Glorious Goodwood: 100-plus declared runners for opening day

Glorious Goodwood starts strongly on Tuesday with more than 100 declared runners over the seven races and advance bookings for the five-day festival running eight per cent higher than a year ago.
There'll be plenty of runners - and race-goers - when Glorious Goodwood gets under way on TuesdayThere'll be plenty of runners - and race-goers - when Glorious Goodwood gets under way on Tuesday
There'll be plenty of runners - and race-goers - when Glorious Goodwood gets under way on Tuesday

It looks likely that the Gordon Enclosure will sell out for both Thursday (August 1) and Saturday (August 3) and people wanting to come racing on those days are advised to book as soon as possible through www.goodwood.com

Adam Waterworth, Goodwood racecourse’s managing director, said today (Sunday): “Advance sales for the final three days of Glorious Goodwood are well up, with the opening day Tuesday also relatively strong.

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“Only Wednesday, when the QIPCO Sussex Stakes looks like being a cracking race, is down and this is all due to Frankel, the winner for the past two years, having retired.”

The Group Two bet365 Lennox Stakes, the £150,000 feature event on the opening day of Glorious Goodwood, has attracted a quality field of 12 runners, headed by recent Ascot Group Two winner Aljamaaheer, who has also done well in Group One mile races.

The seven-furlong contest also involves Krypton Factor, trained in Newmarket by Bahrain-based handler Fawzi Nass, who is stepping up in trip after a string of placed efforts over six furlongs, including two Group One thirds.

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Fencing, sixth in the Group One Lockinge Stakes at Newbury in May, Garswood, fourth in the Jersey Stakes at Royal Ascot, Caspar Netscher, tried as a stallion, and Boom And Bust, winner of the Betfred Mile at Glorious Goodwood in 2011, also join the line-up.

Richard Hannon, the top trainer at Goodwood in recent years, has three runners - last year’s runner-up Libranno, dual Listed scorer Professor and the 2012 Supreme Stakes winner Producer, who comfortably beat Red Jazz and Pastoral Player in a Newmarket Group Three on his latest start.

The other Group race on the opening day of Glorious Goodwood is the £50,000 Group Three bet365 Molecomb Stakes (2.30pm) for two-year-olds over five furlongs.

Newmarket trainer Ed Walker is hoping Reroute can continue the good record of fillies - there have been 14 successes by fillies since 1981. Majestic Alexander, trained by David Evans, is the other filly in the race which has seven colts taking part too.

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Reroute, an Acclamation filly, made a winning debut in a York five-furlong maiden on June 14 and five days later ran in the Group Two Queen Mary Stakes at Royal Ascot, finishing a creditable fifth of 23 to Rizeema.

Walker said today: “She ran a blinder at Royal Ascot. It was a bit unfair of me to ask her to run there just five days after making a winning racecourse debut.

“She was only a head off making the frame and beaten less than four lengths in total.

“Reroute came out of the Queen Mary very well and I gave her a bit of a break. She is ready to run again.

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“She is a very fast filly , though I think she will get six furlongs by the end of the season. She does not want too much more rain - the quicker the ground the better for her - she has a fast-ground action.

“Red Gulch gave me my first Glorious Goodwood winner in my first full season (2011) - that was a pretty special day. Reroute will be my main runner at the meeting this year, though Bushcraft may go for a nursery on Friday.

“The horses are running well now after a sticky start to the year.”

A short-head separated Supplicant, trained by Richard Fahey, and Hannon’s Anticipated, when they were second third in the Listed Windsor Castle Stakes at Royal Ascot, and they do battle again in the bet365 Molecomb Stakes.

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Racing starts on Tuesday with the £50,000 bet365 Handicap (1.55pm - a maximum 18 runners) over just short of 10 furlongs, while there is another full field (14) for the 14-furlong £75,000 bet365 Summer Handicap (3.40pm).

The other races on the card are £20,000 Casino At bet365 EBF Maiden (4.15pm, 13 runners) over six furlongs, the mile £15,000 Poker At bet365 Handicap (4.50pm, a maximum 20 runners) and the five-furlong £15,000 Mobile At bet365 Handicap (5.25pm, 26 runners).

The going is now good.- the round course is good to firm in a couple of places. This follows 8.5 millimetres of rain on Saturday night.

Seamus Buckley, Goodwood’s clerk of the course, said: “The rain, which started at 6pm last night, was very welcome. We are forecast a shower or two tomorrow. This means we should start Glorious Goodwood on Tuesday with goodish ground.

“I am delighted with the number and quality of the runners on the opening day.”

For tickets please visit www.goodwood.com

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