Cocked
Hat option for progressive Spillway
Hayley
Turner delighted with 100 per cent Goodwood record
Goodwood plays host to the
exciting May Festival of horseracing on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, May 23,
24 and 25.
The three-day meeting was
re-introduced to the programme at Goodwood in 2012 after a hiatus of six years
and, with four Listed contests plus a host of competitive handicaps, the May
Festival offers top-quality action.
Adam Waterworth, Managing
Director of Goodwood Racecourse, commented: "We were delighted with the
success of the May Festival in 2012 and now look forward to building on that
foundation this year.
"With record prize
money of £374,000 on offer, we are keen to make the May Festival the
early-season highlight at Goodwood, offering three days of high-class
racing."
One of the Festival
features is the Listed CASCO EBF Cocked Hat Stakes (3.45pm) over a mile and
three furlongs on Friday, May 24. The £40,000 contest, restricted to three-year-old
colts and geldings, has been a good pointer to future stars with the last three
winners - Michelangelo (2012), Masked Marvel (2011) and Rewilding (2010) - all
going on to win or be placed at Group One level.
Another horse who could
reach those heights is the Eve Johnson-Houghton-trained Spillway, who is
unbeaten in three starts this season and was last seen annexing a competitive
10-furlong handicap at Sandown on April 27.
Johnson-Houghton, who does
well with her runners at Goodwood having saddled two winners at the course last
year, said: "Spillway is a possible runner in the EBF CASCO Cocked Hat
Stakes. He is also in a handicap at Newbury on Saturday but we have thought
about the Cocked Hat and it will depend on ground and things like that.
"He has been in good
form since his win at Sandown and I have been really pleased with his progress
this season. He has always looked nice and worked well at home but he just does
enough and has kept on improving.
"The races at Sandown
and Kempton have worked out well and I would like to think there is plenty more
to come from him.
"I think he could be
Royal Ascot horse and he has three options there - the King George V Handicap,
the Tercentenary and I have put him in the King Edward VII. That might be
flying a bit high but you have to enter quite early so we will have a look at
it."
The May Festival starts on
Thursday, May 23, when the highlight is the £40,000 Height Of Fashion Stakes
(3.45pm) over just short of 10 furlongs for three-year-old fillies. Since its
establishment in 2007, the Listed contest has been a tremendous guide to future
success at the highest level with the 2010 heroine Snow Fairy going on to
capture the Oaks at Epsom on her next start plus a further five Group One
contests around the world.
A cracking card on the
Saturday has two Listed contests. First up is the £40,000 32Red Festival Stakes
(2.05pm) over just short of 10 furlongs, which boasts the likes of Ile de
Bourbon, Rainbow Quest and Sixties Icon on the illustrious roll of honour.
The second Listed contest
on Saturday, May 25, is the £40,000 Tapster Stakes over a mile and a half. A
thrilling finish to this race last year saw Sea Moon get the better of Dandino,
with the winner progressing to take the Group Two Hardwicke Stakes at Royal
Ascot next time out.
Vow, last year's Oaks fourth,
is being aimed at the Tapster Stakes by trainer William Haggas and owner
Highclere Thoroughbred Racing.
The four-year-old
Motivator filly last appeared in October, her sixth outing in an initial season
of racing which saw Vow succeed on her first two starts and then get within two
lengths of Classic victory at Epsom Downs.
Saturday's richest race is
the new £50,000 32Red Handicap (3.35pm), a seven-furlong contest for
three-year-olds.
The first race on both
Thursday and Friday, May 23 & 24, is at 2pm, while the action gets under
way at 2.05pm on Saturday, May 25. To book tickets, please go to www.goodwood.co.uk and obtain a
discount or call the ticket office on +44 (0) 1243 755055.
Seamus Buckley, Clerk of
the Course at Goodwood, said today: "The course has recovered well
following our first two days of racing in 2013 and is in good condition ahead
of the May Festival."
Magnificent Record of
Racing Ambassador
Hayley Turner, Britain's
top female jockey and Goodwood's new Racing Ambassador, achieved a magnificent
100 per cent record from her first rides at the Sussex course this year on the
second raceday, Thursday, May 9.
She had mounts in two
races during the afternoon and both won, with her performances demonstrating
why she is so successful.
Turner's prowess meant she
came home in front in the opening contest, the Goodwood Business Club Maiden
Stakes, on the Sir Michael Stoute-trained Enobled.
She enjoyed her second
victory of the afternoon on Ribbons, trained by James Fanshawe, in the Nissan
Innovation And Excitement Fillies' Handicap.
Both races were over a
mile and Turner settled her mounts towards the rear before coming through to
lead in the final furlong.
She is now looking forward
to Goodwood's May Festival; three days of terrific racing on Thursday, Friday
and Saturday, May 23 to 25.
Turner said this morning:
"It was a wonderful day last week. Goodwood is a beautiful track and I
always like doing well there.
"It was great to get
the ball rolling at Goodwood this season with two winners."
Goodwood Racecourse's
Ambassador achieved two successes at last year's May Festival and is hoping to
do well again in 2013.
The jockey added: "It
is too early to say what I will be riding at the May Festival but Marcus
Tregoning always seems to have a good team going there and perhaps I might get
on one or two for him.
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