Glorious Goodwood hosts trio of Breeders' Cup 'Win and You're In' races

This week’s Goodwood Festival, held south of London near Portsmouth, England, features three Breeders’ Cup “Win and You’re In” races, in which the winners will earn a fees-paid berth into corresponding races at the Breeders’ Cup Championships at Del Mar on Oct. 31 and Nov. 1. 

Racing begins Tuesday and ends Saturday, but Wednesday features the most intriguing race of the festival. The Group 1 Sussex drew a stack field of seven 3-year-olds and up going one mile. 

Field of Gold is the heavy favorite, trading at around 2-5, off his victory in the Group 1 St. James’s Palace last out at Royal Ascot. Prior to that, Field of Gold also won the Irish 2000 Guineas. In the St. James’s Palace, Field of Gold, trained by John and Thady Gosden, unleashed a devastating turn of foot to win going away. He was ridden that day by regular rider Colin Keane, who will miss the mount Wednesday, as he serves a suspension. William Buick will take over on the 3-year-old.

Docklands and Rosallion, one-two in the Group 1 Queen Anne at Royal Ascot last out, meet once again Wednesday. Docklands earned a spot in the BC Mile with his victory in the Queen Anne. Rosallion, who has Sean Levey to ride for Richard Hannon, is trading at around 5-1, despite losing to Docklands, who is trading around 20-1. Docklands, who will get Tom Marquand aboard for Harry Eustace, did pull off an upset in the Queen Anne.

Some other familiar names in the field include former American runner Carl Spackler and BC Juvenile Turf winner Henri Matisse. Earlier this year, Carl Spackler was bought by Yulong Investments and transferred to Australian trainer Ciaron Maher. In his first start overseas, Carl Spackler ran sixth in the Queen Anne. Prior to that, he won the Grade 1 Maker’s Mark Mile at Keeneland in April. At some point, Carl Spackler will be shipped to Australia to run and then head to stud.

After winning the BC Juvenile Turf, Henri Matisse won a Group 3 in Ireland and a Group 1 in France, before finishing second to Field of Gold in the St. James’s Palace. Ryan Moore will ride for trainer Aidan O’Brien. 

O’Brien also entered Serengeti, with Wayne Lordan to ride. Qirat completes the field.

Molecomb Stakes

One race earlier, 2-year-olds will go five furlongs in the Group 3 Molecomb Stakes, which carries a berth into the BC Juvenile Turf Sprint. Lady Iman, trained by Ger Lyons and ridden by Ryan Moore, is likely to postward as the favorite. Lady Iman was undefeated before suffering a defeat in the Group 2 Arlie Stud Stakes at The Curragh and now gets a cutback from that six-furlong race.

Ameeq is trading as the second choice off a fourth-place finish at 100-1 in the Group 2 Norfolk Stakes at Royal Ascot. That race was won by the talented O’Brien runner Charles Darwin. Trainer Charlie Appleby will leg up Buick aboard Military Code, who rates a strong chance.

Nassau Stakes

Thursday’s Group 1 Nassau, for fillies and mares 3 years old and up going 1 1/4 miles, carries a berth into the BC Filly and Mare Turf. 

Early trading had the O’Brien-trained Whirl as the favorite, off her victory in the Group 1 Pretty Polly Stakes. Whirl beat Kalpana in that race, who came back to run a solid second in the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth at Ascot last week. O’Brien had entered Whirl in that race but withdrew her for this spot. 

See The Fire is trading as the early second choice, as she ran third to Ombudsman last out in the Group 1 Prince of Wales’s Stakes at Royal Ascot. Ombudsman, who earned a spot in the BC Turf with that victory, ran second in the Group 1 Coral Eclipse last out.

The Breeders’ Cup Challenge Series: Win and You’re In is an international series of 93 stakes races in15 countries whose winners receive automatic starting positions and fees paid into a corresponding race at the Breeders’ Cup World Championships, held this year at Del Mar on Oct. 31 and Nov. 1.

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