‘that’s Horse Racing’: 150-1 Sussex Stakes Winner Qirat Longest-priced Group One Victor

The teeth, perhaps, were somewhat gritted, but Richard Hannon offered immoderate position aft watching his colt, Rosallion, decorativeness 2nd to nan 150-1 changeable Qirat successful nan Sussex Stakes present connected Wednesday. “That’s equine racing,” nan trainer said. “That’s what keeps america each successful it. It’s not a awesome time erstwhile you’re 2nd successful these races but we’re fortunate to beryllium portion of them.”

Mundane words for illustration “shock” and “upset” do not travel adjacent to describing nan consequence of this Group One contest, 1 of nan astir prestigious and prized events successful nan world racing calendar, which was won by a equine that vanished 27th of 30 runners successful nan Royal Hunt Cup Handicap connected his erstwhile travel to nan track.

Qirat, arsenic nan stewards drily noted afterwards, “appeared to show improved shape compared pinch its erstwhile run”. Ralph Beckett’s gelding was wide assumed to beryllium successful nan title simply to guarantee an moreover gait earlier Field Of Gold, nan 1-3 favourite and, for illustration Qirat, successful nan colours of nan Juddmonte operation, swept done nan section to victory. It was, arsenic it transpired, a rash assumption.

The first portion of nan book played retired overmuch arsenic expected, arsenic Serengeti, nan pacemaker for Aidan O’Brien’s Henri Matisse, worked his measurement to nan beforehand aft a slow commencement and past went clear pinch Qirat and Richard Kingscote successful adjacent attendance.

At nan constituent astir 2 furlongs retired wherever Field Of Gold was expected to commencement closing them down. However, it soon became clear that nan favourite was struggling to make ground.

Instead, it was Sean Levy, connected Rosallion, who group disconnected successful pursuit of nan leaders, but arsenic Serengeti dropped away, Qirat stayed connected good and he was still 2 lengths successful beforehand astatine nan furlong pole. Rosallion closed each nan measurement to nan winning station but Kingscote and Qirat still had a cervix to spare astatine nan line.

Qirat was nan longest-priced victor of a Group One title successful Britain since nan grading strategy was introduced successful nan early 1970s. Field Of Gold was intelligibly a agelong measurement beneath his champion connected his first sojourn to this tricky downland track, but Kingscote besides deserves awesome in installments for a no-nonsense thrust astatine a front-runners’ track, successful a title wherever his rivals near themselves pinch excessively overmuch to do.

Ralph Beckett, Qirat’s trainer, was surely amazed to find himself successful nan winner’s enclosure afterwards, but not wholly astonished.

Qirat and Richard Kingscote return to nan winner’s enclosure aft winning nan Sussex Stakes astatine Goodwood. Photograph: Andrew Matthews/PA

“We group retired to spell 12-second furlongs,” Beckett said. “That was nan scheme and what he did. It is arsenic elemental arsenic that. They didn’t beryllium adjacent to him and that is nan extremity result. When he went past Serengeti, I could spot they were not coming and I was reasonably assured he would not stop.”

Kingscote described nan result arsenic “a spot surreal and not what I expected this morning” but nan title was besides a good advertisement for his talent for judging nan fractions successful front, a gift that should find plentifulness of caller fans erstwhile Kingscote sets disconnected for a four-month stint successful Hong Kong from nan commencement of September.

“Towards nan cut-away [around 2 furlongs out] I was reasoning he was going well,” Kingscote said, “but you ever expect nan horses rated 20lb higher to beryllium coming through.

“It is amended to beryllium going disconnected [to Hong Kong] connected a affirmative note. I’m looking guardant to nan opportunity but I person not burned bridges truthful I tin ever travel backmost if request be.”

John Gosden, nan trainer of Field Of Gold, said that nan favourite “didn’t look excessively well-balanced connected nan track”, adding: “He sewage a small unbalanced coming retired of nan dip into nan bend, but I americium not making immoderate excuses. They ignored nan pacemaker and paid nan price.”

Fire tin blaze a way successful Nassau

The five-runner section for Thursday’s Nassau Stakes is nan joint-smallest this period for nan Group One characteristic connected nan 3rd time of Glorious Goodwood, but while Minding was a prohibitive 1-5 favourite to hit 4 opponents successful 2016, this year’s renewal is simply a fascinating and unfastened title pinch 4 intimately matched fillies astatine single-figure odds.

Whirl, nan Oaks runner-up and a Group One victor successful Ireland past clip out, heads nan three-year-old situation alongside Cercene, past month’s Coronation Stakes winner, and Bedtime Story, who is looking to recapture nan shape of her awesome juvenile occurrence astatine Royal Ascot past summer.

It is an awesome squad for nan Classic generation, successful a Group One wherever three-year-olds person enjoyed plentifulness of occurrence successful caller seasons. They look a stern four-year-old force successful See The Fire (3.05), however, and Andrew Balding’s filly is simply a coagulated 2-1 changeable to amended connected her constrictive conclusion successful this title 12 months ago.

See The Fire produced 1 of nan astir visually awesome performances of nan play to decorativeness a twelve lengths clear of her section successful nan Middleton Stakes astatine York successful May successful a accelerated time, and raced person to nan gait than nan 2 that hit her successful nan Prince of Wales’s Stakes astatine Royal Ascot past month.

That tally successful unfastened institution confirmed that she is an improved performer this play and Ombudsman, nan winner, went down only narrowly successful nan Eclipse adjacent clip out.

Goodwood 1.20 Best Secret was a big-money bargain to subordinate nan Wathnan Racing cognition earlier Royal Ascot past period and repaid astatine slightest a small of nan outlay erstwhile finishing 3rd successful a beardown renewal of nan Golden Gates Handicap, contempt uncovering plentifulness of postulation problems successful nan location straight. If James Doyle tin support him retired of problem from stall two, his proven move of ft could good beryllium decisive.

Goodwood 1.55 Clive Cox’s Coppull was a large outsider for nan Coventry Stakes astatine Royal Ascot but took a awesome stride guardant to decorativeness third, conscionable a cervix down nan runner-up, Do Or Do Not. The second colt franked nan shape erstwhile finishing 2nd to Zavateri, Tuesday’s Vintage Stakes winner, adjacent clip up and Coppull has scope for important further advancement connected conscionable his 3rd travel to nan track.

Goodwood 2.30 This is simply a much-anticipated measurement into Group-race institution for Merchant, who hit Serious Contender, nan consequent runner-up successful nan Irish Derby, by a magnitude successful nan King George V Handicap astatine Royal Ascot past month. William Haggas’s colt was among nan first entries for past weekend’s Group One King George VI astatine Ascot and will beryllium a lukewarm bid for this accepted proceedings for nan St Leger astatine Doncaster successful September.

Goodwood 3.45 Ascot’s stiff last furlong was nan undoing of Ruby’s Profit astatine nan Royal gathering past period but this return to a crisp 5 furlongs should spot her successful a overmuch amended light. The speedy front-runner was a course-and-distance victor successful May disconnected a 5lb little people and she remains well-handicapped connected that form.