Latest news with #horse racing
The Sun
an hour ago
- Sport
- The Sun
Glorious Goodwood day three: Betting odds and race rundown
THE PUNTERS are on the floor after the first two days of Glorious Goodwood and will be looking to begin the fight back on day three. The Group 1 Nassau Stakes is the main attraction on day three with a mouthwatering clash between Whirl and See The Fire. Before that, we have Group 2 and Group 3 action to get us warmed up for the clash of the day. 🏇 Quick Glorious Goodwood day three predictions Win singles and each way bets from the best horse racing betting sites: 1:20 Coral Kincsem Handicap (3yo) - 1m2f Yet another trick contest to open proceedings on day three of the Qatar Goodwood Festival. Fort George was a beaten favourite at this track over one mile in May, and even though he is not guaranteed to see out this new distance on pedigree, it's worth a crack given how he finished last time out. Best Adventure comes here with two wins to his name over this distance this season, and the slow pace at Sandown would not have helped his cause when seeking his third win of the season. He looks sure to get a pace to aim at here and has every chance of bouncing back. The French challenger BEST SECRET has been going along nicely in his career and comes here on the back of a near miss at Royal Ascot. He was given a lot to do on the day and ran a huge race to get as close as he did. There has been a lot of rain about at Goodwood this week, and given that Best Secret has winning form in France on ground with give underfoot, any further rain would not harm his chances. Yes, he has been well found in the market, but he has a lot going for him here. Marhaba Ghaiyyath, and the lightly raced Serenity Blue, who makes his handicap debut, look set to play their part as well. 1:55 Group 2 Markel Richmond Stakes (2yo) - 6f A tricky Group 2 puzzle awaits, with a number in here with the potential of plenty of improvement. Coppull represents last season's winning trainer and comes here on the back of a fine third at Royal Ascot on what was just his second career start. The second that day, Do Or Do Not hasn't let the form down by placing in a further two Group 2s. It is yet to be seen how far this son of Bated Breath can go, and he has to be given massive respect. Havana Hurricane was well beaten by MAXIMIZED when they met at Epsom on soft ground, but the Eve Johnson Houghton colt has gone on to improve since winning the Windsor Castle at Royal Ascot, and then was turned over as the well-backed favourite in the Weatherby's Super Sprint at Newbury. Connections will hope that he will have improved enough to get the better of Maximized here, but this may be one race too many in quick succession. The Godolphin-owned Maximized was a perfect two from two when sent off as the strongly supported favourite in the Group 2 July Stakes at Newmarket's July course. He got himself into an early pace battle that looked to soften him up, and even though he made a winning debut on good to firm ground, he did not appear all at home on that ground. His win at Epsom came with an ease in the ground, and now that he looks set to get softer conditions this time around, it's easy to see the son of Mehmas bouncing back from his disappointing Newmarket display here. 2:30 Group 3 HKJC World Pool Gordon Stakes (3yo) - 1m4f This revolves around the Ger Lyons-trained LADY IMAN as she looks to get back to winning. Sir Dinadan ran well enough in the Irish Derby, but that was a strange race all around, and whether he can back that up here is the question. Wimbledon Hawkeye has threatened to be better than what he has shown this season, but even at that, he has been running to a consistently high level that would give him a more than realistic chance at going close here. The same can be said for the Aidan O'Brien-trained Galveston, who ran a big race from the front in the Group 2 King Edward VII Stakes at Royal Ascot. Should Ryan Moore adopt the same tactics here, he will be dangerous if left alone on the lead. However, it's hard to get away