Search

show me:

Khaadem Cruises Home For Hills

3 minute read

Khaadem's easy victory in the £250,000 Unibet Stewards' Cup for trainer Charlie Hills.

Khaadem winning the Unibet Stewards' Cup (Heritage Handicap)
Khaadem winning the Unibet Stewards' Cup (Heritage Handicap) Picture: Press Photo

Jockey Jim Crowley was a second win in the handicap for his trainer, following Magical Memory in 2015. The Dark Angel-sired colt was the 4/1 favourite, and became the joint shortest-priced winner of the Unibet Stewards' Cup (with 2003 winner Patavellian) since 1946.

Khaadem  carried 9st 6lb to his two and three-quarter lengths triumph over 14/1 chance Open Wide - the highest weight ever carried to victory in the race by a three-year-old. The previous record belonged to Red Alert, who carried 9st 2lb when winning in 1974, and Matador, who carried the same weight in 1956..

A delighted Hills, for whom this was a third success of the 2019 Qatar Goodwood Festival, said: "I so enjoyed that, everything went perfectly really. Three-year-olds have got a pretty good record in this race recently. I am sure that he could get seven furlongs if we wanted to go that route, but he is the most beautiful-looking horse.
"He is growing up with every race that he has and we have to look at a Group race next. He is a class horse and is only going to get better and better, so I think we have to go to the top table with him.
"I guess we will have to look at the G1 [Sprint Cup] at Haydock. Magical Memory won this race and just got touched off there. I think this fellow is a very good horse who is only going to get better and better."

Asked about Khaadem's price, which shortened considerably in recent days, Hills replied: "He's a three-year-old and sometimes they attract quite a bit of attention. He ran a terrific race at Newbury last time when nothing really went the right way. You can never be too confident in a big-race field like this about the draw and how the pace is. He doesn't know what he price he is!

"I think he could be a Group horse - I think he's up to that. He did it really impressively today. I was really impressed with the way he behaved today. He was a little bit mentally not quite on his A game earlier in the year; he had to have a hood on in the preliminaries, but now he's growing up and starting to become a man. Hopefully we've got a tremendous future with this horse.

"He had a dirty scope after the [G1] Commonwealth Cup [at Royal Ascot]; he just wasn't right. He was just so lethargic that day and I had really fancied him, but at least we had an excuse for that and we've put that to bed now. His last two races have been fantastic."

The colt's success came just 40 minutes after Enbihaar had hacked up in the G2 Qatar Lilie Langtry Stakes, and 24 hours after Battaash won the G2 King George Qatar Stakes, Crowley partnering all three for his boss Hamdan Al Maktoum.

Khaadem made his effort close to the far rail and came home two and three-quarter lengths clear of Open Wide (14/1), with Raucous (28/1) third, as he was in 2016.

Crowley said: "Fair play to Charlie for running him in the race. As a three-year-old, this race suits him well and, after his last run, he is a Group horse in a handicap. Mentally, he is improving all the time and it was a great performance.

"I had to squeeze through a bit of a gap up Joe Fanning's inside at the two pole but we were always in a dream run and it worked out perfect."

He added: "The week's got better. I knew Friday and Saturday were my best days, and so it has proved. He got no luck in running last time and Charlie hass always held him in high regard.

"He's got the most beautiful pedigree, and we'd love to make a stallion out of him by winning a Group 1. Charlie went for the Haydock Sprint Cup with Magical Memory after he won this, and that's the sort of race this horse can go for now."

14/1 chance Open Wide, came home two and three quarter lengths adrift of the impressive 4/1 favourite Khaadem, in the £250,000 Unibet Stewards' Cup, the feature heritage handicap over six furlongs on the last day of the Qatar Goodwood Festival 2019.

Local trainer Amanda Perrett, based near Pulborough, said: "Open Wide had a little bit of ground to make up - they went very quick. Jim [Crowley, Khaadem] was virtually upsides us three out, but has got a slightly better run through.

"We were beaten by a better horse on the day, no excuses. We are very proud of our horse. He has run twice this week and loves top of the ground - hopefully they might take away his Timeform squiggle now!"

Perrett went on to comment on the watered ground, after four millimetres of water was put on the straight overnight: "We started the meeting on rain-softened ground and today, on the last day of the meeting, they have put four millimetres of water on the straight. It is not fair on these fast ground horses. They have got the conditions to suit them and they have gone and watered. Mark Johnston (fellow trainer) is very right - they have got to make the ground safe, but they shouldn't make it loose on top. These horses have been waiting for fast ground all year."

Pat Dobbs, partner of the five-year-old Invincible Spirit gelding, added: "I didn't get the run I wanted - I got drawn left all the way and I wanted to go right."

Apprentice Cieren Fallon, jockey of the third, 28/1 shot Raucous, a further three quarters of a length back, said: "It was an unbelievable race, especially with a six pound penalty. He got a bit lonely on his own - I think that if something would have challenged him, he would have battled on."

