Summerghand triumphs in the Stewards Cup on the final day of Glorious Goodwood
Summerghand, who was beaten a nose in the Wokingham Handicap at Royal Ascot, finally landed a big sprint handicap when the 22-1 shot carrying top weight won the Unibet Stewards Cup, highlight of the final day of Glorious Goodwood.
If connections of the David O’Meara trained six-year-old gelding felt the pain of a narrow defeat at Ascot, this time he was the one inflicting it by beating Kimifive a head. Though they were wide apart across the course it looked like it was on the nod.
At half way both Summerghand and Kimifive were towards the rear, the winner in the group coming up the middle of the course and the runner-up in the group on the far rail and their moves towards the front were almost in parallel but it was Summerghand who prevailed for Danny Tudhope.
“It’s nice for him to get his head in front,” said Tudhope afterwards. “He won a small runner race at Pontefract after Ascot but it’s nice to win a big handicap. He’s a bit tricky but it’s great to do it in a race like this. He was a bit unlucky at Ascot and it just shows how good he is – finally a result has gone his way and it was a great performance with top weight.”
He added: “I wasn’t sure I’d won. I saw a horse on the far side. I felt I had to go when I did and the gaps started opening up. He’s usually last off the bridle and has one burst and I was in front just inside the final furlong which was plenty soon enough.”
Joe Tuite, trainer of Kimifive, was delighted with Kimifive but disappointed with the result in second. “He ran well but got beaten,” he said. “He deserves to win one of these and I’m sure there’s a big race in him one day.”
The well-backed favourite Nahaar was off the bridle a long way out and finished ninth.
The consolation race for the Stewards Cup, the Stewards’ Sprint Handicap, was won with several degrees more comfort by the progressive Treacherous who is trained near Ledbury by Ed De Giles. He beat Dream Today, who had stumbled out of the stalls, a length and three quarters.
“He’s a big horse and has taken his time to mature,” said de Giles of the six-year-old. He hasn’t been over-raced considering his age but he’s relatively fragile and spends most of his time in the swimming pool. Normally he doesn’t do much in front which has helped because it means he doesn’t get clobbered by the handicapper.”
After his first winner, Maydanny, on Tuesday, Mark Johnston, who does so well at Glorious Goodwood, had to wait for ‘his’ race, Saturday’s Unibet Summer Mile, for his second winner of the week. It was the seventh time he has won the race.
The best system at Goodwood is that when the Yorkshire trainer has several runners in a handicap, go for the one which is the biggest price and that was the case with Hochfield, a 15-2 shot who was the outsider of his three runners in the mile and three quarter handicap.
But came with a sustained run down the outside under Harry Bentley to beat Shailene half a length and, having ridden Treacherous, complete a good week for the jockey.
Sheikh Hamdan, who had six winners at Royal Ascot, rounded off another good week following Mohaather’s Sussex Stakes and Battaash’s fourth King George Stakes when Enbihaar won the Lillie Langtry Stakes for the second year in succession.
She may be big but there’s nothing flash about Enbihaar but she gallops all day and outstayed her two younger rivals, Cabaletta and Snow.
