Goodwood glory may mean shot at Melbourne Cup for Cavalryman
EIGHT-YEAR-OLD Cavalryman boosted his chances of a tilt at the Melbourne Cup after becoming the oldest horse to win the Goodwood Cup since Persian Punch in 2001 yesterday.
Jockey Kieren Fallon held off the veteran’s Godolphin stablemate Ahzeemah by a neck, with last year’s winner Brown Panther third and the Queen’s mare Estimate last of eight.
“Now we take him to York for the two-mile Lonsdale, and at the end of the season I’ll talk to Sheikh Mohammed, but it could be the Melbourne Cup,” said Cavalryman’s trainer Saeed bin Suroor. “He’s a good fighter, he goes on any ground and he has improved with age. He’s a stayer and a mile and three-quarters and two miles are best for him.”
Bin Suroor indicated that Ahzeemah, who mustered a late surge to push Cavalryman all the way, could yet also travel to Australia for the Melbourne Cup in November.
Estimate, making her first appearance since testing positive for morphine at Royal Ascot in June, went off 2/1 favourite under Ryan Moore but faded.
Ivawood kept up his 100 per cent record to earn a long-awaited first win of the week for jockey Richard Hughes and trainer Richard Hannon.