Racegoers attending the final day of the Qatar Goodwood Festival were treated to a thrilling finish to the opening G3 Coral Glorious Stakes.
The 12-furlong contest was won by evergreen seven-year-old Al Aasy (3/1), who, despite facing just four rivals, found himself in a pocket on the rail until well inside the final furlong. The smallest of gaps appeared soon after as pace-setter Relentless Voyager edged over, and jockey Jim Crowley needed no further invitation to thrust Al Aasy into the lead.
The William Haggas-trained winner, who is owned by Shadwell, quickened smartly to beat Relentless Voyager by a length, with Phantom Flight a neck further back in third.
Crowley said: “It was a messy race. We went very steady, which we knew we would. I got a bit closer at the top of the hill and then I was quite happy when he was in a pocket. William said to ride him for luck and, if it opens up, it opens up. We just needed that gap and I was very fortunate to have got up the rail.
“There wasn’t a lot of room up the rail and, in fairness to the horse, he was very brave. Once he was in there, it was game over really. He’s just as good over 10 furlongs as he is over a mile and a half. He has been a bit unlucky because that’s his run style. Obviously, he has been called a few names in the past for not being a battler. He is just one of those horses who has to be produced at the last minute.
“William said if you get beat riding for luck, it’s one of those things. When a trainer says that you, it takes the pressure off a little bit.”
Sheikha Hissa Hamdan Al Maktoum said: “Al Aasy is seven now, so he has been with us for a while and I think finally he is maturing! It took a while. He was unlucky at Newbury, where he ran a great race, so we thought of him highly coming here. He just thought he was out for a canter in the beginning. He had a good day out, in his mind. He’s a typical boy, so it’s always fun – you never know what you are getting.
“We have been very lucky for the past two years. One year with Baaeed and the other with our older horses like Hukum and Al Husn. It’s nice to be here, enjoy the horses and have some winners. It is a humbling sport.”
Shadwell’s racing manager Angus Gold said: “It was always going to be a hard race for Jim to ride because William is adamant that this horse likes to have something to aim at, and he doesn’t want him making the running or being too handy.
“We knew there wasn’t going to be much pace and you need all the luck to go with you on those occasions. As Jim said, they slowed it up coming up the hill, so he didn’t want to be single file sitting out the back if they quickened. He let him slide up the inside but then you are in the hands of good fortune and the racing gods, particularly here.
“The horse has still got the class and luckily, when he did squeeze through, he quickened up. The one real positive today is that he only raced for a hundred yards.
“William always had a huge opinion of the horse. People keep knocking him but he’s won nearly £400,00 and I wouldn’t mind a few more like that. It shows you how important it is to have these older horses in training. We need these horses to be competing at the bigger meetings.”
Relentless Voyager’s rider Oisin Murphy said: “I didn’t think I came off the rail, so well done to Jim for getting that run. It was a career best from Relentless Voyager, so I’m very pleased.”
George Scott said of Phantom Flight: “I just don’t think he stays. It was always a question mark coming into the race, and I think he will go for the Strensall Stakes at York now, over a mile one and a bit, which should be perfect.”