Rhoscolyn sent favourite backers home happy in the concluding seven-furlong World Pool Handicap, with the victory taking his record at Goodwood to two wins and three placed efforts from six starts.
Sent off the 2/1 market leader, David O’Meara’s five-year-old moved into contention under Oisin Murphy before gradually grinding his way past long-time leader Wobwobwob (10/1) to win by a length. Isla Kai (5/1) was five lengths further back in third.
Murphy said: “He ran very well last time at Beverley and it was very nice of his owners to pick me to ride him. He deserved to be favourite and he won it in the fashion of a really tough horse who is on his way back to form.
“He obviously only won off 87 today. He won by a length and it was a long way back to the third. It will be interesting to see how the handicapper reacts to that but I hope there’s some handicaps in him between now and the end of the year.”
He added: “I probably didn’t envisage sitting that close to the pace, but he was happy there and comfortable. He really showed his class because I was able to travel. It was very smooth and enjoyable. I was fortunate that I was on a horse that’s a lot better than some of the horses around him. He was really in his comfort zone.
“He has form on slow ground and he handled it very well. Sometimes as horses get older, they can handle slower conditions than they would have liked maybe as juveniles, and that guy probably fits into that sort of category.
“This ownership syndicate [The Horse Watchers] do very well with every horse they have. They are clever in what they target at the sales and then it also comes down to race planning. They’ve been very good to me, so I am delighted. There’s a good few of the owners here and it would be lovely for them if he could run a big race [in the Coral Golden Mile] on Friday as well.”
Chris Dixon of The Horse Watchers said: “I thought it went perfectly. We’d had a bit of a look at the race earlier and thought that you would want him a little bit handier round here normally, but there looked to be a good bit of pace on.
“I think it’s really important that this horse gets a well-run race and he got one today. David has always been adamant that you get him in a good rhythm and more often than not, that is sitting a little bit further back, because he is a bit too keen and strong in his races. But today, he has relaxed.
“He jumped better than he did at Beverley when the blindfold came off a bit late, but he’s a lot better if the blindfold is off before the last horse goes in. And that was my fault for not reminding the jockey last time out, to be honest. It went to plan today and I couldn’t be happier.”
5.20pm World Pool Handicap
1 Rhoscolyn (The Horse Watchers) David O’Meara 5-9-09 Oisin Murphy 2/1F
2 Wobwobwob (Ontoawinner, Andy Finneran Racing) Adrian Keatley 5-9-07 Tom Marquand 10/1
3 Isla Kai (Martin Webb Racing) Nigel Tinkler 5-9-12 Rowan Scott 5/1
11 ran
David O’Meara – 5th Qatar Goodwood Festival winner
Oisin Murphy – 12th Qatar Goodwood Festival winner
