Action during the final day of Qatar Goodwood Festival, yesterday.
Goodwood, West Essex: Gifted Master, yesterday took his career earnings to £750,000 with his short-head victory in the £250,000 Qatar Stewards’ Cup - his winners’ prize being £155,625 - on the fifth and final day of Qatar Goodwood Festival 2018.
Always near the front of the field, he was headed two furlongs out, but jockey Jason Watson kept his cool and produced the horse to put his head on the line to win in a fast 1m 9.56s.
It was a first win in the famous handicap for Newmarket trainer Hugo Palmer, who has trained this horse since he was bought as a yearling.
“He has won all his handicap outings now!” said Palmer.
“He was our first two-year-old winner of the year as a juvenile when he won at the Craven meeting in April, he finished his two year-old season rated 112 and he has been rated that at two, three and four and now at five and now he has just won a Stewards’ Cup off top-weight … A huge word has to go to the jockey -
“I wanted a high draw but not perhaps as a high as we got and I told him that and to gravitate across to the middle of the track to where we thought the nicest ground was. Jason [Watson] wasn’t remotely flustered when he was headed, he was strong, he was cool, he was calm - easy for a young lad to get going too quick.”
QREC Chairman Eisa Al Mohannedi (left) speaks to Duke of Richmond on the final day of Qatar Goodwood Festival, yesterday.
Hazzard proves a menace to rivals
The Paul Cole-trained Duke Of Hazzard showed a willing attitude to land the £30,000 Qatar EBF Stallions Maiden under David Probert. He travelled stylishly into contention in the home straight and when challenged by Sky Defender, the two-year-old son of Lope De Vega found plenty for pressure to score by a half-length in the seven-furlong event.
Cole, said: “Duke Of Hazzard ran really well in the Chesham at Royal Ascot, before finishing second in a hot maiden at Salisbury and we thought he had come on from that run ... He drew away nicely there when he was challenged and he will probably go to Deauville for a Listed event now in about two weeks.
“It is worth a lot of money and I think he will improve for the step up to a mile ... Historically, I’ve won a few races in the past here at Goodwood and it’s great to be back in the winner’s enclosure.”
