Paul Hanagan had ridden only four winners from 118 rides at Goodwood in the last five years before the start of racing on Friday but the fifth suggested that his low strike-rate here is more of a quirk than a pattern. Hanagan timed his challenge perfectly, as Muthmir got up against the far rail to beat Take Cover by a head in the Group Two King George Stakes, and he can now look forward to riding the same horse as one of the favourites for the Nunthorpe, a Group One, at York in August.
Muthmir had enough speed and class to finish third in the King’s Stand Stakes at Royal Ascot and had the strong pace he needs to chase to produce his best form as Justineo scorched down the middle of the track. The entire field slowly drifted across the course behind the clear leader and Hanagan then switched towards the far rail to deliver his challenge, grabbing the lead well inside the final furlong. Take Cover went after him but Muthmir’s quality was always holding him at bay.
Muthmir was cut to a top-price of 7-1 for the Nunthorpe behind Wesley Ward’s juvenile filly Acapulco, the winner of the Queen Mary Stakes at Royal Ascot, who will receive nearly 2st in weight from Muthmir if she lines up on the Knavesmire. Sole Power, last year’s Nunthorpe winner, is also 7-1 and it is 10-1 bar the three.
“I got a lovely tow off Justineo which suited him really well,” Hanagan said. “I think the Nunthorpe will suit him because the faster they go, the better. In those better races it suits him really well because he’s quite free.
“He can just prick his ears in front and he did a bit there but, when the other horse came to him, he went again. But the most important thing is just to get him relaxed because he can do too much.”
“I was gutted after the King’s Stand because I thought that was his race this year but it was a messy race for him,” William Haggas, Muthmir’s trainer, said. “He’s quick and we will stick to five furlongs with him. I hope this won’t be the last one he wins.”
In stark contrast to Hanagan’s record at Goodwood, Richard Hughes rode nine winners at this meeting alone last season and still has an outside chance to finish his career in the saddle as the week’s top jockey. Hughes, who will retire to pursue a new career as a trainer on Saturday evening, rode his second winner of the meeting on Belvoir Bay in the card’s nursery handicap and remains in contention behind Frankie Dettori, who has four winners after a double on Friday, and Andrea Atzeni and James Doyle, who have three.
Hughes’s rides on Saturday include Ninjago in the Stewards’ Cup Handicap and Hairdryer, who runs in the colours of Sir Alex Ferguson, in an event for juvenile maidens. He is then due to conclude his outstanding career on Fox Trotter in the Qatar Stakes Handicap.
Dubday, the biggest fish in the limited pond of Qatari thoroughbred racing, made a mark on the first year of the country’s £25m, decade-long sponsorship of Glorious Goodwood when he became the first horse trained in Qatar to win a race in Britain.
Dubday’s task in the Group Three Glorious Stakes was aided by a trouble-free run under Dettori as The Corsican, the 15-8 favourite, struggled to escape from a pocket. Once he was finally free, The Corsican ran on well but could close only to three-quarters of a length.
“Dubday is a champion in Qatar and is a favourite for so many people,” Jassim Al Ghazali, the winner’s trainer, said. “Winning a Group race in Britain is never easy and I am thankful he was able to do it. He is special. I give this winner for all of my country [and] I hope that we can bring over 30 horses next year.”
It was the third winner of the meeting for Dettori, who completed his double on Tashaar in the concluding race.
“It’s a great victory for us,” said Dettori, who has credited Sheikh Joaan al-Thani, Dubday’s owner, with rescuing the jockey’s career after Dettori served a six-month ban for using cocaine. “I take my hat off to Jassim, who has done a fabulous job with this horse. This was the main target and it has come off.”
So Beloved, a 10-1 chance, was the eighth horse in the last decade to win the BetFred Mile from a single-figure draw, beating Belgian Bill (drawn nine), with The Rectifier, drawn two, back in third.
Daniel Tudhope was soon tracking the pace and found running room when he needed it to give David O’Meara the 500th winner of his training career.