from the vastly improved MERCHANT. He comfortably got the better of Rahiebb when they met at York, who has since gone on to go close in the Group 2 Queens Vase, a race that has since thrown up a Group 1 winner in Scandinavia. He is entitled to progress further for that, but whether he can reach the level that Merchant has sent when winning a Royal Ascot handicap is unknown. Strictly on their meeting at York, and the runs since, Merchant may still hold the edge over Rahieeb.d if she can prove that that run was not a fluke, she could be the one who can chance home the selection. Our pick: MERCHANT 3:05 Group 1 Qatar Nassau Stakes (3yo+) A race that has the makings of a classic with two three-year-old Group 1 winners going up against the highly talented four-year-old See The Fire. The Andrew Balding filly had a lukewarm start to the season with a fifth of seven finish in a Sandown Group 3. But she left that run well behind her when she backed off the boards in the Group 2 Middleton Fillies' Stakes at York, eventually winning by twelve lengths. Since then, she ran a career best to chase home, and at one point looked as if she was going to beat Ombudsman in the Group 1 Prince Of Wales's Stakes. She will find this a bit less taxing than what she faced at Royal Ascot, but she may not be able to contain the enormous talent that is WHIRL. She was beaten on her return to the track this season at the Curragh over one mile, but with that pipe opener behind her, she shot into a new level when stepping up in distance to over one mile two furlongs at York. In a race that looked like a tough puzzle to solve, the daughter of Wootton Bassett blew the field apart with a devastating turn of foot to romp home by over five lengths. After that, she was just touched off by her stablemate Minnie Hauk in the English Oak (has since won the Irish Oaks), and then got her day in the sun when running them ragged from the front to get the better of Kalpana in the Group 1 Pretty Polly Stakes. The runner-up has since gone on to fill the same position behind Calandagan in the Group 1 King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Stakes, giving Whirl's form a further boost. She gets the weight-for-age allowance here, and she can make the most of it here, just like her stablemate Scandinavia did on Tuesday. Bedtime Story may be the one to follow her home. Our pick: WHIRL 3:45 Buccellati Handicap (3yo 0-95) The minefields that are five-furlong sprints at Goodwood are up next. Ruby's Profit is well suited to this course and distance winner will have her chance should the ground not ease too much. The Man made a perfect start to the season when winning going away at York in May. That was on the back of being gelded and wind surgery, so there is promise of more to come despite an eight-pound rise in the weights. Nad Alshiba Green, Marthy Hopkirk, Brosay, and Dan Tucker are just a few of many who have live each way chances here. However, the progressive GETREADYTORUMBLE is given an opportunity to get back to winning ways here. This course and distance winner has his hat-trick bid succumbed when finishing third in a strong Sandown handicap, and did himself no favours when doing his best hurdling impression when jumping the crossing at the furlong pole. That lost him valuable momentum, but given how easily he won over course and distance last month, he can win off his current mark. 4:20 Phase Eight Nursery Handicap (2yo) - 7f Top weight American Gulf was no match for Gstaad at Group 2 level at Royal Ascot, but he has an impressive winner on his racecourse debut. He has more than a live chance in a field that he will find less taxing than what he faced at Royal Ascot. Hey Tru Blue, Amazing Journey, and Sir Albert all come in here on the back of a win, and add their names to the list of potential winners. However, it's the runner who has yet to taste victory that appeals the most. The Ralph Beckett-trained VICTORIOUS ONE has yet to be just that after three runner-up finishes in his three starts to date. He has been turned over as an odds-on favourite twice so far, but Goodwood Galaxy, who beat him at Salisbury, has since gone on to be beaten by just over two lengths in the Group 2 Gordon Stakes here on Tuesday. His debut conqueror, Jel Pepper, has also gone on to place at Group 2 level. Victorious One didn't seem to enjoy front running at Epsom, and he wouldn't be the first horse that didn't show his best around the downs. Are there risks attached? Yes. But he is a horse with a lot of talent, and it's only a matter of time before he gets his head in front. 