Unibet Lennox Stakes |
|
Group 2, Goodwood 15:00
£180,000 added,
3yo plus,
7f, Class 1  |
|
Tuesday 27th July 2021 |
1 Kinross 6/1
2
Creative Force 2/1F
3 Happy Power 16/1
8 ran NR: Duke Of Hazzard , Fivethousandtoone, Khuzaam, Pogo, Prince Eiji, Real Appeal
Distances: nk, hd, nk Time: 1m 31.02s (slow by 6.12s)
Kinross delivered a Group 2 double for trainer Ralph Beckett and owner Marc Chan when winning the Unibet Lennox Stakes over seven furlongs.
Following up the victory of stablemate
Angel Bleu in the G2
Unibet Vintage Stakes 35 minutes previously, Kinross quickened between rivals inside the final furlong and edged ahead to deny favourite
Creative Force by a neck. In what was a thrilling finish,
Happy Power out-ran his odds of 16/1 to take third, a head behind the front two.
This was a first Qatar Goodwood Festival success for winning rider Rossa Ryan.
Beckett said: “Kinross nearly got their too soon at Haydock. I was very keen that Rossa rode him absolutely cold today and it’s panned out perfectly.
“He has never been a particularly difficult horse to train, he's just been a difficult horse to read. I felt that last year I was always trying to get him ready, so I didn't bother getting him ready for Kempton when he won the Hyde Stakes, I just got him there in reasonable shape.
“Taking him to Dubai seemed like a good decision at the time but that didn't work.
“Gelding him was a good idea and sticking to slow ground is key. The formbook doesn't lie and his mother was very good on soft ground, although not as good as him. We'll be sticking to good or softer from now on.
"He'll definitely go back up in grade. The Prix de la Foret is a race that I have always thought would suit him well and we will work back from there."
Beckett added: “This time last year we started buying horses for Marc Chan. It has been great, he is a lovely man, a lovely man to deal with. Hopefully we will keep doing the job for him.
“I said to James Delahooke, who helps Mr Richmond-Watson [previous owner] with his mares, at the beginning of the three-year-old year that Kinross could be one for the July Cup, and I still think that.”
Ryan said: “I think Mr Beckett would admit, it took a while to find Kinross out, but he has really got to the bottom of him now and I think he will progress again.
“I was very shocked when I looked into his form how he had two months between his last runs. He seems to be a horse who goes well fresh. Kinross has a tremendous turn of foot and somewhere like here really did suit as I could stay sitting in behind. A furlong and a half from home, I was thinking I could do with a gap, but I had so much horse underneath me. When one appears, I'm ready and, when I said go, he was there for me.
“You have to use Kinross for his turn of foot. He doesn't like to be there too soon and even Frankie Dettori said to me before I went out that I got there too soon at Haydock. Even out there today, I got there 50 yards from the line and I still thought I got there too soon. He had a look at the crowd but just has so much ability. He is a horse with a turn of foot who can get there as late as he wants.
“Kinross is not the biggest in the world and I think he has just beaten the best seven-furlong horses around. He showed that much boot there, you'd like to think a stiff six furlongs on heavy ground, he would be just as good as it would slow those sprinters down."
Charlie Appleby said of Creative Force and last year’s winner
Space Blues, who finished fourth: “Unfortunately, it wasn't the strongest run race. William's tactics were to ride Space Blues like he rode him last year, but the pace wasn't there for him to aim at.
“I am delighted with him. It was his first run back for the year, and we'll see how he comes out of it. If he comes out of it well enough, we might look at the
Hungerford at Newbury. He's got options anyway.
“As for Creative Force it was another solid run from him. He is just a fun horse to have around. I would say six furlongs is going to be his trip going forward into next year. He travels very well and James said there, we should think about dropping him back to six as he is slightly over-racing. It was a good solid, run.
“You could contemplate dropping him back for the Maurice de Gheest or going to Haydock for the
Sprint Cup. We'll keep half an eye on that.”
Unibet Lennox Stakes, Group 2
£180,000 added, 3yo plus, 7f, Class 1
8 ran
Going: Soft, Heavy in places
POS. (DRAW) DIST HORSE AGE WGT TRAINER JOCKEY SP
1 (13) Kinross 4 9-3 Ralph Beckett Rossa Ryan 6/1
2 (2) nk Creative Force 3 8-10 Charlie Appleby James Doyle 2/1F
3 (5) hd Happy Power 5 9-3 Andrew Balding Silvestre De Sousa 16/1
4 (12) nk Space Blues 5 9-3 Charlie Appleby William Buick 11/4
5 (14) 1¼ Escobar 7 9-3 David O'Meara Daniel Tudhope 33/1
6 (10) 1¼ Toro Strike 4 9-3 Richard Fahey Paul Hanagan 50/1
7 (1) 5½ Fundamental 3 8-10 John & Thady Gosden Frankie Dettori 10/1
8 (3) 3¼ Safe Voyage 8 9-3 John Quinn Jason Hart 5/1
NR 1 (8) Duke Of Hazzard 5 9-3 Paul & Oliver Cole NON RUNNER
NR 4 (11) Khuzaam 5 9-3 Roger Varian NON RUNNER
NR 6 (6) Pogo 5 9-3 Charles Hills NON RUNNER
NR 7 (4) Prince Eiji 5 9-3 Roger Varian NON RUNNER
NR 8 (7) Real Appeal 4 9-3 Mrs John Harrington NON RUNNER
NR 13 (9) Fivethousandtoone 3 8-10 Andrew Balding NON RUNNER
