Video and report: Summerghand shines to win Stewards' Cup as Glorious Goodwood comes to crowd-free end

Top-weight Summerghand (David O’Meara/Daniel Tudhope, 22/1) put up a fine performance to claim the Unibet Stewards’ Cup, the six-furlong heritage handicapl.

The six-year-old carried 9st 10lb to success – the largest weight carried to victory in the famous contest since Hoof It defied 10st back in 2011. Today’s success also meant that trainer O’Meara has won both of the big handicaps at the Qatar Goodwood Festival, following Prompting’s success in yesterday’s Unibet Golden Mile.

The 27 runners split into three groups, with the winner drawn in stall 17 and racing in the middle group. The six-year-old still had plenty to do a furlong out but came with a tremendous late run to get and score by a head from Kimifive (Joe Tuite/Cieren Fallon (3), 11/1).

Winning jockey Tudhope said: “It is nice for Summerghand to get his head in front; he won a small-runner race at Pontefract a few weeks ago – he was entitled to win that – but it is nice to come here and win a big handicap with him. He has always looked like he could win a nice race like this, but he is a bit tricky.

“He was very unlucky at Royal Ascot [when second in the Wokingham], but it shows how good he is – to come here to another big handicap, and finally the result went his way. I was not sure I had won – I had to look across at the line – but it was a great performance.

“I had a nice draw; there was lots of pace around me and, being drawn in the middle in amongst them, going into the race I was hoping to get a nice run through, and it all panned out right. I felt I had to go when I did, and the gaps came at the right time. He is usually probably one of the last horses off the bridle, and that is just him because he has that much talent, but he has got one burst of speed. I was a bit worried when I hit the front – I looked up and I was just inside the final furlong, which was probably soon enough for him to be in front, but we got there.

“He is just a little bit quirky; when he hits the front he would duck and dive a little bit, but that’s the only reason he has cheekpieces on. He is a very talented horse; David [O’Meara, trainer] is very good with these sprinters and freshening them up. They don’t do a lot at home – they get turned out in the paddocks most days when it’s nice – and he is good at freshening these sprinters up.

“It is very hard to come here and win races like this. I have been in this race a few times and never come close, I don’t think. David had a winner here yesterday, Prompting, but he only had 8st 4lb so I couldn’t ride him. It was great for David and the team and it is nice to come here myself today and ride him a winner.

“These competitive heritage handicaps are ideal for Summerghand, so I am sure there will be a few more down the line.”

Other races...

1.15pm

Ebraz (Julian Smart, Qatar/Maxime Guyon) won the Qatar International Stakes for the second year in succession. The mile contest is a G1 contest for purebred Arabian horses and forms the first leg of the Doha Triple Crown.

Following his victory in 2019, Ebraz went on to become the first winner of the Doha Triple Crown and its US$1 million bonus, with victories in the Qatar Arabian World Cup at Longchamp and the HH The Amir Sword at Doha.

Trainer Julian Smart said: “Ebraz is very special. He is one of the best – he already proved that in Doha, winning the Triple Crown, winning the Amir Sword three times. This is the fourth time he has come to Goodwood – he has been unlucky on two occasions and has managed to win it the last two years. Now we go to France for the Qatar Arabian Gold Cup and who knows, maybe the unthinkable. We already thought the Arabian Triple Crown couldn’t be done and he has done it; maybe he can do another one, you never know."

1.50pm

Treacherous (Ed de Giles/Harry Bentley, 7/1) was the comfortable winner of the six-furlong Unibet Stewards’ Sprint Handicap, the contest for horses eliminated from the Unibet Stewards’ Cup.

The six-year-old delivered his challenge entering the final furlong and was never in any danger thereafter, coming home a length and three quarters to the good over Dream Today (Jamie Osborne/Saffie Osborne (7), 22/1).

Winning trainer, Ledbury-based de Giles, said: “Treacherous is improving all the time, it seems, but he is a big horse and has obviously taken time to mature. He has not been over-raced considering his age, but he would be relatively fragile – he spends most of his time swimming between races now he is fit. He just keeps pulling out more and more. He doesn’t do a lot in front normally, so that probably helps us as we’ve scaled up, so we don’t get clobbered too much each time."

Bentley added: “That was really good from Treacherous – he has done it well. We were probably drawn on the wrong side. All the pace ended up on the stands’ side which I thought would be the case. I was always just searching for cover. I ended up having to just him down the middle of the course. I probably hit the front sooner than I wanted and he ran around in front, but he had the class to get him through. Treacherous is a very good horse.”

2.25pm

Bentley followed up his victory on Treacherous in the opener by landing the second race on day five of the Qatar Goodwood Festival, the 14-furlong Unibet Summer Handicap on Hochfeld (Mark Johnston, 15/2). It was a 67/1 double for the jockey.

Bentley has now ridden four winners at the Qatar Goodwood Festival, just one behind Tom Marquand in the race to be crowned Racing TV Leading Jockey.

Hochfeld, a six-year-old Cape Cross gelding, stayed on to take the lead inside the final furlong, keeping on gamely to take the contest by half a length from Shailene (Andrew Balding/Rob Hornby, 14/1).

Johnston said: “Hochfeld deserved that success and has been knocking on the door of late. He is a tough customer and it is great to win this race again [it was his seventh win in the Qatar Summer Handicap].”

