Goodwood preview: Stormy team eye special success
By Racing TV
Last Updated: Tue 5 Dec 2023
Stormy Antarctic seeks reward for his admirable consistency as he contests the William Hill Celebration Mile at Goodwood.
The nine-year-old has been superbly campaigned by trainer Ed Walker, winning nine of his 43 races, with nine runner-up efforts – four of those coming in Group Ones.
He bids for a third success at Group Two level when taking on just four opponents in a race won in the past by the likes of top-class runners Mark Of Esteem, Medicean and Raven’s Pass.
Stormy Antarctic, owned by P K Siu, landed Goodwood’s Listed Festival Stakes over 10 furlongs last year and while has not won subsequently, Walker believes he is capable of adding to his earnings tally which stands at almost £730,000.
“He has had a long break since his first run of the season,” said Walker.
“He had a reoccurring issue with his throat, which has resolved. He is in cracking form and doesn’t appear to be nine years old at home, and the rain has come in time.
“It was a great run in the Festival and he made up a huge amount of ground. If they’d have laid up with the leader, he’d have been even closer. He made an unbelievable run from last, passing the majority of the field.”
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Stormy Antarctic has been rated as high as 114 in the past and it is to his credit that he is only 6lb off that mark despite his relatively advanced years.
“We have really looked after him,” added Walker. “He has been second in four Group Ones and has been a star.
“He was our highest-rated horse in the yard for what seemed like an eternity and then got knocked off his perch by English King, then he got ahead of English King again.
“Then Starman knocked him off his perch and then he was retired. And he was back on top again before Dreamloper knocked him off again.
“It is amazing how he has maintained his form. I think he hasn’t quite had the recognition of Lord Glitters, who won a couple of Group Ones, but he is probably just a couple of pounds below Lord Glitters’ level.
“It is great that the Siu family have kept him in training and if only prize money was better in this country, there would be more Stormys knocking around.”
"It feels like my first winner again" - Walker on "hero" Stormy Antarctic after his latest win, in the Festival Stakes at Goodwood in May last year
Simon and Ed Crisford, who saddled Century Dream to victory in this race two years ago, are responsible for both last-time-out Listed scorer Jadoomi and Finest Sound, who was runner-up in York’s Strensall Stakes on his previous appearance.
Jadoomi was gelded and had a 274-day break before landing a nine-furlong Listed event at Clairefontaine last month.
Ed Crisford said: “It is incredible that there are just five runners for a Group Two. Jadoomi won nicely after a long lay-off and he has come out of that very well. He loves the softer underfoot conditions and I think he will run a big race, for sure.
“He was always quite a heavy horse and 100 per cent his gelding will help him mentally and physically.
“He ran in a Group One as a two-year-old, but the fact that he has been off for so long, it is just a case of building him up slowly. If he can come through this well, there are plenty of options for him this autumn.”
Finest Sound took the step back into Group company in his stride at York, and Crisford added: “It was a very good run and he has bounced out of that race. We are extremely happy with him this week and he is very versatile and has won on all ground, so he deserves to take his chance after last week’s run.”
The Charlie Hills-trained Mutasaabeq tops the official ratings on a mark of 112, having risen 3lb for his smart head runner-up effort in the Summer Mile at Ascot.
Things have not fallen his way this term since taking a Thirsk conditions event on his seasonal debut, having been beaten a neck by Lights On in the bet365 Mile at Sandown and when a close-up third to Megallan in the Diomed at Epsom on Derby day.
Mutasaabeq bids for Group Two glory on Saturday (Photo: Focusonracing)
His jockey Jim Crowley hopes he can gain a measure of compensation and said: “This has been his target for a while.
“He ran very well at Ascot behind Chindit and didn’t really handle the track at Epsom prior to that when he also lost a shoe.
“We are hopeful of a big run for him, as he has been knocking on the door and it would be nice to see him get his head in front in a Group Two.
“It is a pity that this race has cut up considerably and even last year there was a strong field, but he won’t mind if the ground came up soft, as he is pretty versatile.”
The David O’Meara-trained Escobar, head runner-up to Blue For You in a valuable big-field York handicap last week, rounds out the field.
“He ran well at York recently and went back up 4lb for that,” said O’Meara. “He often runs well at Goodwood in a small field and he is in good form.
“He won a Balmoral in soft ground, so it is not like he can’t go on soft ground. You never know with Escobar what he is going to do. He has a bit to do on the ratings. He is a funny horse, who is very capable on his day.
“The good thing is he has got more consistent as he has got older.”
Leger hopes on the line for Hoo Ya Mal
(Photo: Focusonracing)
Hoo Ya Mal puts his Cazoo St Leger aspirations to the test when he steps up in trip for the William Hill March Stakes (In Memory Of John Dunlop) at Goodwood on Saturday.
Second in the Derby behind Desert Crown at Epsom when in the care of Andrew Balding, he was subsequently sold to Australian owners for £1.2million with the aim of running in the Melbourne Cup.
However, before transferring to Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott, the son of Territories has been allowed to continue with his domestic campaign in the hands of George Boughey.
