Cassandra Go shows a nose for success

Glorious Goodwood: The top sprinters set the meeting's opening day alight with a pulsating three-way finish to the King George Stakes

When someone first described Goodwood as glorious, the name stuck like glue, and the reason why could be summed up in the 58.01 seconds of high-octane endeavour that was the King George Stakes here yesterday. From the top of the grandstand, you could see the Isle of Wight in one direction, and 20 miles of pristine downland in the other, while on the track below, a gang of sprinters careered down the hill in the equine equivalent of a dragster race.

When someone first described Goodwood as glorious, the name stuck like glue, and the reason why could be summed up in the 58.01 seconds of high-octane endeavour that was the King George Stakes here yesterday. From the top of the grandstand, you could see the Isle of Wight in one direction, and 20 miles of pristine downland in the other, while on the track below, a gang of sprinters careered down the hill in the equine equivalent of a dragster race.

Horses come down the five-furlong track at Goodwood so swiftly that at times it is a wonder that their legs can keep up, and with a furlong still to run yesterday, all but three of the runners had already burned themselves out. Those still in with a chance were Rudi's Pet, the favourite, Eastern Purple, who had been punted from 16-1 down to 13-2, and Cassandra Go, who had been almost friendless in the market, drifting out to 11-2 from morning odds as short as 7-2. A fewmoments and one very tight photograph later, the innate fatalism of punters everywhere was duly re-inforced as the judge declared Cassandra Go the winner.

For most of the time in between, however, there were premature celebrations in the bars. Rudi's Pet had clearly finished third, albeit by no more than a head, but most - in fact, practically all - of those at the track felt that Basil Marcus had roused Eastern Purple to a decisive late effort up the middle of the course.

Even Geoff Wragg, Cassandra Go's trainer, was not entirely convinced that she had won, regardless of the fact that he had just seen her led into the top enclosure. "The judge has made a mistake," he said. "I'm sure we were beaten."

But the Tannoy stayed silent, and when a copy of the photograph arrived, it showed that while Cassandra Go's backside appeared to be behind that of Eastern Purple, her nose was most definitely in front. She is a lengthy filly indeed, and with £30,000 in the bank, as opposed to the £11,500 for second, Wragg's decision to pay another £800 on Monday to keep his filly in the Nunthorpe Stakes at York suddenly looked eminently sensible.

"She is a very brave filly and she really tries," the trainer said. "We used to run her over further as her pedigree suggests she should stay, but she has always shown a lot of speed. I think that the Nunthorpe will be very much on the agenda now."

The finish of nods which decided the King George Stakes seemed likely to be the finest of the day, but within an hour, it had turned into a theme. First, Sharp Play got out of a box just in time to beat Prairie Wolf in the Summer Stakes, and then Millenary came from last to first in the Group Three Gordon Stakes to record the third consecutive short-head victory of the afternoon.

Millenary's performance could not have had the St Leger more clearly stamped upon it had the horse himself given a post-race interview in a broad Yorkshire accent. Three horses in the last 16 years have added the final Classic to a success in the Gordon Stakes, the most recent being Nedawi, who dead-heated with Rabah at Goodwood just two seasons ago, and an extra two and a half furlongs up Doncaster's broad straight should suit Millenary perfectly.

"He stays really well and I expect that will be the route we will follow with him," John Dunlop, the colt's trainer, said, "though I don't know if we shall take in another of the trials like [the Voltigeur at] York or the mile-and-six race [March Stakes] back here. Halfway down the hill, no halfway up the straight, I thought he had no chance but they went a good gallop and he has stayed on very well."

Millenary was running for the first time since finishing well down the field in the Prix du Jockey-Club (French Derby) at Chantilly in early June. "That was a very odd race," Dunlop said. "Holding Court went off very fast in desperate ground, and nothing else ever got into the race. We gave him a break and freshened him up before bringing him back for this."

Other names will emerge as contenders for the Leger as the season heads towards the Ebor meeting and beyond. In Millenary, though, punters can at least be sure that they have a brave and resolute benchmark.