Bentley said: “I thought Shane Kelly went off quite a good gallop in front – I think we went very even fractions for the most part of the race. Just as we reached that top bend, which is quite tight, as always they tend to put the brakes on a bit and fill the horses up in front and you end up then going a bit of a stop-start gallop. Then you turn for home and you have still got a long way to go, so it’s quite enticing to get your horse rolling earlier than you need to here, but Hochfeld was always very comfortable mid-pack, and very, very game."

3.00

Enbihaar (John Gosden/Jim Crowley) justified 1/2 favouritism to win the G2 Qatar Lillie Langtry Stakes for the second year in succession. The five-year-old Redoute’s Choice mare was another winner for owner Hamdan Al Makotum, who is enjoying such a fantastic week with Mohaather taking the G1 Qatar Sussex Stakes and outstanding sprinter Battaash landing yesterday’s G2 King George Qatar Stakes for the fourth time in a course record time.

After overhauling leader Snow (Aidan O’Brien IRE/Ryan Moore, 11/4) entering the final quarter mile, Enbihaar comfortably saw off the challenge of Cabaletta (Roger Varian/David Egan, 7/1) to score by three and a half lengths.

Thady Gosden, assistant trainer to his father John, said: “Enbihaar has run really well and is such a lovely horse. It was only a three-runner field, but she has that lovely long stride and she picked up well in the straight. Jim wasn’t too hard on her and she went round there nicely today. She ran well on her first start and obviously relishes this trip."

Crowley said: “Enbihaar is a big galloping mare. There were only three of us; she always jumps a bit slowly and I just had to sit on Ryan’s girth to keep him honest the whole way, because this mare certainly wouldn’t want a sprint. She did it nicely in the end.

“It has been a great week. I have had some lovely rides. I thought I would probably have a few more, but that is being greedy. Three of my favourite horses went and won, which was nice [Mohaather, Battaash and Enbihaar].”

4.10

Society Lion (Ryan Moore, 5/4 Fav) handed trainer Sir Michael Stoute a first winner of the week and his 81st of all-time at the Qatar Goodwood Festival when taking the seven-furlong Qatar Handicap.

The three-year-old Invincible Spirit colt, homebred by owner Khalid Abdullah’s Juddmonte Farms, hit the front approaching the final and ran on well to score by a comfortable length and a quarter from Mister Snowdon (Richard Hughes/Shane Kelly, 5/1).

Steve Eastwood, representing Sir Michael Stoute, said: “That was straightforward. He did it really well and I would imagine he will step up to Group company now.”

4.40

Jockey Danny Tudhope recorded a 229/1 double on day five of the Qatar Goodwood Festival as 9/1 chance Titan Rock (John Quinn) claimed the British EBF Maiden over seven furlongs.

The two-year-old Belardo colt had finished fourth on debut at Haydock on 18 July and showed the benefit of that experience as he ran on well in the final furlong to score by half a length from 66/1 chance Raging Rascal (Tom Ward/Harry Bentley).

Tudhope, successful earlier in the afternoon on Summerghand in the Unibet Stewards' Cup, said: "It was a nice performance from Titan Rock.

"He travelled into the race really well and picked up nicely - he felt like a nice horse to me.

"He is still a nervous horse who is improving, but he is going to get better.

"Whatever Titan Rock does at the moment is a bonus."

Trainer Quinn said: "Titan Rock ran really well at Haydock; he didn't blow the start, he just went back on his bum when the gates opened and they were gone, and the ground was soft and I think he handled it, but I think he preferred better ground. He is a horse we like.

"He was eligible for the Book One bonus here, so that is massive, and that was on today's race, hence we brought him here, but we felt he was good enough to come here. We will have a look and a think now. He is a fine big animal; a nice colt."

5.10

The Qatar Goodwood Festival 2020 came to close with the LG Signature Apprentice Handicap over nine furlongs, which went to top-weight and 9/2 joint-favourite Muraad (Owen Burrows/Cieren Fallon).

It was the other 9/2 joint-favourite Overwrite (Mark Johnston/Tom Greatrex) that looked to have the race in the bag as entered the final furlong with a clear lead. However, Fallon got a fine tune out of the Hamdan Al Maktoum-owned Muraad to get up and score by half a length.

Trainer Burrows said: "Brilliant! I said to Cieren, don't panic. Muraad has led the last twice, but I didn't want him to get into a fight to try and lead - he had a lot of weight, 10st. He has given him a great ride - a cool head on young shoulders.

"I don't know whether Muraad quickened or whether he stayed on; this is his first try at a mile and one furlong. On that he will get a mile and a quarter, no problem.

"This is my first winner at Glorious Goodwood. I am just lucky that I've got a great team behind me and we have some nice horses."

Fallon said: "The race panned out how I predicted.

"A lot of people wanted to be handy and whilst Muraad jumped OK, a lot of other riders pressed forward to get a nice position.

"They were a lot of pace on the race and I took my time on him as they went a strong gallop.

"I had two options of either going round the field or waiting for a gap to come and thankfully one did.

"He burst through the gap and Muraad had a lot of determination.

"He was really game and I would be happy to step him up to a mile and a quarter.

"Hopefully, he can continue his winning ways now."

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