Garswood, ready winner of the Group 2 Lennox Stakes on Tuesday, is still “a
big schoolboy,” according to trainer Richard Fahey, with the promise of much
more to come. The three-year-old won the Free Handicap on his seasonal debut
before a seventh place in the Two Thousand Guineas and a fourth in the Jersey
Stakes. He has now has put his career firmly back on track in the feature on the
Glorious Goodwood opening day.
The 9-4 favorite, Garswood came with a strong run from last to first under
Ryan Moore to beat Caspar Netscher by a cozy neck.
“We’ve got him really switched off now and he was only learning his trade
today in the last 100 yards,” Fahey said. He really is still a big schoolboy at
the moment.”
Fahey was delighted to pick up the £66,840 first prize for owners David
Armstrong and Cheveley Park Stud, and that it covered his own expenditure for
the day, a new tweed cap purchased on course because of the rain.
“It was either the cap or a straw hat and it cost £48 and is the most
expensive cap I’ve ever bought, and up in the north you could get a cap and a
suit for that,” he quipped.
“We’ve always felt he was a very nice horse and he’s not at all the finished
article yet,” Fahey said. “He’s a big boy and he’s growing up all the time. He
will be in training next year and we haven’t really got stuck into him 100
percent this year as there will be more to come. We’re hand picking our way with
him so far with that in mind but if we do have a Group 1 target for him this
year, it’s the Prix de la Foret at Longchamp.”
Last year’s German Two Thousand Guineas winner Caspar Netscher had a great
run back after resuming his racing career following a spell where he proved
sub-fertile at stud.
The four-year-old was bought back by his previous owner Charles Wentworth and
in April joined David Simcock, who was very pleased by the colt’s neck-second to
Garswood.
“I’m delighted,” Simcock said. “I can’t believe he won’t come on from that
run and — as you would expect — he was a bit fresh early on. He traveled well,
had a really good demeanor and it looked like he was going to do it.
“Mentally he is very good and he is a pleasure to train. I hope he has two or
three racing years ahead of him.
“He joined me in April and there was a long turnaround getting him ready for
racing and it has worked well getting him back now as the right races come at
the right time. We’ll look at the Hungerford Stakes, the Park Stakes and the
Foret will be his late-season target. I will also stretch him to a mile at some
point.”
Richard Hannon-trained horses ran one-two in the Group 3 Molecomb Stakes for
two-year-olds when 8-1 shot Brown Sugar got the better of stablemate
Anticipated, a 7-2 chance.
“They were both flat out all the way and I think in another couple of strides
that the other horse would have won,” Hannon said. “The winner did everything
wrong at Newmarket last time and he’ll probably step up to six now — in fact I
should have put him in the Richmond Stakes here. The second will probably stick
at five furlongs.”
“They went very quick for the first two furlongs. He didn’t handle the hill
very well but he came good once he met the level ground and came back on the
bridle strong,” winning rider Pat Dobbs added.
“I was just waiting a few strides before committing because it’s a long way
home in the last furlong for a two-year-old here. I waited as long as I could.
Mentally he will improve. He’d been a bit keen on his last run and he just
needed to settle today, which he did.”
Dobbs was found guilty of careless riding by the Goodwood stewards in that he
allowed his mount to drift left, away from the whip, and interfered with the
third Ambiance in the run to the line. He received a one-day ban which comes
into effect on August 13.
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