In the latest part of the series examining the state of play in each division, Tony McFadden outlines how the stayers rank based on Timeform ratings.
The Goodwood Cup fully lived up to its promise and provided a thrilling spectacle as Kyprios (Timeform rating 126) got the better of two former winners of the race in Stradivarius (124) and Trueshan (130) after a close battle up the straight.
However, while Kyprios was a worthy winner, the placed pair didn't have everything go perfectly for them, offering hope to their connections that the tables could be turned on another day.
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Stradivarius, the winner of the Goodwood Cup between 2017 and 2020, is now an eight-year-old and not the dominant force in the division he once was. However, his efforts this season show that he remains a very smart performer and still highly competitive at the top level.
A cosy win in the Yorkshire Cup set Stradivarius up for a tilt at the Gold Cup at Royal Ascot, where he was bidding to match Yeats as a four-time winner of the race.
Stradivarius had to settle for third behind Kyprios at Royal Ascot, beaten half a length and three-quarters of a length, but he wasn't seen to best effect as he was held in by the winner as the race was taking shape and was forced to switch for a run.
Stradivarius, with Andrea Atzeni replacing Frankie Dettori, again didn't get the rub of the green in the Goodwood Cup as he was briefly short of room before keeping on well and going down by just a neck. His rating of 124 - which he ran to at Goodwood - reflects the level he is currently considered capable of performing to, but he has been rated as high as 130 earlier in his career.
Stradivarius was held in by Trueshan, a rival who has missed a number of big races on account of fast ground - including the Gold Cup at Royal Ascot - but was allowed to take his chance at Goodwood despite conditions being on the quick side.
Trueshan is a notably strong stayer - he was an impressive winner of the Prix du Cadran over two and a half miles on soft ground last season - so the Goodwood Cup being run at a steady pace, around a speed-favouring track and on quick ground, wouldn't have been ideal for him.
He still ran with credit in third, eventually beaten a neck and a length and a quarter after being upsides a furlong out, but he failed to match the level he had run to when winning the Northumberland Plate on his previous start.
In defying a BHA mark of 120 at Newcastle, Trueshan put up the sort of handicap performance that's rarely attempted let alone accomplished, earning him a division-leading Timeform rating of 130.
There may have been excuses for Stradivarius and Trueshan at Goodwood but the fact remains the race was won by Kyprios who has been successful on all four starts since stepping up in trip this season.
As at Royal Ascot, Kyprios dug deep when challenged at Goodwood, leaving the impression that he may have pulled out extra had it been required.
Kyprios is rated 4 lb lower than Trueshan with Timeform but it should be remembered that running in handicaps affords a better opportunity to clock a big figure than a level-weights contest - particularly steadily-run races like the Gold Cup and Goodwood Cup.
In the Gold Cup Kyprios had half a length to spare over Mojo Star (123) who was making his reappearance after nine months off and was also having his first start over a marathon trip having been campaigned over middle-distances last season.
Mojo Star had finished runner-up in the Derby and St Leger in 2021 and he ran to a similar level in the Gold Cup, edging ahead of Kyprios at the furlong pole having followed him through but unable to repel that rival's renewed effort.
That form doesn't leave the unexposed Mojo Star much to find with the pick of the division and he will be fresh at the end of the campaign having been given a mid-summer break.
Another who is unexposed at staying distances but has shown obvious promise is Chester Cup winner Cleveland (115p). Cleveland was stepping up a mile in distance in the Chester Cup but he thoroughly saw out the trip, getting the better of Coltrane by a neck after making good headway from the rear.
Cleveland has only matched rather than improved upon that form in two starts since, but he has looked unsuited by the marked drop in trip and could still have more to offer as a stayer. He has the Melbourne Cup on his agenda.
Coltrane (119) had to settle for second behind Cleveland in the Chester Cup but he built on that promise to win the Ascot Stakes and then a listed race at Sandown by a wide margin.
That Sandown listed race fell apart to an extent, casting some doubt on whether Coltrane had actually improved as much as the result implied, but he backed up that form by finishing a creditable fourth in the Goodwood Cup.
That showed Coltrane is well worth his place in premier staying events but likely to come up just short. Similar comments apply to Tashkhan (121) who started last season off a handicap mark of 57 but progressed through the ranks and signed off with a very smart second to Trueshan in the Long Distance Cup at Ascot on Champions Day. Tashkhan is suited by cut in the ground so it is to his credit that he has been performing creditably this term on fast going and in races not run at a true tempo.
It's a shame that Subjectivist (130) has not been seen since winning the Gold Cup at Royal Ascot last season as he posted a top-class performance on that occasion and that form is a match for anything else on offer in the division.
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