Cap O'Rushes stepped away
from his role as Godolphin pacemaker into the spotlight as Classic candidate in
his own right by taking the Neptune Investment Management Gordon Stakes by a
determined head from Excess Knowledge. In the process he marked a significant
landmark for his trainer Charlie Appleby, who recently took over the
beleaguered Moulton Paddocks division of Sheikh Mohammed's Godolphin operation.
In the 12-furlong Group
Three event, Cap O'Rushes was Appleby's first Group winner with his first Group
runner, and also made it one for one for him at Goodwood. The son of New
Approach finished fourth at the Curragh last month, with his better-fancied stablemate
Libertarian unplaced. "It didn't work out for Libertarian but Cap O'Rushes
ran a really good race," said Appleby. "We brought him back home and
freshened him up, and he's come on since then.
"We were quite
confident today, the way he's progressed in the past few weeks. He saw the trip
out really well and really appreciated the cut in the ground, as a horse with
his short action would. We'll take it one step at a time with him but the plan
would be the Great Voltigeur and then the St Leger."
Cap O'Rushes may meet
Libertarian again in the Great Voltigeur Stakes at York, but this time on his
own merits. "Libertarian has had a break since Ireland and we'd be quite
happy to run both of them at York."
Appleby was pleased that
his career as trainer, after 15 years behind the scenes with Godolphin, has
launched so well. "It's not so much a relief, more a satisfaction,"
he said, "and a way of thanking the Sheikh and the Godolphin team for
their faith."
The trainer added: "I
was more excited today rather than nervous. I have been very fortunate to be
with Godolphin for 15 years, working for Saeed and being an assistant for five
years now, so I have been well schooled into the job.
"I have so much
confidence in my team - we have such a great team - and the confidence that
everybody else is giving me can only help the team."
Mickael Barzalona added:
"I was very close to winning last year, so I am very happy to win this
year. We went a nice sensible pace and I was travelling well behind a nice
horse. I came there well and, when challenged, he came back very well.
"He's a really nice
horse. He doesn't give a lot in the mornings but he is a proper group horse. I
think we have seen already last time when he was fourth and I think he would
have every chance in a Group One race."
LEGER
TARGET FOR EXCESS KNOWLEDGE
Excess Knowledge is
heading to the Ladbrokes St Leger after finishing a luckless head second to Cap
O'Rushes in the Neptune Investment Management Gordon Stakes.
"If you get stopped,
you get stopped. One wandered in front of our's and we then had to get going
again," said the second's trainer John Gosden.
"The Leger must be on
his agenda and we'll see where we go from here. Arctic Cosmos got beaten here
and then won at Doncaster and we could go straight there or look at the Great
Voltigeur. Today was a good Leger trial but there was no pace."
Express Knowledge is 8/1,
from 12/1, with Ladbrokes for the final Classic.
Third-placed Spillway
delighted trainer Eve Johnson Houghton, who said: "He's still a big green
baby, even with all the racing he has had. It's great to get black-type because
his owner-breeder Luke (Neale) has the mare.
"I made a mistake
running him in the wrong race at Royal Ascot, we should have gone for the King
Edward VII Stakes.
"He will improve next
year but will probably go for the St Leger. He's in the Great Voltigeur and I
don't see why he won't run there."
2.30pm
Neptune Investment Management Gordon Stakes (Group Three)
£75,000
total prize fund. For 3yo, 1m 4f. Weights: colts and geldings 9st; fillies 8st
11lb. Penalties: in 2013, a winner of a Group 3 race 3lb; of a Group 2 race
5lb; of a Group 1 race 7lb. Penalty value 1st £42,532.50 2nd £16,125.00 3rd
£8,070.00 4th £4,020.00 5th £2,017.50 6th £1,012.50
1) CAP
O'RUSHES (Godolphin) Charlie Appleby 3-9-00 Mickael Barzalona [4] 9/2
2) EXCESS
KNOWLEDGE (Khalid Abdullah) John Gosden 3-9-00 William Buick [5] 7/4 Fav
3)
SPILLWAY (Virginia Neale) Eve Johnson Houghton 3-9-00 Tom Queally [3] 33/1
4)
TESTUDO (IRE) (Sangster Family) Brian Meehan 3-9-00 Kieren Fallon [6]
5) SECRET
NUMBER (Godolphin) Saeed bin Suroor 3-9-00 Silvestre De Sousa [2]
6)
ELKAAYED (USA) (Hamdan Al Maktoum) Roger Varian 3-9-00 Paul Hanagan [1]
7) HAVANA
BEAT (IRE) (Mick and Janice Mariscotti) Andrew Balding 3-9-00 David Probert [7]
7 ran
Time: 2m
39.10s
Distances:
hd, ¾, ¾, hd, 2¼, 3
Breeder:
Darley Breeding: New Approach (IRE) - Valley Of Gold (FR) (Shirley Heights)
Tote
Win £3.40 Place £1.80
£1.50 Exacta £8.90
Winning
trainer:-Name: Appleby, Charlie Date of Birth: 5/7/1975 Based: Moulton
Paddocks, Newmarket Background: Worked for Godolphin since 1999 in a
number of roles before being granted a training licence in July, 2013.
Previously had spells with Susan Piggott and David Loder. First Runner: Velvety
(Sky Bet EBF Fillies' Handicap, York, July 27, 2013) First Winner: Expressly
(Ascot Lawyer's Fillies' Maiden, Ascot, July 28). Big Race Wins: Neptune
Investment Management Gordon Stakes (2013 Cap O'Rushes) First Goodwood
Winner: Cap O'Rushes (Neptune Investment Management Gordon Stakes, July 31,
2013) Goodwood Wins: 1 (1 at July meeting) Win in 2013: 2
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