Britain’s summer racing season reaches one of its most iconic stops this week, as the Qatar Goodwood Festival, better known as ‘Glorious Goodwood’ takes centre stage.
Spanning five days from Tuesday to Saturday, the festival is a highlight of the British flat racing calendar where some of the sport’s finest performers are tested and OTI are looking forward to being part of the action, with a team of three runners set to carry our colours across the week.
OTI’s first contender comes on Wednesday in the festival’s feature, the Group 1 Sussex Stakes, where Docklands will step out against some of the very best. He faces a formidable field including Group 1 winners Bow Echo, Gstaad and Opera Ballo. While his past two runs have been slightly below his best, he has proven his class at this level and has shown all the right signs at home.
Ciarrai Abu is set to line up in Thursday’s Coral Kincsem Heritage Handicap where he has drawn barrier 2 in a competitive field of 14, with Saffie Osborne booked to ride. He comes into the race in great order following a nice piece of work on Saturday alongside Docklands, and his most recent win saw his rating rise to 86. Although all of his previous form has been over a mile, he now steps up to 10 furlongs, which presents a new challenge. However, his latest performance at Ascot, where he relaxed well and finished strongly in a higher grade, suggests the distance could suit. He is also a previous winner at this track, which adds confidence to his chances.
Ciarrai Abu 1st at Ascot
Our third representative is Small Fry, a progressive five-year-old who we secured last year with Joseph O’Brien. His recent performances include a strong 2nd at Listowel and a credible 6th in a large field at Royal Ascot, where he was left to make his move from a long way out and made up good ground in the finish. That effort highlighted his staying ability and reinforced his credentials as a potential Australian spring contender. While not yet officially declared, he is expected to take his place in the 2800m Summer Handicap on Saturday and looks a solid each-way chance.