Hoof It, owned by leading golfer
Lee Westwood and his agent Chubby Chandler, will bid for a repeat victory in
the £100,000 Stewards' Cup on the fifth and final day of Glorious Goodwood,
Saturday, August 3.
Westwood is currently
playing in the British Open, held at Muirfield, Scotland.
The Mick Easterby-trained
six-year-old produced a devastating performance in the 2011 running of the
famous six-furlong heritage handicap, shouldering a record weight of 10st to an
impressive two and a half length success.
He continued in fine form
that season, finishing an unlucky sixth in the Group One Nunthorpe Stakes and a
close third in the Group One Haydock Sprint Cup, but has only been seen three
times since.
The son of Monsieur Bond
didn't replicate his best form in two starts last term and, after two wind
operations, returned from a 13-month absence in the Listed City Walls Stakes at
York on July 13, coming home seventh of nine over five furlongs. He was beaten
two and a half lengths after missing the break but kept on in the closing
stages.
David Easterby, assistant
to father Mick, revealed: "Hoof It has come out of York OK and will be
going to Glorious Goodwood for the Stewards' Cup.
"He was ring-rusty at
the weekend and will improve, but his wind was fine so I was happy with that.
"I still think he
retains all of his ability. He had problems in his couple of runs last season,
which he took a while to accept, but we have sorted it now, so the future looks
rosy.
"He will be going in
off 112 as the weights have already been released and carrying top-weight, but
that won't bother him as he showed two years ago."
Hoof It, allocated 9st
12lb, tops the 121 remaining entries for the Stewards' Cup and if successful,
will become the sixth dual winner and the first since Sky Diver annexed
back-to-back renewals in 1967 and 1968.
Other notable contenders
include last year's winner Hawkeyethenoo, trained in Scotland by Jim
Goldie, Wokingham scorer York Glory and Dean Ivory's lightly-raced
five-year-old Tropics.
About Glorious Goodwood
The five-day festival this
year runs from Tuesday, July 30 until Saturday, August 3 and is certain to be
the highlight of the season. It is the perfect place to enjoy everything that
is British and sums up what summer should be. It is the place to be and be
seen. The fashion is elegant and floaty, Goodwood heritage with a dash of
panache. Ladies and Gentleman dress in the latest fashions and gather shade
from their hats and Panamas.
The meeting, held at the
most beautiful racecourse, has always attracted the very best performers from
the international world of horseracing such as Frankel, who graced the Downs
for the last two years to the delight of racegoers who come from far and wide
to experience the unique atmosphere.
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