He made his first start for the Newmarket-based handler when third in the Gordon Stakes last month and now returns to the Sussex Downs for his first try at 14 furlongs ahead of a possible run in the final Classic of the season.
“He’s settled in well and we ran him only a few weeks after having him at Goodwood when he seemed to handle the track,” said Boughey.
"We're very happy with him" - George Boughey after Hoo Ya Mal's third on stable debut in the Gordon Stakes at this track
“He’s obviously stepping up in trip for the first time and that’s got to be a question mark, but he’s been bought to win a Melbourne Cup so you’ve got to test him at some point. I don’t think that will pose any troubles for him, he seemed to hit the line well the last day and this looks the right race for him.
“He’s in the Leger, he takes his racing well and if he comes out of this race in good shape that is very much the plan before he heads out to Gai and Adrian in Australia.”
Only four go to post for the one-mile-six-furlong Group Three contest, where Hoo Ya Mal’s biggest danger could be William Haggas’ Perfect Alibi.
The Queen’s three-year-old was far too keen when disappointing in the Queen’s Vase at Royal Ascot, but got back on track with a taking victory in handicap company at Newbury.
David O’Meara’s Animato has won twice in the handicap ranks this season but was unable to land a blow when on Racing League duty most recently and could struggle to make his mark in his first appearance in this calibre of race, while the quartet is completed by Irish raider Pink Fire Lilly.
Bright Diamond set for Prestige test
Bright Diamond makes a huge debut impression on the July Course
Bright Diamond faces an acid test on Saturday when she looks to build on her brilliant Newmarket debut in the William Hill Prestige Fillies’ Stakes.
Karl Burke’s filly blew away the opposition with a breathtaking display on the July Course, sauntering to a nine-length success and looking like a potential star in the process.
It is hard to get a real grasp of the form with the race set aside for newcomers and only one of the beaten horses running since – finishing down the field at Carlisle.
But connections are keen to find out where they stand with the daughter of El Kabeir and this Group Three affair should give a good indication of whether they can begin to dream big.
“We’re on a mission to find out how good she is at Goodwood,” said Philip Robinson, assistant racing manager to owner Sheikh Rashid Dalmook Al Maktoum.
“Obviously she was very impressive at Newmarket. We don’t really know how good those were behind her, but you can’t do any more than win like she did.
“I went up to see her and she is very very laid-back and relaxed at home, she doesn’t sparkle anyway, she is just so laid-back.
“We’re on mission to see where we are with her, whether we can step up to Group One races in the future. Everyone is guessing and I don’t think Karl really has a clue. We think she is probably useful, but how good, we don’t know that yet. She’s one of those that hopefully wakes up on the track.
“Fairy Cross is probably the danger, she finished second at Sandown in the Listed race to Dance In The Grass, who is one of ours and we think a lot of, so we’ll learn plenty.”
Fairy Cross is the general market leader for the seven-furlong contest and bids to enhance Godolphin’s fine record in the juvenile division this season.
Fairy Cross only found one too strong in Listed company last time
Charlie Appleby’s daughter of Dubawi was beaten less than a length By Dance In The Grass in the Sandown contest mentioned by Robinson, while Richard Hannon’s Bet Me was fourth on that occasion and has already tasted success at this venue on debut before that.
The Queen is also strongly represented by Richard Hughes’ Candle Of Hope, who attempts to build on her Denford Stakes third.
An easy winner of her first two starts, she was beaten just over a length in her first foray in Group company at Newbury and with black type secure, her handler is confident of a bold bid.
“She’s a great filly,” said Hughes. “We were a little bit cautious with the way we rode her the last day. It was very important to get the black type with her and in hindsight we were perhaps a bit unlucky not to get second.
“Now we have our black type, we can be a bit more bolshie with the way we ride her as she stays well.”
Queen Olly burst onto the scene at York and has since performed admirably in defeat in both the Albany and Duchess of Cambridge Stakes, while John Quinn is looking forward to stepping Breege up in trip following her third in the Princess Margaret Stakes at Ascot.
He said: “We’re happy with her and seven furlongs will suit her. She’s in good nick and we’re expecting her to run well.”
The Sweet Solera Stakes could prove an informative formline at Goodwood
The field is completed by Mottisfont (Hughie Morrison), Ivory Madonna (Richard Spencer) and Inanna (Sean Woods), who finished third, fourth and sixth respectively in the Sweet Solera Stakes at Newmarket earlier this month.
A winner on debut at Ffos Las, Mottisfont was making just her second start when staying on strongly for a place on the podium and her trainer is optimistic she will have benefitted for that experience.
“We were pleased with her run at Newmarket considering she had the least experience of the first three or four, I think,” said Morrison.
“As we don’t wind them up too much, it was like her first proper run, so you would hope she would come on from the experience. It looks competitive, like it should do, and the ground is obviously going to be a bit different to what she has experienced so far.
“We nearly waited for the mile race at Doncaster, but she seemed fit and well and we thought we better go when we’re happy with her.”
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