Get It jumped sharply from stall 28 and never saw another rival as he went from pillar to post in the feature sprint handicap of the Qatar Goodwood Festival, the Coral Stewards’ Cup.
Trained at Chiddingfold in Surrey by George Baker and ridden by Pat Cosgrave, Get It (40/1) thundered down the stands’ rail to beat Apollo One, Billyjoh and Mostabshir by half a length, a length and a quarter, and a nose.
Baker, who is about to move his business to Downs House in Epsom, ran Get It from a satellite yard in Bahrain during the winter. Since returning to Britain, the six-year-old has been in fine form, winning at Windsor and Epsom Downs before finding five furlongs at Ascot against him last month.
Baker said: “Being a Sussex man, I've been coming to this race since I was five, six, seven and I watched it for many years before I became a racehorse trainer. To go and win this race on my doorstep means a huge amount – it really does tick a massive box for me.
"It's a massive team of wonderful owners and we've had a lot of fun with this horse in Bahrain, but I think this party might go on a little bit longer.
"I've got a load of friends here. We've got a house full for a week. Having a party that started on Tuesday and probably won't end until next Tuesday – it is magical. Being a Sussex man, this really means a huge amount for me.
"I couldn't believe how well he was going. I was delighted we drew that draw. He came out second out of the hat and Pat and I talked about it. Look, it was pretty simple.
"I kept looking around and thinking something is going to come because you don't expect to win the Stewards' Cup, but I've just won the Stewards' Cup!"
Cosgrave said: “It is an old cliché but I couldn’t believe the price Get It was this morning. Forget about his last run, he hates Ascot – it was a 100-grand race, but we shouldn’t have gone for it as five furlongs there doesn’t suit a front-runner.
“I love it when we get drawn on the fence because he likes to jump and get over for a furlong and then you can ride him after that. I’m not saying that I thought he would win today, but I didn’t think he was a 50/1 shot.
“I was delighted with the draw. I was saying please don’t draw in the middle because of his style of running. I was surprised he came at me so early and I was hanging on a little bit at the two, but he found plenty.”
“It’s tough in the UK because there are a lot of good jockeys, but I am riding for some really good people this year and it’s going along nicely. It’s a nice handicap today but back to work tomorrow. It’s great for George, who’s very enthusiastic about the game.”
Mark Tracey, co-owner of the winner, said: “We've come to Goodwood for 31 years racing horses and we've never had a 'Glorious' winner. I remember Sir Mark [Prescott] chinned us on the line one year. It is a fantastic feeling, and there are lots of lovely owners here. George Baker and his team put in lots of hard work that we don't see, so all credit to them.
"To own horses is a very fortunate thing to do. To have one that's s locally connected to Goodwood – it's amazing. You dream that you can get the camaraderie, the people that love racing. You go to wonderful courses – Get It has won in Bahrain, he's won in Racing League, and now he’s won the Stewards' Cup!"
Peter Charalambous, co-trainer of Apollo One, said: “I am gutted.”
His jockey Richard Kingscote added: “Apollo One ran well. I was drawn on the right side. I followed the winner the whole way and just couldn’t peg him back.”
Mick Appleby said of Billyjoh: “He has run very well – I just think we were drawn on the wrong side. You see they were cutting into it a lot more on the far side than on the stands’ side; they went a lot quicker on the stands’ rail, where the winner has come from. We’ll give him a break now. He has had a tough campaign, so we’ll give him a few months off. He’ll probably run in the autumn, then possibly on the all-weather.”
[ENDS]
