Leading lights from across Europe and beyond headline entries for seven races at the Qatar Goodwood Festival, including the £600,000 G1 Qatar Nassau Stakes and the £500,000 G1 Al Shaqab Goodwood Cup.
G1 Prix de Diane winner Sparkling Plenty (Patrice Cottier) and G1 QIPCO 1000 Guineas heroine Elmalka (Roger Varian) are among 31 entries for the Qatar Nassau Stakes on Thursday, August 1.
Tamfana produced bold showings in both fillies’ Classics, with the daughter of Soldier Hollow finishing a luckless fourth at Newmarket before going down by just over half a length in third at Chantilly.
Her trainer David Menuisier, who is based locally in Pulborough, said: “Tamfana is in the Qatar Nassau Stakes and she might get a [supplementary] entry for the Grand Prix de Paris two weeks beforehand. We are keeping all options open and want to see how things are looking nearer the time.
“I was pleased with her run in the Prix de Diane and frustrated at the same time. I think she would have gone closer with a bit more cover but, due to our inside draw [4] and circumstances, we were pushed to go forward, which probably wasn’t ideal. I think she did well to finish as close as she did given how the race panned out.
“Oisin [Murphy] suggested to try 12 furlongs with her at some point. We were not too sure ourselves, but Oisin is one of the best jockeys in the country and you have to take on board what he says.”
The entries also include last season’s leading two-year-old filly Opera Singer(Aidan O’Brien), who looks set for a step up to middle distances after finishing second in the G1 Coronation Stakes.
John & Thady Gosden’s multiple G1 winner Inspiral is the pick of the older fillies and mares alongside stable-mates Running Lion and Laurel, who were first and second in the G2 Duke Of Cambridge Stakes. Impressive G2 Middleton Stakes winner Bluestocking is engaged for Ralph Beckett.
A full list of entries can be accessed here.
Kyprios (Aidan O’Brien) and Trawlerman (John & Thady Gosden) are on course for the latest instalment in their growing rivalry in the G1 Al Shaqab Goodwood Cup on Tuesday, July 30.
The head-to-head score between the duo stands at one apiece, with Trawlerman prevailing in last season’s G2 QIPCO British Champions Long Distance Cup and Kyprios gaining revenge in the G1 Gold Cup at Royal Ascot.
Kyprios became only the third horse to regain the Gold Cup and the six-year-old will be looking to repeat the feat at Goodwood, having missed last year’s Al Shaqab Goodwood Cup due to injury.
Trainer Aidan O’Brien accounts for 10 of the 22 entries for the two-mile showpiece, with his team also including G1 St Leger victor Continuous and G2 Queen’s Vase scorer Illinois.
Menuisier’s Caius Chorister finished sixth in the Gold Cup, having lost out in photo finishes to Coltrane (Andrew Balding) in the G3 Sagaro Stakes and Sweet William (John & Thady Gosden) in the G3 Henry II Stakes.
The six-year-old, who ended last season with an impressive G3 triumph in France, is also one of 37 entries for the G2 Qatar Lillie Langtry Stakes on Saturday, August 3.
The trainer said: “Caius Chorister is absolutely grand – she just didn’t stay the trip in the Gold Cup.
“We think she is the best staying filly in the country at the moment, so she will have the option of the Goodwood Cup or the Lillie Langtry Stakes against her own sex. The ground could be the deciding factor in which race she goes for.
“We feel the two miles at Goodwood will really suit her because she has speed for a stayer, although realistically it is unlikely she can beat a horse like Kyprios. For me, that horse comes from a different planet.”
Australia’s G1 King Charles III Stakes winner Asfoora (Henry Dwyer) is set to continue her European tour in the G2 King George Qatar Stakes on Friday, August 2. Breeders’ Cup winner Big Evs (Mick Appleby), who was third behind the Australian mare at Royal Ascot, and last season’s G1 Nunthorpe Stakes victor Live In The Dream (Adam West) also feature among the 27 entries.
Popular seven-year-old Kinross (Ralph Beckett) could bid for a third G2 World Pool Lennox Stakes win on Tuesday, July 30. A 40-strong entry for the seven-furlong prize includes G1 Lockinge Stakes scorer Audience (John & Thady Gosden), G3 Jersey Stakes victor Haatem (Richard Hannon) and impressive Royal Ascot handicap winner English Oak (Ed Walker).
Entries have also been revealed for the two major handicaps of the Qatar Goodwood Festival, with 111 contenders in the Coral Stewards’ Cup and 61 in the Coral Golden Mile. The weights will be published for both races on Wednesday, July 3.
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