Sky Sports Racing's Alex Hammond looks ahead to the rest of Goodwood in her latest blog and she's got a fancy in the Stewards' Cup.
I’m sure it’s not new to you, but gee-gees is a slang term used to describe horses and specifically racehorses. This week we are enjoying two different GG’s, Goodwood, and Galway. We’ve enjoyed some brilliant performances at those venues already. Stradivarius may not have managed to reel in Kyprios in the Goodwood Cup on Tuesday, but his defeat has meant that retirement is on the back burner, and a reunion with Frankie Dettori doesn’t sound completely off the cards. As disappointing as it seems for a horse of his ability, a stud career isn’t going to yield great riches, so whilst Team Gosden are able to manage this eight-year-old and harness his own desires to become a stallion as soon as possible, he may as well race on, and that’s fantastic news for us.
On the other hand, Baaeed has two more assignments on a racecourse before he takes up stud duties at Shadwell. He was clinical in the way he won the Sussex Stakes on Wednesday and whilst he didn’t blow away the opposition, the fact he remains unbeaten in nine starts, with three of those wins at the highest level, tells you what an exceptional individual he is. As the world’s highest rated racehorse, it’s natural to make comparisons with Frankel, but they are unfair. Frankel destroyed his rivals and galloped them into submission with his aggressive style, this lad looks more rideable, and his turn of foot is electric. Whilst he has done all his racing at a mile, I can’t wait to see him step up in trip in the Juddmonte International as I think he’ll relish it. He’s a short price to maintain his unbeaten record and Sky Bet have him as their 1/2 favourite to win on the Knavesmire next month.
With horses like Baaeed and Frankel their racing careers are relatively short, and that’s why we must be thankful for owners like Bjorn Nielson. He’s keen to see his horse of a lifetime, Stradivarius, race on for his finale to be fitting. These are obviously two very different situations with contrasting stud careers to come, but regardless, it would be easy to call it a day with his star stayer and I’m looking forward to seeing this massive character in action at York at the very least.
As for the rest of this week, Hollie Doyle can enjoy another moment in the spotlight on Nashwa in Thursday’s Nassau Stakes. I know the three-year-old’s got put in their place in last weekend’s King George, but I’m hoping the generous weight for age allowance will swing it in the favour of the French Oaks winner, with today’s mile and a quarter trip looking to be her optimum distance.
Over to the other “G”, and the syndicate I’m involved with has a runner in the Galway Hurdle on Thursday afternoon. It’s wonderful to have a runner in a race as prestigious as that, let alone one with a little chance. Shewearsitwell has been a wonderful horse for the Closutton Racing Club and if she could finish in the money at Ballybrit it would be a real thrill. She’s 16/1 with Sky Bet and as they are paying 7 places instead of 4, I might well get involved.
On Saturday the Coral Stewards’ Cup is the punter’s puzzle. Inver Park and Great Ambassador are two of the market protagonists and whilst they are experiencing different seasons to date, both have strong claims. Inver Park is thriving for trainer George Boughey and is a recent Royal Ascot winner. Great Ambassador hasn’t won in two starts this season but was third in the race last year, albeit off a 10lbs lower mark. He was second though in the Ayr Gold Cup off this mark in September and he did well that day, considering the winner raced alone on the stand’s side. So, trainer Ed Walker had to settle for minor honours in those two big sprints with Great Ambassador, and he suffered the same fate at Royal Ascot with another of his horses, Popmaster, who was beaten ¾ length by Rohaan in the Wokingham. You need a shed load of luck in these big sprint handicaps and sometimes you don’t get the rub of the green. Walker deserves one of his two runners to pop up in this and speaking of “pop”, I’m siding with Popmaster (nothing to do with the fact I’m a fan of the Radio 2 quiz!). He’s up 3lbs in the weights thanks to his Ascot exertions, but I don’t feel that will stop him. He just needs plenty of luck and for things to pan out in his favour, much like the famous radio pop poser.
Back to the gee-gees then, and it’s appropriate that I’m off to Chester on Sunday because it’s at that famous venue that the term was first appropriated. Chester is the oldest racecourse still in operation in the world, with its history dating back to 1539. It’s thanks to the mayor at that time, Henry Gee, that the term is used to this day. When he was appointed mayor of Chester, one of the reforms he brought in was that an annual race meeting should take place on the Roodee. It was his love of horseracing that created the historic site that remains today, and for that, the term gee gees was coined in his honour. Now you know!
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