Cliffs hangs on to deliver Hannon a Goodwood double
RICHARD HANNON’S sensational season continued with a dream double on a thrilling second day of Glorious Goodwood yesterday.
The Marlborough-based trainer celebrated victory in the big race of the day, the Sussex Stakes, after odds-on favourite Canford Cliffs squeezed past last year’s winner Rip Van Winkle in a nail-biting finish.
And it was to get better for Hannon when King Torus ran out an impressive six-length winner in the Veuve Clicquot Vintage Stakes.
Since being eclipsed in the Guineas at Newmarket, Canford Cliffs, right, has triumphed in both the Irish equivalent and in the St James’s Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot.
And the Tagula colt, ridden as ever by Richard Hughes, showed his class again here with a masterful ride as he stalked Ryan Moore on Rip Van Winkle in pursuit of pacemaker Encompassing.
Moore looked to have stolen a yard on his rival as they turned into the straight before Canford Cliffs showed a tremendous turn of pace to win by a neck.
“He’s a superstar,” Hughes said. “Rip Van Winkle nicked a length out of me, but I know how good he is. My horse pricked his ears in the last 100 yards and was in command.” Hannon added: “If we can keep him then I think he will be an awesome horse next year.”
King Torus, the 11-4 shot, kicked away from front-runner Stentorian on the final straight to give the Hannon/Hughes team back-to-back wins with 6-4 favourite Crown Prosecutor third.