John Gosden has reinforced his chances of reclaiming his champion trainer’s title following an extraordinary purple patch which saw three members of his stable land a Group 1 within eight days.
The Oaks heroine Taghrooda got the ball rolling with a superlative victory in the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Ascot. Sheikh Hamdan’s homebred filly is now 4/1 favourite to add the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe to her seasonal haul.
Later that week at Glorious Goodwood, Kingman stretched his tally of top-flight wins to three when his decisive burst of speed in the final furlong of the Sussex Stakes saw him topple the previous year’s winner Toronado.
While Kingman’s success was pretty much expected, his hitherto unheralded stable-mate Sultanina gave Gosden his third consecutive win in the Nassau Stakes on the final day of Goodwood. The daughter of New Approach sealed a memorable meeting for her owner/breeder Philippa Cooper, who also witnessed homebred Wannabe Yours triumph in the Group 3 Thoroughbred Stakes just 24 hours earlier. Cooper, who owns Normandie Stud in Sussex, has recently been elected to serve on the board of the TBA.
Prize-money accrued by runners from Gosden’s Clarehaven Stables this season has now passed the £3 million mark, with Richard Hannon’s team currently running a close second.
