Regal Reality’s jockey L Dettory celebrates after winning the Bonhams Thoroughbred Stakes (G3) yesterday.
Goodwood, West Essex: The brilliant Battaash produced one of the finest sprinting performances of recent times with a sensational blitzkrieg in the £312,000 G2 King George Qatar Stakes.
The Charlie Hills-trained four-year-old travelled with menace throughout the five-furlong event and displayed a potent turn of foot to put the race to bed in a matter of strides, winning readily by four lengths under Jim Crowley.
The son of Dark Angel was an easy two and a quarter-length winner of the race last year and became the eighth horse in history to win the G2 event on two occasions.
Lambourn handler Hills described the performance by Battaash, who had to carry a 3lb penalty for his G1 success in last year’s Prix De L’Abbaye, as “a career best” as he toyed with his rivals. A return to G1 company now beckons for the speed machine with Paddy Power making Hills’ charge the Evens favourite from 7/4 for the G1 Nunthorpe Stakes at York on August 24. Battaash won in a time of 56.50s - he was 0.49 seconds outside the Goodwood five-furlong record.
Earlier, trainer William Haggas registered a 21/1 double with the narrow success of 3/1 favourite Pretty Baby in the G3 £80,000 L’Ormarins Queens Plate Oak Tree Stakes.
Ridden by Dane O’Neill, the three-year-old daughter of Orpen displayed a smart turn of foot in the closing stages to hold off the challenge of the fast-finishing 7/1 shot Dancing Star by a neck.
Haggas, also saddled Seniority, the 9/2 joint-favourite, to victory for Her Majesty The Queen in the £150,000 Unibet Golden Mile.
Haggas is currently the leading trainer at this year’s Qatar Goodwood Festival with four victories. Move Swiftly (Matchbook Time To Move Over Fillies’ Handicap) and Alfarris (Matchbook Betting Exchange Handicap) have also tasted success so far this week. It was also Haggas’ 50th winner at Goodwood.
He said: “Dane O’Neill said the saddle went forward at the top of the bend. He rode a beautiful race on Pretty Baby, but it was not as smooth as he would have liked. It was her first time at seven furlongs and we always thought she might appreciate the step up in trip, so it was good.
Sir Michael Stoute gets a quick double on the card with Regal Reality’s one and three-quarter length victory in the Bonhams Thoroughbred Stakes (G3) for owner-breeder Cheveley Park Stud. The three-year-old Intello colt was sent off a 10/1 chance.
Chris Richardson, racing and stud manager for Cheveley Park Stud, said: “Today we were very much on a fact-finding mission. He is a lovely horse, and exciting prospect, we stand the stallion Intello and we took a commitment five years ago to have the horse brought to England [from France] for breeders. He is a stallion we have confidence in.
Earlier, Mirage Dancer shone in the Bombay Sapphire Glorious Stakes (G3), the sixth race victory for trainer Sir Michael Stoute and a third in succession following on from Kings Fete in 2016 and Poet’s Word in 2017. This year Poet’s Word is a dual Group 1 winner of the Prince Of Wales’s Stakes and the King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Stakes.