4:55 Tatler British EBF Maiden Fillies' Stakes (2yo) - 7f It's into the unknown here with a line-up stack of newcomers and fillies who can show considerable improvement from first run to second. The most interesting newcomer is the 360,000gns purchase Proposal. The daughter of Frankel holds a Lowther entry, and she is one to keep a close eye on in the betting as we get closer to the off. The fellow Wathnan Racing-owned Quiescent has the experience of finishing runner-up on debut at Newmarket. She was beaten by over five lengths on the day, but she will have learned a lot from that experience and can go close here. One who could take a considerable step forward for his debut fourth at Newmarket's July course is Ice Sovereigns. She ran well for a long way and was given a nice experience to come home when her chance was gone. With the Johnston stable hitting form again, she is considered at big odds. However, AYLIN, who was sent off as the 8/11 favourite for her racecourse debut, only to lose out by a short head, can recoup her losses here. She ran around a bit under pressure on debut, and now that she is more street-wise, she can prove hard to beat. Our pick: AYLIN 5:30 World Pool Bet With The Tote Handicap (3yo 0-90) - 1m There should be a thrilling finale to day three of the Qatar Goodwood Festival, as the entire twenty-strong field in the World Pool Bet with The Tote Handicap are believed to be in with a chance. Course and distance winner Organ has been in a rich vein of form, winning his last three starts. He has gone up a total of twelve pounds for those wins, and could have a lot more up his sleeve, given that he is winning by the bare minimum. Impartiality started the season off with a bang, winning his first three starts. He left a below-par ninth-place finish behind when going down by a neck when not getting the clearest of runs on the all-weather at Southwell. Should he hold her form, he will be bang there. The two who could be worth concentrating on are Antipodes, whose win at Windsor has been franked with the second and third going on to win since, and the Charlie Johnston-trained SIR PAUL RAMSEY, who slightly edges it. Having returned this season with a nothing run at Newmarket when sent off at 25/1, he ran much better on his second start of the season/handicap debut to be beaten by just over five lengths. But it was when he came back to one mile on his second start in a handicap that we saw what the son of See The Moon is capable of. He reversed the form with War Eagle in no uncertain terms that day when beating the even-money favourite by over three lengths. He is the type who, now that he's got his head in front, will keep on improving. Despite a nine-pound weight hike, it's easy to see this typical Johnston type going close here. 🕔 Qatar Goodwood day three schedule TIME RACE DISTANCE 1:20 Coral Kincsem Handicap 1m2f 1:55 Group 2 Markel Richmond Stakes 6f 2:30 Group 3 HKJC World Pool Gordon Stakes 1m4f 3:05 Group 1 Qatar Nassau Stakes 1m2f 3:45 Buccellati Handicap 5f 4:20 Phase Eight Nursery Handicap 7f 4:55 Tatler British EBF Maiden Fillies' Stakes 7f 5:30 World Pool Bet With The Tote Handicap 1m 📺 How to watch day three of the Qatar Goodwood Festival Location: Goodwood, United Kingdom Date/Time: Thursday, 31st July, 2025. First Race 1:20 TV/Streaming: ITV & Racing TV Remember to gamble responsibly A responsible gambler is someone who: For help with a gambling problem, call the National Gambling Helpline on 0808 8020 133 or go to to be excluded from all UK-regulated gambling websites.
