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Pearce and Chapple-Hyam Hoping to be Represented in Goodwood Handicap 07/07/10

The £50,000 sportingbet.com Goodwood Handicap is the longest race run over the five days of Glorious Goodwood, with the two mile and five furlong contest providing a wonderful spectacle to start off day two of the meeting, Wednesday, July 28.

Last season’s renewal of the marathon event went to the mare Sweetheart, and another member of the fairer sex could attempt to land the race this year - the Jeff Pearce-trained Dayia.

The six-year-old mare, a dual bumper winner and successful three times on the Flat, is a standing dish in long-distance handicaps, having finished fourth in last season’s Cesarewitch at Newmarket while on her penultimate outing she dead-heated for fourth in the Ascot Handicap over two and a half miles at the Royal meeting. Her most recent run came on the all-weather at Kempton on June 30, when she stayed on to take third in a two-mile handicap.

Jeff Pearce reported today: “If the ground is good or softer, then the sportingbet.com Goodwood Handicap will be under consideration for Daiya.

“She has to have the ground these days, but the distance of the race would certainly suit her.

“A race over two miles or further is what she wants so we will have a look at the ground and see how things are.

“Her last two runs have been great and I am very happy with her at the moment.”

Another possible starter in the Goodwood contest is Tyrrell’s Wood, who beat all bar Sweetheart to be runner-up in the race 12 months ago when trained by the late Terry Mills. Now in the care of Jane Chapple-Hyam, the five-year-old stayed on to be 11th in the Ascot Handicap on his sole outing since. The trainer also has Rangefinder, sixth in the Ascot Handicap, as another possible runner.

Jane Chapple-Hyam said today: “I would like Tyrrell’s Wood to have another crack at the sportingbet.com Goodwood Handicap.

“The only problem at the moment is the decision is slightly out of my hands, as he is due to go through the ring at Tattersalls tomorrow. I am not sure what the owner’s intentions are at the moment, but if he comes back to me then the sportingbet.com Goodwood Stakes will be the target. It just depends if the jumps boys buy him!

“Rangefinder could also be a possible for the race, although he doesn’t want fast ground.

“We are definitely planning to run Golden Sword in the Group Three Coutts Glorious Stakes on the Friday. He was runner-up in the Irish Derby last year and raced for Mike de Kock in Dubai over the winter.

“We have to start him off somewhere and it seems sensible to go for a Group Three rather than pitch him right in at the deep end on his return.”

It was recently revealed that Junior, trained by David Pipe, has the sportingbet.com Goodwood Handicap as a target following his win in the Ascot Handicap last month.

The Coutts Glorious Stakes takes place over a mile and a half and has prize money of £70,000.

Golden Sword ran three times at Meydan, Dubai, earlier this year, doing best when a close third to Campanologist in the Group Two Dubai City of Gold on March 4.

Glorious Goodwood runs from Tuesday, July 27, through to Saturday, July 31. Wednesday, July 28, also features the most prestigious race of the five days, the £300,000 Group One Sussex Stakes as well as the Group Two Veuve Clicquot Vintage Stakes, a top-class race for two-year-olds.