Today is the final day of the Qatar Goodwood festival with the Qatar Lillie Langtry Stakes (16h00) the highlight.
The Group 2 feature run over a mile and six-furlongs has attracted a field of 12 for the £170,130 first prize.
The excitement at Goodwood! (Pic – Goodwood)
With track conditions likely to remain quick, officially good to firm, the selection is Caius Chorister from the inform David Menuisier yard.
The five-year-old mare has developed into a smart stayer this season with her head second at level weights to Sweet William at Sandown very much the best form on offer.
She didn’t see out the two-and-a-half-mile trip at Ascot in the Gold Cup when sixth to super stayer Kyprios on her most recent performance, but this ease in grade and trip can only benefit this course winner. Harry Bentley, recently returned from a stint in Hong Kong, takes the ride.
Live music at Goodwood on Thursday – Ladies Day (Pic – Goodwood)
Free Wind for the Gosdens looks her main threat. The highest-rated runner in the contest has also won at the course and the six-year-old mare ran well on her seasonal return when second to Bluestocking in the Middleton at York in May.
Al Aasy could reverse the form with Phantom Flight in a hotly contested Coral Glorious Stakes (14h50) that gets the card under way.
The pair fought out the finish over the final furlong in the Steventon Stakes at Newbury two weeks ago, where Al Aasy went down by a length to his younger rival over ten-furlongs.
Al Aasy took a while to find his stride on his first start for 287 days and should be all the better for his seasonal reappearance run as he returns to a mile and a half.
Glorious racing (Pic – Goodwood)
The son of Sea The Stars has four Group Three triumphs to his name and there is no doubting his class. Regular pilot Jim Crowley keeps the ride for his retained owner.
28 sprinters go to post for one of the most competitive races of the season, the Coral Stewards’ Cup (16h35), run over the straight six-furlongs.
Purosangue makes his handicap debut and, after a second in the Gr3 Coral Charge at Sandown where beaten less than a length, he makes most appeal. The three-year-old gets the services of champion leader Oisin Murphy and is well handicapped here.
Qatar raider Dark Trooper holds obvious claims after his Wokingham Stakes second, whilst Lethal Levi for the inform Karl Burke stable has strong recent form. Veteran Summerghand, winner here in 2020 is another not to be ignored at bigger prices and will be doing his best work late.