The Guardian
an hour ago
- Sport
- The Guardian
‘That's horse racing': 150-1 Sussex Stakes winner Qirat longest-priced Group One victor
The teeth, perhaps, were slightly gritted, but Richard Hannon offered some perspective after watching his colt, Rosallion, finish second to the 150-1 shot Qirat in the Sussex Stakes here on Wednesday. 'That's horse racing,' the trainer said. 'That's what keeps us all in it. It's not a great day when you're second in these races but we're lucky to be part of them.' Mundane words like 'shock' and 'upset' do not come close to describing the result of this Group One contest, one of the most prestigious and prized events in the global racing calendar, which was won by a horse that finished 27th of 30 runners in the Royal Hunt Cup Handicap on his previous trip to the track. Qirat, as the stewards drily noted afterwards, 'appeared to show improved form compared with its previous run'. Ralph Beckett's gelding was widely assumed to be in the race simply to ensure an even pace before Field Of Gold, the 1-3 favourite and, like Qirat, in the colours of the Juddmonte operation, swept through the field to victory. It was, as it transpired, a rash assumption. The first part of the script played out much as expected, as Serengeti, the pacemaker for Aidan O'Brien's Henri Matisse, worked his way to the front after a slow start and then went clear with Qirat and Richard Kingscote in close attendance. At the point around two furlongs out where Field Of Gold was expected to start closing them down. However, it soon became clear that the favourite was struggling to make ground. Instead, it was Sean Levy, on Rosallion, who set off in pursuit of the leaders, but as Serengeti dropped away, Qirat stayed on well and he was still two lengths in front at the furlong pole. Rosallion closed all the way to the winning post but Kingscote and Qirat still had a neck to spare at the line. Qirat was the longest-priced winner of a Group One race in Britain since the grading system was introduced in the early 1970s. Field Of Gold was clearly a long way below his best on his first visit to this tricky downland track, but Kingscote also deserves great credit for a no-nonsense ride at a front-runners' track, in a race where his rivals left themselves with too much to do. Ralph Beckett, Qirat's trainer, was certainly surprised to find himself in the winner's enclosure afterwards, but not entirely astonished. 'We set out to go 12-second furlongs,' Beckett said. 'That was the plan and what he did. It is as simple as that. They didn't sit close to him and that is the end result. When he went past Serengeti, I could see they were not coming and I was fairly confident he would not stop.' Kingscote described the outcome as 'a bit surreal and not what I expected this morning' but the race was also a fine advertisement for his talent for judging the fractions in front, a gift that should find plenty of new fans when Kingscote sets off for a four-month stint in Hong Kong from the start of September. 'Towards the cut-away [around two furlongs out] I was thinking he was going well,' Kingscote said, 'but you always expect the horses rated 20lb higher to be coming through. 'It is better to be going off [to Hong Kong] on a positive note. I'm looking forward to the opportunity but I have not burned bridges so I can always come back if need be.' John Gosden, the trainer of Field Of Gold, said that the favourite 'didn't seem too well-balanced on the track', adding: 'He got a little unbalanced coming out of the dip into the bend, but I am not making any excuses. They ignored the pacemaker and paid the price.' The five-runner field for Thursday's Nassau Stakes is the joint-smallest this century for the Group One feature on the third day of Glorious Goodwood, but while Minding was a prohibitive 1-5 favourite to beat four opponents in 2016, this year's renewal is a fascinating and open contest with four closely matched fillies at single-figure odds. Whirl, the Oaks runner-up and a Group One winner in Ireland last time out, heads the three-year-old challenge alongside Cercene, last month's Coronation Stakes winner, and Bedtime Story, who is looking to recapture the form of her impressive juvenile success at Royal Ascot last summer. It is an impressive squad for the Classic generation, in a Group One where three-year-olds have enjoyed plenty of success in recent seasons. They face a stern four-year-old opponent in See The Fire (3.05), however, and Andrew Balding's filly is a solid 2-1 shot to improve on her narrow defeat in this race 12 months ago. See The Fire produced one of the most visually impressive performances of the season to finish a dozen lengths clear of her field in the Middleton Stakes at York in May in a fast time, and raced closer to the pace than the two that beat her in the Prince of Wales's Stakes at Royal Ascot last month. That run in open company confirmed that she is an improved performer this season and Ombudsman, the winner, went down only narrowly in the Eclipse next time out. Goodwood 1.20 Best Secret was a big-money buy to join the Wathnan Racing operation before Royal Ascot last month and repaid at least