John & Thady Gosden made a flying start to the 2025 Qatar Goodwood Festival presented by Visit Qatar as progressive four-year-old Westridge (6/1) posted a decisive victory in the Coral Chesterfield Cup.
Westridge was well backed through the day and the son of Blue Point justified that market confidence by gliding through the 10-furlong handicap under a confident Billy Loughnane, who was having his first ride for the stable.
When Loughnane pushed the button, Westridge shot clear to win by just over three lengths, atoning for a short-priced reversal at Windsor last time out. Baaeed’s half-brother Naqeeb (28/1) was second, with Defiance (9/1) and Bolster (18/1), who was promoted to fourth by the stewards, filling the minor places.
John Gosden said: “Westridge enjoyed the space around him today and Billy gave him a lovely ride. It is not easy in a big handicap field, but he broke well and made good use of him.
“Westridge is owned by Glen Manchester, my wife and Nicholas Wrigley, so it is a proper partnership. We did have him in the July Sales but wisely chose to take him out three days before the sale. The handicapper will have him now but to win the Chesterfield Cup is a dream come true because Glen is very much Goodwood orientated.
‘‘He worse a sheepskin noseband because he is not very good at concentrating. Otherwise, he would have been looking for low-flying seagulls! He will have to go to York next, but I don’t know what we will run him in.’’
Loughnane said: “It is a privilege to be riding for such good connections and all thanks to my agent Mr Tony Hind for getting me the ride.
“I spoke to Rab Havlin before the race and he said Westridge has his own way of doing things, but it felt like he tried real hard today. I think he's just a little bit timid and enjoys his own space.
“Speaking to Mr Gosden beforehand, he was keen for me to try and get a little bit of room up the straight. Thankfully, the race went smoothly and Westridge accelerated nicely. When I got him out into a bit of daylight, he really picked up and extended well to the line.
"It rode like lovely ground, good genuine ground; they're making a little bit of a print into it, but it was enjoyable ground and they have done a great job.”
Naqeeb’s trainer Julie Camacho said: “I am delighted with that. The winner trotted up, but we were giving him nearly a stone. It just all went wrong for him at York, where he got too far back. My brother is adamant he’s a 10-furlong horse, but we weren’t so sure as he ran a blinder for us at Royal Ascot over a mile and a half.”
Camacho’s husband and assistant Steve Brown said: “We will look at York or there’s probably something for him at the Shergar Cup, where it will be good prize money and only ten runners. He has been busy in these good handicaps, as he went from Royal Ascot to the John Smith’s to here, but he seems to be taking it well.”
Defiance’s trainer Roger Varian said: “He has been screaming for a bit further, but we just wanted to give him another chance at a mile and a quarter. I think when he goes a mile and a half, he will be winning again, and there are three nice races for him on Ebor weekend. He is not in the Ebor itself, but there’s one at York, one at Hamilton and one back here at Goodwood. That was a good run from an unhelpful draw, and he was outpaced early, so we couldn’t get as prominent a pitch as we wanted and had to accept it, but he came home well.”
-ENDS-
