John and Thady Gosden will be well-represented at the upcoming Qatar Goodwood Festival from Aug. 1-5, with a host of stars set to start at the meeting including Group 1 winners Courage Mon Ami (GB) (Frankel {GB}), Inspiral (GB) (Frankel {GB}) and Nashwa (GB) (Frankel {GB}).
At present, the father-son team has both G1 Gold Cup hero Courage Mon Ami and G2 Queen's Vase victor Gregory (GB) (Golden Horn {GB}), both unbeaten, in the G1 Al Shaqab Goodwood Cup on Tuesday. Both horses race in the colours of the Emir of Qatar's Wathnan Racing, having been purchased in the lead up to the Royal meeting.
John Gosden said, “At present, both horses will be left in the race and then we will make a decision nearer the time whether one of them runs or they both run.
“Gregory saw the mile and six furlongs out the other day and I think he will see the two miles out, too. I think he is very much a progressive sort. He is a 3-year-old getting the weight in the race, which is a very big edge. We have done it before with Stradivarius (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}). We have been very happy with him since Ascot and he has learnt a lot since then.
“Interestingly enough, both horses have won there, though I have to say they looked a bit up in the air galloping at some stages, but they would have learnt a lot from those experiences previously at Goodwood.”
Group 3 winner Audience (GB) (Iffraaj {GB}) is set for the G2 Qatar Lennox S. The Cheveley Park colourbearer ran out a two-length winner of the G3 Criterion S. on July 1.
“He won well last time at Newmarket,” said Thady Gosden. “He has come forward from that race, which was his first run of the year. The seven furlongs should suit him.”
Gosdens' Distaffers Aiming For Plum Prizes
The 2021 Cartier Champion 2-Year-Old Filly, Cheveley Park homebred Inspiral, a three-time Group 1-winning miler, will face males in Goodwood's G1 Qatar Sussex S. on Aug. 2. The bay was beaten just a neck in the G1 Queen Anne S. over her pet distance by Triple Time (Ire) (Frankel {GB}), who is also nominated for the Goodwood test.
Thady Gosden said, “Inspiral ran a great race on her return in the Queen Anne, when she was just beaten by a very good horse of Kevin Ryan's in Triple Time. She has come on for that and been in great form since.
“Inspiral has a low action and plenty of speed. She is a very strong filly and hopefully the track will prove no problem to her at all. Emily Upjohn (GB) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) was taking on [Sussex entry] Paddington (GB) (Siyouni {Fr}) two furlongs below her optimum trip [in the G1 Eclipse], whereas Inspiral will be taking him on at her ideal trip. Paddington is a 3-year-old stepping into older miler company for the first time, which is always an interesting one.”
Also, a three-time top-drawer winner is Imad Al Sagar's Nashwa, who is entered for the 10-furlong G1 Nassau S. against her own sex, a race she won last year. The 4-year-old was fourth to Group 1 winner Above The Curve (American Pharoah) in the G2 Prix Corrida at Saint-Cloud in May, but progressed to be second in the G3 Hoppings Fillies' S. over the Newcastle all-weather last month. She soared to an open-length victory in the G1 Falmouth S. on July 14 when last seen.
The younger Gosden added, “Nashwa has taken a bit of time to come to herself this year as can often happen with fillies who are going from three to four. You could tell in the couple of weeks after the Hoppings S. that she really had taken a step forward.
“She is going to a track that she knows, having won the Nassau last year. She seems in good order and stepping back up to a mile and a quarter shouldn't be an issue.”
Listed winner Running Lion (GB) (Roaring Lion), who races for David Howden, faces her stablemate in the Nassau.
“She won the Pretty Polly here very well and then she has been unlucky in her next two starts,” said Gosden. “She had a freak incident in the stalls at Epsom [in the G1 Oaks] but she came out of it absolutely fine. Then we went to France and sadly it was a hot day and you could see in the last furlong that the heat was getting to her a bit. We've taken our time with her since then and she seems to have come back to herself.”
Multiple group winner Free Wind (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) will take part in the final day of the five-day stand, and will attempt to defend her title in the G2 Qatar Lillie Langtry S. for owner George Strawbridge. After prevailing in York's G2 Middleton Fillies' S., the 5-year-old mare was fifth to G1 King George VI and Queen Elizabeth S. entrant Pyledriver (GB) (Harbour Watch {Ire}) in the G2 Hardwicke S. at Royal Ascot.
“She won the Lillie Langtry last year. She is a talented filly and the mile and six furlongs suits her well. She didn't quite run her race in the Hardwicke last time. She has been very well since then and she knows the track well.”
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