 

 


Racing and Sports

Goodwood

Saturday, 03rd August 2019

4
15:40
(local)

Unibet Stewards' Cup (Heritage Handicap)

Age: 3yo and up WT: 116lbs Type: HCP
GBP £250,000
6f TURF GOOD FIRM
4
15:40
(local)
GBP £250,000
6f GOOD FIRM

Unibet Stewards' Cup (Heritage Handicap)

Age: 3yo and up WT: 116lbs Type: HCP


FP Silk Horse, Age & Sex
Sire & Dam
Jockey
Trainer
SP
WT
1st 5. KHAADEM (IRE) 3yo C
DARK ANGEL (IRE) - WHITE DAFFODIL (IRE)
JIM CROWLEY
C HILLS
$5
132lbs
FITRIANI HAY

Sales Information

2nd 20. OPEN WIDE (USA) 5yo G
INVINCIBLE SPIRIT (IRE) - NUNAVIK (IRE)
PAT DOBBS
MRS A J PERRETT
$15
124lbs
GEORGE MATERNA & JOHN MCINERNEY

Sales Information

3rd 2. RAUCOUS (GB) 6yo G
DREAM AHEAD (USA) - SHYRL (GB)
CIEREN FALLON
ROBERT COWELL
$29
130lbs
MR T W MORLEY

Sales Information

4th 10. SUMMERGHAND (IRE) 5yo G
LOPE DE VEGA (IRE) - KATE THE GREAT (GB)
RYAN MOORE
DAVID O'MEARA
$13
129lbs

Sales Information

5th 16. JUSTANOTHERBOTTLE (IRE) 5yo G
INTENSE FOCUS (USA) - DUCHESS K (IRE)
JAMES DOYLE
DAVID M CARROLL
$8
126lbs

Sales Information

6th 12. GULLIVER (GB) 5yo G
SAYIF (IRE) - SWEET COINCIDENCE (GB)
GERALD MOSSE
DAVID O'MEARA
$34
129lbs

Sales Information

7th 11. LAKE VOLTA (IRE) 4yo G
RAVEN'S PASS (USA) - GHANAIAN (FR)
JOSEPH FANNING
M JOHNSTON
$8.5
129lbs
8th 9. STONE OF DESTINY (GB) 4yo G
ACCLAMATION (GB) - IRISHSTONE (IRE)
SILVESTRE DE SOUSA
ANDREW BALDING
$34
129lbs

Sales Information

9th 26. GROWL (GB) 7yo G
OASIS DREAM (GB) - DESERT TIGRESS (USA)
CALLUM SHEPHERD
R A FAHEY
$17
121lbs

Sales Information

10th 25. KIMIFIVE (IRE) 4yo G
BORN TO SEA (IRE) - APPLETREEMAGIC (IRE)
SHANE KELLY
J TUITE
$26
121lbs

Sales Information

11th 15. EMBOUR (IRE) 4yo G
ACCLAMATION (GB) - CARPET LADY (IRE)
SEAN LEVEY
RICHARD HANNON JR
$41
127lbs

Sales Information

12th 24. EL HOMBRE (GB) 5yo G
CAMACHO (GB) - NIGELLA (GB)
ANDREW BRESLIN
K DALGLEISH
$51
116lbs

Sales Information

13th 17. ARECIBO (FR) 4yo G
INVINCIBLE SPIRIT (IRE) - OCEANIQUE (USA)
LANFRANCO DETTORI
DAVID O'MEARA
$13
126lbs

Sales Information

14th 21. COSMIC LAW (IRE) 3yo G
NO NAY NEVER (USA) - DHAMMA (USA)
P J MCDONALD
R A FAHEY
$26
123lbs

Sales Information

15th 3. GUNMETAL (IRE) 6yo G
CLODOVIL (IRE) - MARCH STAR (IRE)
HARRY BENTLEY
T D BARRON
$15
132lbs

Sales Information

16th 14. SOLDIER'S MINUTE (GB) 4yo G
RAVEN'S PASS (USA) - HADBA (IRE)
SCOTT MCCULLAGH
K DALGLEISH
$51
122lbs

Sales Information

17th 27. BURIDAN (FR) 4yo G
CHOISIR (AUS) - LADY MCKELL (IRE)
TOM MARQUAND
RICHARD HANNON JR
$41
120lbs

Sales Information

18th 4. ORNATE (GB) 6yo G
BAHAMIAN BOUNTY (GB) - ADORN (GB)
PHILLIP DENNIS
D C GRIFFITHS
$34
132lbs

Sales Information

19th 18. SPANISH CITY (GB) 6yo G
EXCEED AND EXCEL (AUS) - ANNABELLE'S CHARM (IRE)
DAVID EGAN
ROGER VARIAN
$17
125lbs

Sales Information

20th 22. SIR MAXIMILIAN (IRE) 10yo G
ROYAL APPLAUSE (GB) - NEBRASKA LADY (IRE)
ANGUS VILLIERS
IAN WILLIAMS
$67
116lbs

Sales Information

21st 6. GEORGE BOWEN (IRE) 7yo G
DARK ANGEL (IRE) - MIDNIGHT OASIS (GB)
TONY HAMILTON
R A FAHEY
$34
131lbs

Sales Information

22nd 8. AIR RAID (GB) 4yo G
RAVEN'S PASS (USA) - SIREN SOUND (GB)
JACK GARRITTY
JEDD O'KEEFFE
$19
130lbs

Sales Information

23rd 1. VANBRUGH (USA) 4yo H
FIRST DEFENCE (USA) - HACHITA (USA)
KIERAN SHOEMARK
C HILLS
$26
136lbs

Sales Information

24th 28. HYPERFOCUS (IRE) 5yo G
INTENSE FOCUS (USA) - JOUEL (FR)
JAMES P SULLIVAN
T D EASTERBY
$67
120lbs

Sales Information

25th 19. TRUE MASON (GB) 3yo C
MAYSON (GB) - MARYSIENKA (GB)
BEN CURTIS
K R BURKE
$41
125lbs

Sales Information

26th 7. BARON BOLT (GB) 6yo G
KHELEYF (USA) - SCARLET ROYAL (GB)
ROSSA RYAN
PAUL COLE
$26
131lbs

Sales Information

27th 13. FLAVIUS TITUS (GB) 4yo G
LETHAL FORCE (IRE) - FURBELOW (GB)
ANDREA ATZENI
ROGER VARIAN
$10
128lbs

Sales Information

Think. Is this a bet you really want to place?

For free and confidential support call 1800 858 858 or visit www.gamblinghelponline.org.au