Bullseye: Goodwood might just be the best flat festival and here's why

York usually leads my affections in the race to be crowned Flat meeting of the year, but Goodwood’s Panama hat has now well and truly thrown itself into the ring.

Last week’s Qatar Goodwood Festival was a proper summer showcase, demonstrating everything weird and wonderful about our unrivalled sport. From exhilarating finishes, to in-running traffic jams, to performances that took your breath away - it really did have it all. And the five-day extravaganza even managed to avoid the death squall that so often rains terror on its march from the English Channel! 

I’ve had some time to reflect – so here’s my best and worst of what was a scintillating show on the Sussex Downs. 

Performance of the week 

Unsurprisingly, this prize went right down to the wire. Baaeed had every right to top honours after his Sussex Stakes massacre, while Nashwa hit a new career-best with her facile Nassau victory. The Platinum Queen was pure speed in the Alice Keppel, and Royal Scotsman can feel chagrined that I’ve not given the prize to him after his Richmond romp. 

However, I just couldn’t ignore the star quality that Trillium oozed in the Molecomb Stakes. Richard Hannon’s filly is a daughter of No Nay Never, and boy does she look his heir apparent. Having just her third start in the prestigious Group 3, she travelled sweeter than the pine resin of Canada’s Boreal Forest, dispatching Dragon Stakes winner Rocket Rodney and Royal Ascot runner-up Walbank with consummate ease. 

Let’s make no bones about it, this was a strong renewal – and she absolutely trounced them. Hannon said afterwards he couldn’t believe she was beaten on debut at the track, and I have to agree. Group 1 prizes surely beckon, and every rival should be afraid. 

Handicap good thing of the week

A few threw their hands up for this, but there was one performance that stood tall. In what’s supposed to be one of the hottest handicaps of the season – the Coral Golden Mile – Orbaan strolled home in a canter. 

David O’Meara’s seven-year-old appeared to be handicapped to the hilt on this season’s exploits with a couple of placed efforts in lesser grades set to see him struggle in a race of this nature. 

However, off a mark of 87, he was significantly lower in the handicap than his peak rating of 104 - and that differential bore fruit in one of the biggest races of the week. Only Escobar beat him in the age ranks in the 18-strong field, but Orbaan wound back the clock and travelled like ye olde Orbaan of yesteryear, quickening up on the far side of the track to win very impressively. It wasn’t obvious beforehand, but he sure was a handicap snip! 

Draw bias of the week 

I don’t want to be too curmudgeonly about the track as Ed Arkell and his team provided beautiful ground all week, especially given the recent roasting temperatures. That said, the draw bias on the sprint track for the final day was notable.  

In the Stewards’ Cup, any horse drawn lower than 15 had almost no chance whatsoever, and even those in the middle looked pretty up against it. The returning stall positions of the front five read 19, 28, 27, 26 and 18, so mighty efforts were produced by both the perennially luckless Great Ambassador and Makanah to finish as close as they did from their low berths. 

Big-field sprint handicaps are usually wonderful viewing spectacles, but a significant amount of the thrill was lost from Saturday’s main event as only a quarter of the field had a realistic winning chance.

Race of the week

This was an easy one, for rarely does a race deliver as much as Tuesday’s Goodwood Cup. After all, the mighty octogenarian Stradivarius up against his Ascot conqueror Kyprios and Northumberland Plate weight-carrier extraordinaire Trueshan had all the makings of a battle royale - and so it proved, with all three declared for the showdown.  

All three superstars had a chance in the final couple of furlongs (even with Hollie Doyle keeping Andrea Atzeni in at a crucial moment), but it was her mount, Trueshan, who cried enough first. It’s unlikely the ground was soft enough for Alan King’s contender, but the alternative view is that perhaps he’s not quite good enough under quick conditions as he seems to handle them absolutely fine.

He still ran admirably, but couldn’t lay a hoofprint on the front pair of Kyprios and Stradivarius in the final half-furlong, with the pair almost upside one another in the shadows of the post. 

But just as he did at Royal Ascot, the bellicose, belligerent Kyprios was not to be denied, pulling out more as Stradivarius’ potent finishing thrust gave him every reason to cry enough. A wonderful climax to a race now more than worthy of its Group 1 status.

Riser of the week

Any number of horses will take a thumping by the assessor after last week, but one who keeps laughing at the ratings is Caius Chorister. Gallic giant of the game David Menuisier has improved this filly beyond compare since she’s tackled handicaps, overseeing progress that started from a rating of 53 to a current 85+. 

Two trips to Epsom have seen her in a particularly good light, winning with head in chest both times, but she showed a totally different side of her character when a battling victor on the penultimate day of the meeting. 

A big step up in grade brought with it a much tougher test but she passed with flying colours. And, although it will get even more taxing from now on, there’s no knowing where her ceiling might be.

Ride of the week

Strangely there was no obvious selection here, despite William Buick riding like a man possessed throughout the week - there’s no-one better now, is there? However, I’m awarding the prize to Tom Marquand for his excellent effort aboard Sea La Rosa.  

The Lillie Langtry is often run at a decent gallop but Urban Artist ran off like she had hot water scolding her heels and it was only Marquand and Rob Hornby, who rode Yesyes, that kept her within touching distance. In the end Yesyes wasn’t quite good enough, and it was left to Sea La Rosa to overhaul the runaway leader with 100 yards to go.  

The real trick of this ride was that Marquand had her positioned so perfectly and timed her winning challenge so well that had the race panned out even one iota differently it could well have been another filly that won the race. The young jockey, as is his wont, didn’t panic and instead kept his powder dry until a winning challenge was absolutely necessary – and given the way Urban Artist was coming back at the line, he got it absolutely right.

Hard-luck story of the week 

A plethora of contenders here, though not as many as usual given the cutaway helped matters in the early part of the week. 

Raasel was a tad unfortunate not to win the King George Qatar Stakes, while Samahram was even more unlucky in her bid to land the Oak Tree Stakes. However, first prize surely has to go to Euchen Glen, who got an absolute pasting midway through the Coral Summer Handicap on Saturday. 

We all know that Jim Goldie’s durable stalwart has plenty of gears on soft ground, but here he proved he’s just as adept in quicker conditions. Unfortunately, though, that turn of pace over the 1m6f trip couldn’t be exploited because wherever he tried to go, another rival blocked his path. 

Paul Mulrennan had to sit, suffer and no doubt swear as he watched his mount foiled at every opportunity. The way he flew once clear suggests he was one of the more luckless losers of the season. Next time…

Time to land a Haymaker 

Hughie Morrison’s Haymaker (5.20 Pontefract) looked a bright prospect when he won at Newmarket on his seasonal return off a hefty break and gelding operation, and although he’s not won in two starts since, there have been excuses. His follow-up bid on the Rowley Mile in May probably came too soon, while the ground was soft at Haydock last month.

I’m absolutely convinced that Haymaker would have won the latter contest had conditions been quicker as he travelled best from the front and only gave best inside the final 50 yards.

This drop to a stiff 6f will be right up his street and, although there are other pace angles in the race, it’s not imperative that he leads. There’s plenty of room for manoeuvre off his current mark and the addition of a tongue-tie could eke out further improvement.

Recommended bet

Haymaker (5.20 Pontefract) @ 5.8