a little of the outlay when finishing third in a strong renewal of the Golden Gates Handicap, despite finding plenty of traffic problems in the home straight. If James Doyle can keep him out of trouble from stall two, his proven turn of foot could well be decisive. Goodwood 1.55 Clive Cox's Coppull was a big outsider for the Coventry Stakes at Royal Ascot but took a major stride forward to finish third, just a neck behind the runner-up, Do Or Do Not. The latter colt franked the form when finishing second to Zavateri, Tuesday's Vintage Stakes winner, next time up and Coppull has scope for significant further progress on just his third trip to the track. Goodwood 2.30 This is a much-anticipated step into Group-race company for Merchant, who beat Serious Contender, the subsequent runner-up in the Irish Derby, by a length in the King George V Handicap at Royal Ascot last month. William Haggas's colt was among the initial entries for last weekend's Group One King George VI at Ascot and will be a warm order for this traditional trial for the St Leger at Doncaster in September. Goodwood 1.20 Best Secret (nb) 1.55 Coppull 2.30 Merchant 3.05 Sea The Fire 3.45 Ruby's Profit (nap) 4.20 Steel Drum 4.55 Quiescent 5.30 Kaleido Nottingham 2.18 Nebrook Star 2.53 Moby Quick 3.30 Dancingintherain 4.05 Mini Mac 4.40 Blenheim Lad 5.15 Dogged Wolverhampton 5.45 Intervention 6.15 Loving Apprentice 6.45 Chutzpal 7.15 Change Sings 7.45 Love Is The Law 8.15 Mr Swivell 8.45 Bint Al Daar Epsom 5.50 Etretat 6.25 Norfolk Blue 7.00 King's Castle 7.30 Brielle 8.00 Uncle Simon 8.30 Muscika Goodwood 3.45 Ascot's stiff final furlong was the undoing of Ruby's Profit at the Royal meeting last month but this return to a sharp five furlongs should see her in a much better light. The speedy front-runner was a course-and-distance winner in May off a 5lb lower mark and she remains well-handicapped on that form.
France 24
3 hours ago
- Sport
- France 24
Kingscote revels in being the 'villain' of Sussex Stakes shock
The 39-year-old Englishman had been instructed to set the pace on the Ralph Beckett-trained four-year-old for the odds-on favourite Field of Gold in the Group One mile feature. However, Field of Gold never picked up pace at the crucial moment and it was only Rosallion of the fancied runners that threw down a challenge but Kingscote had enough to hold him off. Kingscote, soon to leave for Hong Kong, may have felt like a villain but Beckett laughed and said "I do not feel that sorry for spoiling the party". "We were there as a helping hand to go an even gallop," said Kingscote. "However, he is a horse that likes the track and Ralph said even though we are here to help let him run his best. "I feel like a villain! However, when I saw it was not a grey nose (Field of Gold) coming to me I thought give it my all. "I am delighted and for Ralph, who has been a staple of my career for 15 years now." For Field of Gold's handler John Gosden his star never really fired. "He has done nothing wrong," said Gosden. "He was sitting back a long way, that is life. "He ignored the pacemaker and paid the price." Wednesday was a stark contrast for Beckett compared to the opening day on Tuesday. Beckett's stable star Kinross was withdrawn shortly before his race, but the Group Three Oak Tree Stakes put a smile back on his face. Dead heats are rare enough, but one shared by stablemates even rarer than a penny black stamp -- Beckett's duo of Tabiti and Saqqara Sands, though, could not be separated by the judges. Rossa Ryan, who had been on board Kinross, managed to conjure up a final burst from Saqqara Sands and pin back Ryan Moore on Tabiti. "My daughter was laughing at me because I was going 'go on Rossa, go on Ryan, go on Rossa…'," laughed Beckett. "I have definitely not been involved in a finish when two of my horses dead-heated before. William Easterby just told me his father (Tim) did it at Pontefract about 10 years ago, so I am in good company. "It is one to remember." 'Such a buzz' Moore did not have to share the honours in the next, though, as he eased home on Irish runner Lady Iman in the Group Three Molecomb Stakes -- a fortunate winner for him as regular jockey Colin Keane is suspended. She was the 17th filly to get the better of the colts in this sprint. "Ralph (Beckett) said I looked like one of the Beverley Hillbillies," joked trainer Ger Lyons about his panama hat. "I am delighted for Tony O'Callaghan the owner and breeder who gave me lots of breaks. Just goes to show you you can be a long time in the game and you still make mistakes as I did in her previous race. "I will go back to the US for the Breeder's Cup Juvenile Sprint this year with her, if I am allowed to, as I got such a buzz out of the meeting last year," added Lyons, who won the that race with Magnum Force last year. Aidan O'Brien had taken the feature race on Tuesday, the Goodwood Cup, and his son Joseph got off the mark at this year's meeting in the first on Wednesday -- Omni Man coasting to victory in the handicap. The race was marred by a serious injury suffered by Tuscan Star, who was pulled up immediately by his jockey David Probert and returned in the horse ambulance.
