The high summer sun was still beating down on Glorious Goodwood on Thursday but thoughts were beginning to turn towards the autumn’s showpiece events in France and the US after Diamond Necklace extended her unbeaten record to six races with an effortless success in the Nassau Stakes.
Diamond Necklace had just a nose to spare at the end of the Prix de Diane (French Oaks) at Chantilly in June, but her first start since proved much more straightforward as Ryan Moore cruised past Friendly Soul, the second favourite, inside the final quarter-mile on the way to a two-and-three-quarter length victory.
Thursday’s success was the fourth Group One win of Diamond Necklace’s career and if she is kept to racing against her own sex, there may not be a filly or mare in Europe to touch her at 10 furlongs.
The bookmakers, though, also now price her as the 10-1 third-favourite for the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe at Longchamp in October, and while Diamond Necklace’s stamina for the 12-furlong trip has yet to be tested, female runners have won nine of the last 15 runnings of Europe’s showpiece middle-distance event.
“Diamond Necklace is a lovely filly who has danced every dance,” Aidan O’Brien, her trainer, said. “She has options now, whether she stays at a mile-and-a-quarter and goes to the fillies’ race in France [at Deauville in August], or to Leopardstown [in September] or an Arc trial.
“It is possible [the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe]. I don’t know how far we ask her to go, but the next run will tell us where she is going to go after that.”
The only names ahead of Diamond Necklace in the Arc betting are Daryz, last year’s winner, and O’Brien’s best three-year-old colt, Constitution River, already the winner of the French Derby and Eclipse Stakes this year.
“Constitution River’s the boss, really,” O’Brien said. “Everyone will fall into line. He’ll get all the options and at the moment, he’s going to York [for next month’s International Stakes].”
The much-respected Timeform operation floated the possibility that O’Brien’s string might be struggling for form a few days ago, but this was a second Group One for the trainer from the three available at Glorious Goodwood and completed a double on the day after Man’s Best Friend ran away with the Group Two Richmond Stakes earlier on the card.
Thursday’s race was an unusually swift step up in class for Man’s Best Friend, who registered the first win of his career, in a maiden event, just eight days earlier.
“He is a baby of a horse,” O’Brien said. “We thought bringing him here today was going to do him good, win, lose or draw.
“All options are open. He looks a Middle Park type of horse or a Gimcrack horse. He could turn into a [seven-furlong] Dewhurst horse, who knows?”
Wednesday’s Sussex Stakes, in which O’Brien’s Gstaad finished second behind Bow Echo for the third time this season, was the only Group One at this week’s meeting to elude the reigning champion trainer. O’Brien has not abandoned hope, however, that Gstaad might turn the tables at some stage.
“We’ve met horses like these before, Sea The Stars and all the good ones and we love that, it’s what makes it interesting,” O’Brien said. “We have to tweak things and change things and hope a horse can improve. It’s all part of it and part of the mystery.”
Golden Godwinson
The King George Stakes is the official feature event on day four at Glorious Goodwood but the Coral Golden Mile Handicap is likely to be the bigger draw for punters and Jack Channon’s Godwinson (3.00) is an interesting each-way alternative to the market leaders at prices as big as 40-1.
The six-year-old’s hold-up running style means that he is not a bet for the faint-hearted, and he will surely need a decent slice of luck in running to go close.
His draw in stall 14 is also less than ideal, but David Probert would be dropping in regardless and there are several reasons to hope for a big run on Friday.
Godwinson is a proven winner in big-field handicaps, having landed the Lincoln in March 2025 when he was trained by William Haggas, and is now 1lb below his last winning mark.
Quick Guide
Greg Wood’s Friday tips
Show
Goodwood 1.50 Annabel’s Ghost 2.25 Talk Of New York 3.00 Godwinson (nap) 3.35 Jm Jungle (nb) 4.10 Galen 4.45 Dubai Champion 5.20 Into The Light 5.55 Silver Lake
Wolverhampton 2.00 Rajiba 2.35 Gunfighter 3.10 Carnival Of Light 3.45 Highland Shah 4.20 Roc De Fer 4.55 American Style 5.25 Poetic Jack
Newcastle 2.10 Balqaa 2.45 Royal Strike 3.20 Ned Broy 3.55 Nana’s Boy George 4.30 Reginald Charles 5.05 Travis 5.40 Uncle Sam
Bath 5.35 Belle Of Kt 6.08 Havana Gift 6.43 Some Nightmare 7.18 Honky Tonk Girl 7.48 Connie’s Rose 8.18 Blue Hero
Musselburgh 5.45 Jedhi Knight 6.15 Gerry’s Darling 6.50 Aurora Valkyrie 7.25 Jer Batt 7.55 Wait For It 8.25 Gallus Norman 8.55 Golden Havana
Newmarket 5.50 Louis The Fifth 6.25 Aleatrix 7.00 Spring Bloom 7.32 Cherry Cobbler 8.02 Sibling Rivelry 8.32 Drifts Away
Thursday’s race will be only his third since a switch to Channon’s stable, which is building an impressive record in high-end handicaps, and he travelled like a horse in form until finding trouble in running in the Hunt Cup at Royal Ascot last month.
Goodwood 1.50 Annabel’s Ghost proved his stamina for this extreme trip when finishing a close fifth in the Ascot Stakes Handicap at the Royal meeting last month. That was a highly promising first run for Mickael Seror, the French champion over jumps, and he is just 1lb higher in the ratings here.
Goodwood 2.25 This should be a straightforward assignment for Charlie Appleby’s Talk Of New York, who was beaten less than two lengths behind Bow Echo, Wednesday’s Sussex Stakes winner, at Royal Ascot last month.
Goodwood 3.35 John Quinn’s stable has taken this Group Two sprint twice in the last three years and Jm Jungle, last year’s winner, looks to have been brought along steadily this season with a return trip to Sussex in mind. The six-year-old is ideally drawn next to the front-running Night Raider and should be spot on for this after a close third at York last time out.
Goodwood 4.10 A drop in grade for Joseph O’Brien’s Galen and a repeat of his form when fourth at Royal Ascot last month could well be enough.
Leave a Reply