Three of the dozen runners in the Group Two King George Stakes at Goodwood on Friday had a Group One success to their name and all but one had at least run in a Group-class contest, but there is often only a small gap for the best sprint handicappers to bridge when they step into Pattern company and Jm Jungle, the Group-race debutant, proved the point once again with a 14-1 victory in the afternoon’s feature event.
The field was reduced to 11 at the start when Clarendon House planted himself in the stalls, but Jm Jungle, with winner of the “Dash” Handicap at Epsom on Derby day over the fastest five-furlong course in the country, was soon helping to set a strong pace. The Australian-trained mare, Asfoora, a Group One winner at Royal Ascot last summer, made a brief attempt to challenge against the far rail while She’s Quality finished fast down the middle, but Jm Jungle and Jason Hart had just enough left to hold on for a neck success.
It was a second win in the race in the space of three years for the John and Sean Quinn stable, successful in 2023 with the hugely popular Highfield Princess.
“It was easier watching Highfield Princess because she never looked like getting beat,” Sean Quinn said. “I was hoping, willing for the line to come in the last furlong today, but it did and he toughed it out. The second [She’s Quality] came to him and I think he went again.
“He is so good on these downhill tracks, but then he’s good at York, he is just a good horse. Jason said after York [in May] that he would love to ride him in the [Group One] Nunthorpe [at the same track] because they will go lickety-split and that will suit him really well. He is a Group Two winner now and we don’t have far to go, 20-odd miles [to York], so that is something to look forward to.”
Jm Jungle is top-priced at 16-1 for the Nunthorpe on the third day of York’s Ebor meeting later this month.
In Ireland, meanwhile, the news on Friday morning that Thurles racecourse will close with immediate effect was met with sadness and surprise by fans and professionals alike.
Tony McCoy, the 20-times British champion over jumps, and Rachael Blackmore, the first female rider to win the Grand National, both rode their first winners at the County Tipperary track, while leading steeplechasers including Allaho, Sizing John and Amberleigh House landed the track’s Grade Two Kinloch Brae Chase.
“It was a major shock this morning to hear the news,” Willie Mullins, the reigning champion trainer over jumps in both Britain and Ireland, said on Friday. “It will be a huge blow for Irish racing, more specifically Irish jump racing and winter jump racing.“Thurles is a track that always had beautiful ground in the winter when other tracks couldn’t.”
Thurles had been scheduled to stage 11 fixtures during the 2024/25 season.
“I think we’ll be doing our best to see if there’s any way we can save the track for racing in Ireland,” Mullins said. “It will need a lot of local support. However, on the bigger scale, Irish winter jump racing needs it too, I think.”
Get It can sprint home in Stewards’ Cup
A remarkable 37mm of rain arrived at Goodwood on Thursday and the going was officially heavy by mid-afternoon, but the clerk of the course has since suggested that it was probably no worse than soft and breezy weather ahead of Saturday’s Stewards’ Cup should accelerate the drying-out process. If so, it can only be good news for George Baker’s Get It (3.05) in his attempt to repeat last year’s front-running success in Glorious Goodwood’s historic sprint handicap.
There was a sense that Get It had a fair slice of luck on his side after last year’s victory, not least as he had a perfect draw against the stands’ rail, but there was no fluke about his similar all-the-way success in the Wokingham Handicap at Royal Ascot at June, at a track that does not favour front-running tactics to anything like the same extent.
That was a new career-best for George Baker’s seven-year-old and he has ended up just one stall further away from the rail this time around, while a drop in Get It’s rating during lacklustre spell in Bahrain earlier this year means that he is just 6lb higher in the weights despite two wins already this season.
Pat Cosgrave’s rivals will be forewarned of his plan this year but that does not necessarily mean that it will be any easier to counter, and Get It is a tempting 10-1 chance to become the second dual winner of the Stewards’ Cup in the space of three years.
Goodwood 1.20 Al Aasy appeared to back out of a struggle more than once in the early years of his career but an overall strike-rate of 40% – 10 wins from 25 starts – is hard to knock and he was a cosy winner of this contest 12 months ago.
Goodwood 1.55 The stoutly-bred French Duke was never a factor after a slow start in the Duke Of Edinburgh Stakes at Royal Ascot last time, Roger Varian’s gelding had progressed by the race to that point and could well improve further for this step up in trip.
Newmarket 2.10 An opening mark of 77 looks more than fair for Awaafi, who lost little in defeat under a penalty at Haydock last time and should appreciate the stiffer finish here.
Goodwood 2.30 The lightly raced Waardah improved significantly for the step up from a mile to 10 furlongs at this track last time out and she is bred to progress further for an additional half-mile as she tackles Group company for the first time.
Goodwood 1.20 Al Aasy 1.55 French Duke (nb) 2.30 Waardah 3.05 Get It (nap) 3.45 Mudbir 4.20 Isaac Newton 4.55 Longlai
Thirsk 1.38 Rikki Tiki Tavi 2.15 Nepal 2.50 Bondi 3.25 Blind Beggar 4.05 It Just Takes Time 4.40 Big Leader 5.15 Stormy Pearl 5.50 Captain Vallo
Doncaster 1.45 New Vega 2.20 Dublin Bay 2.55 Valley Ofthe Kings 3.30 Rock Diva 4.10 Anthropologist 4.45 Meet Me In Meraki 5.20 Roundhay Park
Newmarket 2.10 Awaafi 2.45 Kaori 3.20 Sioux Life 4.00 Best Rate 4.35 Moon Angel 5.05 Night On Earth
Lingfield Park 5.10 Crystal Mariner 5.40 Fascinating Lips 6.15 A Mere Bagatelle 6.45 Slipper Time 7.15 Rajeteriat 7.45 Mashaan 8.15 Flicka’s Girl
Hamilton Park 5.55 Victor Cee 6.30 Chico Magnifica 7.00 Junkyard Dog 7.30 Classy Al 8.00 Good Point 8.30 Inanna 9.00 Weegeebear
Newmarket 3.20 This drop in grade could see a return to winning form for Sioux Life, a Group Two winner in Italy last year, after coming up short in Group company on her first two starts for Marco Botti.
Goodwood 3.45 Mudbir has an ideal draw against the rail and had no issues with the drop from a mile to seven furlongs when successful on his handicap debut at Sandown in July. He is from one of the Shadwell operation’s best families and could well be better than a handicapper in time.
