Royal
Ascot winner Forgotten Voice followed up in good style when landing today's
opening race at Glorious Goodwood, the Group Three Coutts Glorious Stakes.
Trainer
Nicky Henderson - better known as Britain's champion jump trainer - has done a
fine job with the eight-year-old gelding, who has been sidelined more than once
by injury, but has now won nine of 22 races over hurdles and on the Flat.
Henderson
was absent from today's meeting attending a friend's birthday in Portugal, but
jockey Johnny Murtagh, who won Royal Ascot's Wolferton Handicap on Forgotten
Voice, paid the winning trainer an indirect compliment when asked about his own
fledgling training career. Murtagh said: "When I became a trainer I
didn't realise how hard it would be to get anywhere - I know now."
Of
Forgotten Voice, he said: "I think going hurdling freshened and sweetened
him up. He's very relaxed and cruised through today's race. He's improved since
Ascot and it's a pleasure to ride him.
"I
thought that a mile and a half might be hard going today against a lot of
horses that stay well but he settled great. He is a good horse and probably as
good now as ever. He jumped well and I following Mickael Barzalona (on
Masterstroke) and got a lovely tow into the race. I looked up and saw the
four-furlong marker and told myself to relax. He won quite well.
"The
ground is beautiful today - it's really good ground. The rain has probably
helped it a little bit and I have no complaints."
Owner
Susan Roy was also absent, but her husband, Paul, said: "I've no idea
where we go from there, but I am thinking of retiring him. He is eight after
all and he's done everything. Nicky will probably resist that and say we ought
to go for a good hurdles race somewhere - that would be a storyline, but Mrs
Roy might have something to say about that.
"He's
got a lot better as he's matured, but he had two years off with injury. All
these horses need time and he's been around the world from Meydan to Market
Rasen - he even ran in the Group One Champion Stakes won by Twice Over.
"He
is a fairytale, an absolute fairytale. He was fourth to Rip Van Winkle in the
Sussex Stakes here in 2009, went out to Dubai and ran in the Dubai World Cup,
and then got injured. I recently became chairman of Retraining of Racehorses -
perhaps we ought to think about making him an eventer."
ROAD
HEADS FOR EBOR
Godolphin racing manager
Simon Crisford had different views of the operation's two runners in the
opening Group Three Coutts Glorious Stakes on the fourth day of Glorious
Goodwood. He was pleased with runner-up Lost In The Moment, but disappointed in
Masterstroke, who finished fifth of six on his first run since his third in
last year's Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe.
"He's run well,"
he said of six-year-old Lost In The Moment. "He didn't appear to be
thinking too much about it and he's run all the way to the line. But it's back
to the drawing board with Masterstroke, I think. He's not done particularly
well physically from three to four and today he was a bit keen and fizzy.
"He travelled all
right in the middle part but found nothing. We'll probably look for a smaller
race on soft ground to try to get his confidence back."
David Simcock was
philosophical after Sheikhzayedroad's arguably unlucky third place, beaten two
lengths by the winner Forgotten Voice. "You take it as it comes,"
said the Newmarket trainer. "He's not straightforward and doesn't make it
easy for any jockey. Martin [Lane] gets on with him very well, and rides him
well. But there was jockeyship out there today - Johnny [Murtagh, on winner]
saw him coming, and almost took a pull.
"He'll go for the
Ebor, and I'd be quite excited about running him in that. A big field on a fast
flat track should suit and the trip shouldn't be a problem."
The 1m 6f Ebor Handicap is
at York on 24 August.
GOING
AFTER THE FIRST
Johnny Murtagh, partner of
the 3/1 winner Forgotten Voice, said: "Really good ground - a bit loose on
top."
Silvestre de Sousa, rider
of the half-length second Lost In The Moment, said: "It is a bit dead but
nice."
Martin Lane, jockey of
third Sheikhzayedroad, said: "Lovely ground."
Jim Crowley, rider of
fourth Montaser, said: "It is good ground - there is no firm in it at
all."
Mickael Barzalona, rider
of Masterstroke, said: "Good."
Andrea Atzeni, on board
Mijhaar, said: "Good to firm."
1.55pm
Coutts Glorious Stakes (Group 3)
£60,000
total prize fund. For 4yo+, 1m 4f. Weights: colts and geldings 9st; fillies 8st
11lb. Penalties: after November 1st, 2012, a winner of a Group 3 race 3lb; of a
Group 2 race 5lb; of a Group 1 race 7lb. Penalty value 1st £34,026.00 2nd
£12,900.00 3rd £6,456.00 4th £3,216.00 5th £1,614.00 6th £810.00
1)
FORGOTTEN VOICE (IRE) (Susan Roy) Nicky Henderson 8-9-00 Johnny Murtagh [1] 3/1
2) LOST
IN THE MOMENT (IRE) (Godolphin) Saeed bin Suroor p6-9-00 Silvestre De Sousa [3]
100/30
3)
SHEIKHZAYEDROAD (Mohammed Jaber) David Simcock 4-9-00 Martin Lane [6]
4)
MONTASER (IRE) (Dr Marwan Koukash) David Simcock 4-9-00 Jim Crowley [4]
5)
MASTERSTROKE (USA) (Godolphin) Charlie Appleby 4-9-00 Mickael Barzalona [7] 5/2
Fav
6)
MIJHAAR (Sheikh Ahmed Al Maktoum) Roger Varian h5-9-00 Andrea Atzeni [5]
6
ran
Non-runner:
Aiken (Self Cert - Not Eaten Up)
Time: 2m
36.95s
Distances:
½, 1½, 3, 2¾, 6
Breeder:
Swettenham Stud And Ben Sangster
Breeding:
Danehill Dancer (IRE) - Asnieres (USA) (Spend A Buck (USA)
Tote
Win £3.60 Place £1.60
£2.10 Exacta £13.60
Winning
Trainer: Nicholas (Nicky) John Henderson Based: Seven Barrows,
Lambourn, Hungerford, Berkshire Date of birth:10/12/50 Date of first
licence: July (1978) Previous occupation/ apprenticeship: Amateur
jockey, assistant to Fred Winter 1975-78 Champion Trainer Over Jumps (3): 1985-86,
1986-87, 2012-13 Cheltenham Festival Wins: 50 Major Flat wins:
Cesarewitch Handicap (2003 Landing Light, 2008 Caracciola), Goodwood Handicap
(2005 Afrad, 2010 Ghimaar), Glorious Stakes (2013 Forgotten Voice) Royal
Ascot Wins (3): Queen Alexandra Stakes (2009 Caracciola), Ascot Stakes
(2011 Veiled), Wolferton Handicap (2013 Forgotten Voice), First Goodwood
Winner: Afrad, Goodwood Stakes, July 27, 2005 Total Goodwood Wins: 3
(3 at Festival) Flat wins (2002-2012): 4; 4; 1; 2; 0; 3; 3; 3; 1,2 ,2 Flat
wins in 2013: 4
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