day. There are lots of races for him. I put him in the Hungerford Stakes, which is another Group Two. Last year he used to hang under pressure. Maybe gelding him helped because of a testicle causing him discomfort. That's why he hung left, I'm sure."

Vision stays unbeaten

Dark Vision maintained his unbeaten record with a thoroughly impressive display in the Qatar Vintage Stakes at Goodwood.

Following previous victories this month at Yarmouth and York, Mark Johnston's youngster was a heavily-backed 100-30 favourite stepped up to Group Two level in the hands of Silvestre de Sousa.

It looked as though the gamble had gone badly awry rounding the home turn, with Dark Vision being niggled along by the champion jockey at the very rear of the field.

However, once switched wide into clear daylight, Johnston's challenger gradually found his stride and finished like a train, getting up to beat Dunkerron by a length and three-quarters. Confiding was another length and a quarter away in third.

Sky Bet make the winner a 16/1 chance for next year's QIPCO 2000 Guineas.

Johnston said: "That was quite incredible. I can hardly believe it myself. I was trying to keep everybody's feet on the ground today. The partnership (Kingsley Park 10) had a winner at Ascot on Saturday with a horse that cost £6,000 (Victory Command) and this one cost two and a half times as much at £15,00

"I never really thought when I set him off at Yarmouth that he'd be coming to a Group Two race and when he missed the break I thought it was all over. I was thinking I'd have to go home and teach this horse to come out of the stalls.

"At that stage, if he'd come fourth I'd have thought I've got a really nice horse my hands. I never thought until a furlong out that we had any chance of winning."

Haggas gets punters off to winning start

Alfarris got favourite-backers off to the perfect start at this year's Qatar Goodwood Festival in the Matchbook Betting Exchange Handicap.

The William Haggas-trained four-year-old was the 13-2 market leader for the 15-runner contest and jockey Jim Crowley was content to bide his time, settling his mount in midfield and wide of his rivals. Alfarris was asked to go about his business racing inside the final two furlongs and quickened up smartly to take over the lead from Plutonian.

The latter did not go down without a fight, but Alfarris passed the post half a length the the good, with Original Choice back in third.

Haggas said: "It was very good and I'm very pleased. He's grown up and he's a different horse to what he used to be. He had a very high testicle, which we thought was bothering him last year, and he had a pretty big operation to get it out. He's matured a lot this year. Things have not gone right for him. We had to delay his (seasonal) debut and he just got beat at Sandown last time, but he's made up for that today."

The Newmarket-based Yorkshireman said: "He'll probably go to York as he likes the northern air, like his trainer! I fancy him going up in grade at some point. I think he's decent."

Watan strikes for Toronado

Watan made a seriously impressive debut for Richard Hannon in the Nginious! Swiss Gin EBF Maiden Stakes.

From the first crop of the trainer's top-class miler Toronado, the Al Shaqab Racing-owned two-year-old was a 6-1 shot for his racecourse introduction and routed his rivals by two lengths in the hands of Ryan Moore.

Hannon said: "He is a lovely colt. He has just taken time to quicken up, but this horse had been showing up for a long time.

"It is nice for Sheikh Joaan and his outfit as they bred him and own the stallion.

"He has not done loads of work, but is a colt that we like. The Sheikh asked me if he was as good as his dad and my first answer was 'no', but you are not so sure now!

"We were talking about putting him in the Prix Morny or the Francois-Boutin. He is a nice horse to have."

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