Glorious Goodwood: Byron or Bust? Host of top names in frame for Lennox Stakes

The prize fund for this year’s renewal, which closed early rather than at the six-day stage for the first time, has been boosted by £10,000 to £150,000.

Since it was first run at Goodwood in 2000, no Irish-trained horse has prevailed in the bet365 Lennox Stakes - but County Tipperary handler Tom Hogan is considering the prestigious contest for his stable star Gordon Lord Byron.

The five-year-old is a Group One winner at seven furlongs, having taken the Prix de la Foret at Longchamp in October 2012. After making a winning re-appearance over six furlongs on Polytrack at Dundalk in March, Gordon Lord Byron has had three more outings over that distance, most recently finishing fourth in the Group One Diamond Jubilee Stakes at Royal Ascot on June 22.

Hogan commented: “At this stage, Gordon Lord Byron will either be heading to Goodwood for the Lennox Stakes or to Deauville for the Prix Maurice de Gheest.

“He has been pretty good since Ascot. We decided to give the July Cup a miss with him and he will head to the Curragh on July 20 for the Group Three Minstrel Stakes before going on to Goodwood or Deauville.

“He is effective at both six and seven furlongs, but he hasn’t been lucky with the draw lately, which is quite a factor in six-furlong races when there is a big field. I would be hoping that a race like the Lennox Stakes over seven furlongs with a smaller field would suit him well.”

One horse definitely on course for Glorious Goodwood is the Marcus Tregoning-trained Boom And Bust. The six-year-old won the hugely-competitive Betfred Mile at Glorious Goodwood in 2011 and finished fourth in the same race last year. With the handicapper having allotted Boom And Bust top-weight of 9st 10lb in the Betfred Mile this year, Tregoning is considering dropping back a furlong for the bet365 Lennox Stakes.

Tregoning, who trains at Whitsbury in Hampshire, commented: “We will look at both races. With 9st 10lb in the Betfred Mile, he is obviously on the verge of being Group class so we will also look at the Lennox as well with him. He will definitely be coming to Glorious Goodwood for one or the other and Hayley Turner will ride him as usual.

“The stable had a difficult spring but everything is coming to the boil now ahead of Glorious Goodwood, which is very exciting.”

Turner is Goodwood’s racing ambassador this year.

The entries for the bet365 Lennox Stakes also include Aljamaaheer, runner-up to Declaration Of War in the Group One Queen Anne Stakes at Royal Ascot and Godolphin’s Fulbright, winner of the Betfred Mile at Glorious Goodwood and the seven-furlong Group Two Challenge Stakes at Newmarket in 2012, when trained by Mark Johnston.

The Richard Hannon-trained Libranno is a real seven-furlong specialist having won four Pattern races at the distance, including the Group Three Supreme Stakes at Goodwood in 2011 and the Group Two Park Stakes at Doncaster last season.

Hannon, the most successful current trainer at Goodwood, has also entered another seven-furlong specialist in Producer, whose seven career wins have all come at seven furlongs, including the Group Three Supreme Stakes at Goodwood in 2012 and on his latest appearance in the Group Three Criterion Stakes at Newmarket on June 29. Hannon’s trio of entries is completed by Professor, successful on his last three starts which included Listed victories at Haydock Park and Salisbury over six furlongs.

Overseas interest could be supplied by Krypton Factor, trained in Bahrain by Fawzi Nass. The five-year-old won the Group One Dubai Golden Shaheen at Meydan in 2012, was an excellent third last time in the Diamond Jubilee Stakes and is due to run in the July Cup at Newmarket on Saturday.

Aidan O’Brien has entered Most Improved, successful in the Group One St James’s Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot in 2012 and Reply, a seven-furlong Listed scorer at Naas in June.

Other interesting contenders include the Roger Charlton-trained Dundonell, winner of the Listed King Charles II Stakes over seven furlongs at Newmarket and Glory Awaits, runner up to Dawn Approach in the QIPCO 2,000 Guineas, from Kevin Ryan’s Yorkshire yard.

THE bet365 LENNOX STAKES

Class 1, Group 2, £150,000 Total Prize Fund. 3.50pm, Goodwood, Tuesday, July 30, 2013. For 3yo+, seven furlongs. Weights: 3yo colts and geldings 8st 9lb; 3yo fillies 8st 6lb; 4yo+ colts and geldings 9st 2lb; 4yo+ fillies and mares 8st 13lb. Penalties: after November 1, 2012, a winner of a Group Two race 4lb; of a Group One race 7lb. Entries closed July 9, entries revealed July 11 (28 entries), six-day confirmation stage July 24, final declaration stage 10.00am, July 28. Form figures supplied by Weatherbys and are correct up to and including the racing of Tuesday, July 9.

Entries

ALJAMAAHEER (IRE) 4 Hamdan Al Maktoum Roger Varian

BOOM AND BUST (IRE) 6 Jas Singh Marcus Tregoning

CASPAR NETSCHER 4 Charles Wentworth David Simcock

CUSTOM CUT (IRE) 4 S E Construction (Kent) Ltd George Kent IRE

DUNDONNELL (USA) 3 Khalid Abdullah Roger Charlton

ES QUE LOVE (IRE) 4 Crone Stud Farms Ltd Mark Johnston

FENCING (USA) 4 George Strawbridge John Gosden

FULBRIGHT 4 Godolphin Saeed bin Suroor

GARSWOOD 3 David Armstrong & Cheveley Park Stud Richard Fahey

GLORY AWAITS (IRE) 3 Ahmad Abdulla Al Shaikh & Co Kevin Ryan

GORDON LORD BYRON (IRE) 5 Dr Cyrus Poonawalla/Morgan Cahalan Tom Hogan IRE

HEAVY METAL 3 Sheikh Hamdan Bin Mohammed Al Maktoum Mark Johnston

KRYPTON FACTOR 5 Fawzi Abdulla Nass Fawzi Abdulla Nass BHR

LIBRANNO 5 McDowell Racing Richard Hannon

LOCKWOOD 4 Godolphin Saeed bin Suroor

MONSIEUR CHEVALIER (IRE) 6 Racing To The Max P J O’Gorman

MOST IMPROVED (IRE) 4 Derrick Smith, Sue Magnier, Michael Tabor Aidan O’Brien IRE

MUSIC MASTER 3 Godfrey Wilson Henry Candy

PASTORAL PLAYER 6 The Pursuits Partnership Hughie Morrison

PRODUCER 4 J Palmer-Brown Richard Hannon

PROFESSOR 3 Poilin Good Richard Hannon

RED JAZZ (USA) 6 The Hon Ronald Arculli Charlie Hills

REPLY (IRE) 4 Mrs Magnier/Tabor/Smith/Mordukhovitch Aidan O’Brien IRE

REX IMPERATOR 4 George Turner William Haggas

SIR PATRICK MOORE (FR) 3 The Astronomers Harry Dunlop

SIRIUS PROSPECT (USA) 5 Miss N Yarrow Dean Ivory

TAWHID 3 Godolphin Saeed bin Suroor

ZANETTO 3 Mick and Janice Mariscotti Andrew Balding