Beachfire cracks Summer Vase
He was reluctant to go down to the start, so slowly away from the stalls that the jockey was pushing within a matter of strides and last at the beginning of the home straight.
But Beachfire (pictured far right) was in front where it mattered most as he got up in the last strides to win the TurfTV Summer Vase Handicap at Goodwood.
Aattash set a furious gallop and was at least six lengths in front coming off the home turn. But, despite a succession of horses trying to pass, those who had been close to the pace paid the price and Aattash was still in the lead passing the half-furlong pole. He was finally collared by Invincible Soul, looking like yet another winner for the Richard Hannon-Richard Hughes combination, but his tenure of the lead lasted less than a hundred yards before Right Step took over.
However, 7lb claimer Harry Bentley’s moment of glory was snatched from him in the last strides as Beachfire, on whom William Buick could have easily claimed overtime for a ride that lacked nothing in effort, came through to win by a head.
Buick was the first to admit that while the frenetic pace had played into his hands it was hardly a piece of tactical mastery rather than a battle to persuade his horse to get into the race.“He doesn’t make life easy for himself,” Buick said. “He’s just got his own way of doing things. He’s just that kind of horse – you can’t force to do anything. He does it the way that he wants to do it. And as long as he keeps winning that’s good enough for me.
“I gave him a backhander coming into the turn, and I always wanted him to be doing a bit more than he was doing, but he finishes well and the step up to a mile-and-a-quarter has really helped him as well. He just seems to do enough.”
Beachfire’s three previous wins have come by distances of a short-head, two-and-a-half lengths and a neck which means that he has only gone up 10lbs in the ratings thus far. However, his trainer, John Gosden, worries that his running style could find him out yet. He’s so laid back he stops for a cup of coffee on his way to the gallops,” Gosden joked.
“I tried in his work at home to change his running style but it did no good because that’s his way and it’s best to leave him to it. We could step him up in trip now because as you step up in grade it gets more difficult to keep giving them 20 lengths.
“He’s a half-brother to Major Cadeaux who was a miler, and his dad [Indian Haven] was a miler, but it looks like this horse wants to go further so we’ll let him go further. He’s going to be forced up in class.”
Richard Hannon saddled his 200th winner at Goodwood this afternoon, then modestly dismissed the achievement by saying: “It took 40 years.”
Hannon’s landmark success came via Kalahaag, who carries the colours of Benny Andersson in the EBF New Ham Fillies’ Maiden. Andersson, an emerging owner in British racing, is still best known as part of the group Abba.
“I trained a Danehill Dancer for Benny a couple of years ago and this is the second horse I’ve had of his," Hannon said. "I told him to come today, but he couldn’t make it, but he often pops down to the yard in his flying horsebox and is a very nice guy and very knowledgeable.”
Hannon saddled his 50th winner at Glorious Goodwood when King Torus won the Group Two Veuve Clicquot Vintage Stakes the day before so George Baker still has some catching up to do. But the jockey rode his second winner at Glorious Goodwood 2010 when Citrus Star got up in the dying stages of the Vintage At Goodwood Handicap while David Nicholls – a regular winning trainer at the meeting – took the concluding RUK Leading Jockey Award Handicap with Harmoody.
The gelding, who won the Group Two Richmond Stakes at this meeting four years ago, is entered in the Rolf Group Stewards' Sprint Handicap on the fourth day’s card and could run. Nicholls said: “We don’t gallop them at home, we run them, and if he’s okay tomorrow he might as well take his chance.”
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