Trainer Jane Chapple-Hyam is confident that Judgethemoment can prove himself as a leading stayer in the £100,000 Coutts Goodwood Cup (3.25pm), highlight of racing on the third day of Glorious Goodwood on Thursday, July 30, 2009.
A total of 13 entries were received for the prestigious two-mile contest.
The four-year-old colt was fourth in a competitive two-mile handicap at Sandown on July 4, but had previously given Australian-born Chapple-Hyam a first Royal Ascot succes
s in the marathon two-and-a-half mile Ascot Stakes on June 16.
As part of a long-term plan to run her stayer in the Melbourne Cup, Chapple-Hyam has booked leading Australian jockey Michelle Payne to ride Judgethemoment on Wednesday.
The 23-year-old has ridden over 400 winners in her native country and is sister-in-law to former Godolphin number two jockey Kerrin McEvoy. She linked up with Chapple-Hyam to record her first winner in Britain when riding Iasia to victory at Warwick on July 9.
Newmarket-based Chapple-Hyam revealed: "Judgethemoment is definitely an intended runner in the Coutts Goodwood Cup. I suppose he did run a bit flat at Sandown last time out but he had three hard runs beforehand and it might have taken the sap out of him. He also travelled all the way up to Newcastle for the Northumberland Plate (June 27) and ended up being a non-runner, which was a 12-hour round trip.
"Richard Hughes felt that the ground was tacky at Sandown so we decided to race away from the field and race up the centre of the back straight, looking for good ground. We knew that it would cost us about five lengths but that's racing and it didn't pull off on that occasion.
"I was very happy with his win at Royal Ascot but it is kind of weird because everyone said before the race that two and a half miles would be very testing for a four-year-old but after he won they all said that he could only win over that distance. He's a definite two-mile horse and he has won twice over the trip.
"We wanted to run him in a Group race to see how he got on and we also want him to prove that he is a Melbourne Cup horse. We would like him to go up a couple of pounds in the ratings to guarantee him a place for Australia and the owner is keen to run him there.
"People will ask why Michelle will be riding instead of Richard but if we were to get into the Melbourne Cup, then he would carry a low weight like 8st 3lb, and I think Richard would have to chop off a leg to do that weight!
"It's part of a plan to let Michelle get to know the horse so that when she rides at Melbourne, she doesn't get off the horse and say how she would have ridden him if she knew the horse. It's a gamble, and that is what racing is all about.
"He goes to Goodwood in good heart and I am sure that he will be in the firing line."
Some of the leading stayers are set to contest this year's Coutts Goodwood Cup including the Amanda Perrett-trained Tungsten Strike, who chased home Yeats in last year's race and has landed the last two renewals of the Listed Windflower March Stakes at Goodwood.
A trio of entries from Saeed bin Suroor consists of four-time Group One scorer Schiaparelli, who was demoted to third in the Group Two Princess Of Wales's Stakes at Newmarket on his latest appearance, multiple French Listed winner Friston Forest and Age Of Reason, who was second in the Group One Gran Premio di Milano in June.
Other notable entries include Centennial, who won the Group Two Ladbrokes Great Voltigeur Stakes at Goodwood last year for trainer John Gosden, the William Muir-trained Enroller, who landed a Group Three at Newbury in April, and the ever-green 12-year-old Caracciola, who is set to make his debut for trainer Barry Hills, having triumphed in last year's Cesarewitch and the Queen Alexandra Stakes at Royal Ascot for Nicky Henderson.
The entry is completed by Ajaan, Askar Tau, Mourilyan, The Betchworth Kid and Alanbrooke.
While the Coutts Goodwood Cup showcases the very best of staying talent, some of the fastest sprinters around will also be in action in the five-furlong £70,000 Group Three Audi Stakes (2.45pm), for which 21 entries have been received.
Last season's Group One King's Stand Stakes winner Equiano could line up for Barry Hills and the four-year-old sprinter may be joined by another Group One victor at Royal Ascot, the Sir Michael Stoute-trained Kingsgate Native, who triumphed in the Golden Jubilee Stakes at the same meeting in 2008.
The Luca Cumani-trained Ialysos bounced back from a disappointing effort in this year's Golden Jubilee with victory in a Group Three at Sandown on July 4, while the 2007 winner Moorhouse Lad, may bid for another crack at the Audi Stakes for trainer Bryan Smart, having finished seventh behind Enticing 12 months ago.
The rest of the contenders include last year's third Dandy Man, multiple French Listed winner Inxile and Goodwood specialist Borderlescott, who won the Bluesquare.com Stewards' Cup in 2006 and has been placed in both subsequent renewals. The Robin Bastiman-trained seven-year-old also provided his trainer with a first Group One success when taking the re-scheduled Nunthorpe Stakes at Newmarket in August of last year.
Friday's other Group Three contest is the £70,000 Moet Hennessy Fillies' Stakes (4.00pm), which has attracted an entry of 12. Last year's race saw a thrilling finish with Gravitation denying subsequent Group One winner Folk Opera by a short-head. The William Jarvis-trained four-year-old is set to defend her crown but looks set to face stiff competition, with the likes of recent Listed winner Cassique Lady and Epsom Oaks fifth The Miniver Rose among the contenders.
The seven-race card gets underway with the £60,000 Summer Vase Heritage Handicap (2.10pm) over just short of 10 furlongs. One of the most competitive heats of the entire Festival, recent winners have unsurprisingly gone on to Pattern race success, including Enforcer (2005), who went on to Group Three glory and made the frame in the Group One Coronation Cup, while the 2007 winner Pipedreamer landed the Group Two York Stakes the following season.
This year's contest looks set to be another top-class renewal, with the Sir Michael Stoute-trained pair of Mirrored and Desert Creek among the 32 entries. A trio of possible runners from the Godolphin operation includes Listed scorer Parthenon and recent Newmarket winner Spring Of Fame, while River Captain, who landed a heritage handicap on Derby Day at Epsom, may line up for Sylvester Kirk.
Further competitive action is provided by the £40,000 XL Insurance Heritage Handicap (4.35pm) with 31 horses entered for the seven-furlong contest, including the Mark Johnston-trained Crackdown, who has been second in competitive handicaps on his two previous starts, and Infiraad, from the stable of Barry Hills.
All six heritage handicaps at Glorious Goodwood will have two reserves for the first time this year, apart from Saturday's Bluesquare.com Stewards' Cup which has the Rolf Group Stewards' Sprint Stakes as a consolation race. Reserves can be utilised prior to 9.00am on the day before the race.
Friday's action is completed by the seven-furlong £20,000 EBF New Ham Maiden Fillies' Stakes (5.10pm), for which 31 juveniles have been entered, and the five-furlong £20,000 Charlton Handicap, which has attracted 37 entries.
