The Qatar Goodwood Festival is one of the undisputed highlights of the British Flat racing season and takes centre stage this week, from Tuesday to Saturday.
Goodwood Cup Day launches the 2023 Qatar Goodwood Festival.
David Egan insists that we shouldn’t give up on Eldar Eldarov, who disappointed in the Gold Cup at Royal Ascot but could prove a different proposition back in trip in Tuesday’s Al Shaqab Goodwood Cup, in which he faces ten rivals headed by the Gold Cup principals Courage Mon Ami and Coltrane.
Edgar Eldarov shouldnt be disregarded (Pic – Racing TV)
Roger Varian’s colt looked an outstanding Gold Cup prospect last year when he won the Queen’s Vase at Royal Ascot and the Cazoo St Leger at Doncaster, but so far in 2023 it hasn’t quite happened for him.
His reappearance second in the Boodles Yorkshire Cup was promising enough, but a subsequent heavy defeat in the Gold Cup at Royal Ascot left him with questions to answer in a Goodwood Cup that lacks a Stradivarius or a Trueshan, but is nevertheless a really strong renewal of the Group 1, which is a key part of the staying division of the QIPCO British Champions Series.
Egan, who has enjoyed tremendous highs on Mishriff in particular since his first Group-race win on Pilaster in the Lillie Langtry Stakes at Glorious Goodwood five years ago, hopes he has the answer and said: “I thought he’d stay two and a half miles at Royal Ascot but I don’t think he did. He’s a lot better than he’s been showing, and hopefully back at two miles here we’ll see the real Eldar Eldarov.”
He added: “The Yorkshire Cup was a great run, giving Giavellotto the 5lb penalty, as it was a prep race and he wasn’t fully tuned for it. I thought he ran a blinder – he nearly won – and I thought he’d take a step forward for that, but at Ascot he didn’t stay and he didn’t fire. He was beaten a long way out.
“He’s been working good at home and for a two-miler I believe he has a turn of foot, which will be an asset. It won’t be easy for him though. It’s tough opposition.”
The Gosden stable have had two Goodwood Cup candidates vying for favouritism here since they won at Royal Ascot, both of them racing for the Emir of Qatar’s burgeoning new operation Wathnan Racing, but ground considerations have swung the decision in favour of Courage Mon Ami.
John Gosden, who won four successive Goodwood Cups with Stradivarius, explained: “We decided to run the Gold Cup winner Courage Mon Ami rather than the three-year-old Gregory, because I think Gregory would be happier on top-of-the-ground, or good ground. I don’t think he wants it on the soft side, as his father (Golden Horn) didn’t.”
He added: “When Courage Mon Ami ran in the Gold Cup nobody knew if he would stay two and a half miles as it’s not the sort of thing you rehearse at home. We know he gets two miles fine but the ground is a question as he’s never really raced on it. He’s a talented colt though, and the ground will be what it will be.”
While Frankie Dettori will be hoping to take the outright record for a jockey with a sixth win here on Courage Mon Ami, Oisin Murphy will be hoping Coltrane provides him a first, although he went close on the enigmatic Pallasator in 2016.
Murphy said: “I was obviously gutted to get beat on Coltrane in the Gold Cup and he has come out of Ascot very well. He’s a very good horse and I hope he’s as good here as he was at Ascot. All the signs at home are positive and I think this two miles will suit him better than the two and a half at Ascot.
“I don’t think the quick ground was a problem in the Gold Cup as he obviously let himself down on it, but we know from his past form that he enjoys some dig in the ground, so that’s a plus for him.”
Aidan O’Brien, pictured above, who won twice with his great Cup horse Yeats, saddles the Gold Cup fourth Emily Dickinson, who was only fifth behind Eldar Eldarov in the St Leger but recently won the Curragh Cup, as well as Dubai Gold Cup winner Broome, who was well behind her at Royal Ascot.
Ryan Moore is on board Emily Dickinson, about whom O’Brien said: “We really fancied her for the Gold Cup and she ran a good race, but she loves an ease in the ground. She handles the other ground perfect but she’s much better with an ease in the ground. When she gets a little ease she grows another leg. She came out of the Curragh very well. Ryan was very happy with her and said she won very easily.
“It’s a very prestigious race and since it was upgraded to Group 1 it’s been brilliant. Two miles around Goodwood is very different, and it’s a difficult race to win, but we always try to have a horse that’s good enough.”
Lone Eagle is another who might be better than he looked when only ninth in the Gold Cup. Trainer Ralph Beckett said: “It looks a decent Goodwood Cup, but I’ve been pleased with Lone Eagle since the Gold Cup, where he was in front at the two-furlong pole but didn’t stay. He’s got form on very soft ground, but equally he was second in an Irish Derby on quick ground, so I don’t think it matters to him what it’s like underfoot.”
Marco Botti bypassed the Gold Cup with Giavellotto, who had Quickthorn back in fourth in the Yorkshire Cup. Jockey Andrea Atzeni, who leaves for Hong Kong after York, said: “Giavellotto has been in great order. He’s been working very well and moving well since he won the Yorkshire Cup and I’d say he’s improved since then, although he probably needs to as it’s a very deep field. The key with him is that he needs to switch off.”
The field is completed by Enemy, Ocean Wind and Tashkhan.
The first race is off at 14h40.