Irish Times
4 hours ago
- Sport
- Irish Times
Pacemaker Qirat stuns Sussex Stakes big guns at Goodwood to win at 150-1
Field Of Gold's pacemaker Qirat caused an almighty shock with a 150-1 victory in the Visit Qatar Sussex Stakes at Goodwood. John and Thady Gosden's Field Of Gold was a 1-3 shot to follow in the hoofprints of his sire Kingman by adding this prestigious Group One contest to his previous top-level victories in the Irish 2,000 Guineas and the St James's Palace Stakes. The Ralph Beckett-trained Qirat, who was last seen finishing 27th of 30 runners in the Royal Hunt Cup, was supplemented for the race last week at a cost of £70,000 (€81,000) in a bid to ensure the red-hot favourite had a strong gallop to aim at. But the race did not go to script, with Qirat keeping up the gallop to emerge triumphant under Richard Kingscote, despite the best efforts of Rosallion, who was a neck adrift at the line. READ MORE Field Of Gold, meanwhile, had to settle for a laboured fourth, with Aidan O'Brien's Henri Matisse third. Beckett said: 'Richard has always been a very good judge of the clock. The last thing I said to him was keep going with this fellow, he could run really well. 'He loves this place and I wanted to enter him because his work was really good. It's a horse race and anything can happen.' Qirat's dam, Emulous, also produced last year's Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe winner for Beckett in Bluestocking. He went on: 'I thought he looked a million beforehand and that in the race he would set the pace from the front, and the longer he lasted the better for those concerned with the favourite. 'He's always threatened to be a good horse and today he showed it. 'What about the mare? To come up with Bluestocking and him. She's been like a hole in the wall, like a cash machine.' Kingscote, who recently announced he is taking up a licence in Hong Kong, said: 'I feel like a villain but when I saw it wasn't a grey nose [Field Of Gold] coming towards me I just kept going.'
The Sun
4 hours ago
- Sport
- The Sun
Stunned silence at Goodwood as 150-1 no-hoper packemaker Qirat pulls off one of the biggest upsets ever
NO WAY No one saw it coming THERE was a stunned silence at Goodwood as 150-1 Qirat saw off 1-3 Field Of Gold to win the Group 1 Sussex Stakes. Qirat was only in the race as a pacemaker for the John & Thady Gosden-trained Field Of Gold. 3 3 3 But he stole a march on the field and eventually Derby-winning jockey Richard Kingscote gave up waiting for Field Of Gold to appear. He ploughed on and saw off a fast-finishing Rosallion to seal one of the biggest shocks ever - a win worth £600,000. A stunned John Gosden said: "We were sitting back a long way and the pacemaker goes and wins it. "He ran on but didn't seem too well balanced on the track. "But I'm not making excuses. "We ignored the pacemaker and we paid the price. "William (Buick, jockey) said he didn't seem comfortable and as soon as he asked him for more, the engine wasn't there." The previous biggest winner of this race was 20-1 - showing the scale of the Qirat shock. Beckett said: "I'm sorry - but I'm not that sorry!" More to follow. Commercial content notice: Taking one of the offers featured in this article may result in a payment to The Sun. You should be aware brands pay fees to appear in the highest placements on the page. 18+. T&Cs apply. Remember to gamble responsibly A responsible gambler is someone who:
