The sprint showpiece of day four at Glorious Goodwood is the Group 2 King George Qatar Stakes. An international line-up will take to the track for this year’s renewal as Joe Napier previews the contest below.
Sprint stalwart Highfield Princess was a class above the opposition when claiming a clearcut success in 2023.
BIG EVS
(Michael Appleby/Tom Marquand)
A sprinting superstar with a top class strike rate, Big Evs has won five of his seven races since a narrow defeat on debut, and has finished out of the first three only once. That came when taking part in the Nunthorpe as a two-year-old last season, which proved unrealistic, but he became a Group 1 winner at the Breeders’ Cup and has evidently trained on.
He was only headed in the last half-furlong in the King Charles III Stakes at Royal Ascot and remains a very tough nut to crack from the front. This venue should ensure it is even tougher to get by him given the speed at which they career down hill and he is better off with the winner than he was at the royal meeting.
ASFOORA
(Henry Dwyer/Oisin Murphy)
Henry Dwyer’s mare has made the best of her venture over to the UK from her base in Australia. Asfoora was not far off Group 1 standard in her home country, finishing as a runner-up at that level in September, but she has made hay over here, winning the King Charles III Stakes in impressive style under Oisin Murphy.
She was always prominent that day and will likely be in close attendance here too/ Dwyer has already announced his intention for the six-year-old to take part in the Nunthorpe at York, and that prestigious prize may be her primary hope of another success, as she carries greater penalties in this Group 2 contest. She is still very likely to be involved, but it would be no surprise if she only operated at 80% here.
BELIEVING
(George Boughey/Billy Loughnane)
Extremely progressive over the last two seasons, Believing looks set to be a mainstay at this level for a number of seasons. She was a 66/1 third in last season’s 6f Sprint Cup at Haydock, but has since made such fancy prices seem a mockery, especially as she has also adapted to 5f trips.
She won over this distance in commanding fashion at Haydock, before taking in both Group 1 sprints at Royal Ascot. She finished fourth in both of those, but has since mopped up Group 2 honours cosily at the Curragh. That sees her carry a penalty here, which does add an extra level of difficulty, but she is another who should be thereabouts.
STARLUST
(Ralph Beckett/Rossa Ryan)
Where others have long been participants at this 5f trip, Starlust has more regularly taken in races over 6f, though that may now be a thing of the past. His runs at that longer sprint trip this term have seen him record figures of 68, the latter when still in contention over a furlong out in the Group 1 Commonwealth Cup before fading.
However, his figures over 5f this year have been 11, both being secured in great style by the time the line arrived. He chased home Big Evs when third at the Breeders’ Cup last term, but might find this sets up perfectly for him to track the leaders before overhauling them late on. He has a real chance of making this leap back up in class a successful one.
THE FIELD
Further international runners include Ponntos, fifth and sixth here the last two years, but in great form on the continent this term. He chases a fourth successive win here, although connections may hope for some rain. The same would possibly be useful for Kerdos, winner of the Group 2 Temple Stakes at Haydock on such a surface, and Makarova, a Group 3 scorer at Sandown on soft two starts back.
Live In The Dream has not scaled the heights of his Nunthorpe win last term as yet, but this course and distance should be perfect for him in theory. Desperate Hero does definitively love it here, but may not quite be classy enough. Rogue Lightning is another that may fall into that category.
Sturlasson’s is a decent handicapping front-runner but is up against it, though Moss Tucker is an interesting outsider based on his Group 1 win over the Curragh’s 5f last year.
Matthew Sutcliffe’s Goodwood Tips – Bumper Seven Selections for Day 4
Day four at Glorious Goodwood sees competitive handicaps and Group races aplenty, and Matty Sutcliffe has more than doubled down. He has a whopping SEVEN selections for you to follow on Friday. 1:50 Goodwood – Coral Goodwood Handicap (Class 2) (3yo+ 0-105) – Super Superjack 7/1 1pt WIN + Gooloogong 50/1 0.5pt EW 6 places…
Thu 01 Aug 2024
VERDICT
Asfoora may have her sights set at the Nunthorpe more prevalently than this race, while Big Evs could face significant competition for the lead from Desperate Hero, Live In The Dream, Ponntos and Sturlasson. That number of front-runners could set up the race perfectly for STARLUST and Believing, with the three-year-old preferred. His two runs over 5f this season have seen two power-packed displays, and his strength through the finish can see him overhaul the leaders, with George Boughey’s mare potentially a danger alongside.
- Starlust
- Believing
- Big Evs
