Glorious Goodwood

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Vintage Show By King Torus in Veuve Clicquot Vintage Stakes
28/07/10

1 King Torus 11/4
2 Stentorian 8/1
3 Major Art 5/1

Richard Hannon trained his 50th Glorious Goodwood winner when King Torus bolted in by six lengths in the Veuve Clicquot Vintage Stakes - adding gloss to the achievement, Hannon also saddled the third, Major Art.

Richard Hughes, who rode King Torus for owner Sir Robert Ogden and added to his lead in the week’s Racing UK-sponsored leading jockey competition, said: “You wouldn’t know this horse is in the yard, because he wouldn’t win a bit of work. He’s heavy, he’s slobby and you wouldn’t back him going to the start. Then you grab hold of him in a race and he goes into overdrive.

“You wouldn’t think he would like fast ground, but he loves it. He will be better with a rail on his right - I wouldn’t be in favour of going left handed with him. “It was a serious performance. Everybody wanted to make the running - I was going a good clip and Frankie wanted to make it - so we were flying.

“I picked it up with a good two and a half furlongs to run after a strong gallop and he absolutely sprinted down that rail. Ideally, I would have preferred to have “filled him up” after going so fast but one arrived on my boots so I had to go and he took off. I couldn’t pull him up at the end and he kept galloping the whole way.

“He was a big dope for a good long time in the yard. He was so raw at Ascot through the race so I ended up racing on my own and I begged the boss to put one of these bits (a ring-bit) on because he loves to lean right. He’s heavier in your hands and he leans right, so I knew that he would love having a ring-bit on.

“He is a Classic contender after that - I haven’t done the last two furlongs at Goodwood as fast as that in a long time, not in a seven-furlong race.

“He definitely won’t be running on a left-handed track because it is against the grain for him. He has proven that he doesn’t like it - he was drawn wide at Ascot and I raced up the middle. I knew that he wasn’t doing a stroke that time but he was just raw and green.”

The winning trainer’s son, Richard Hannon Jr, watched the race with the horses’s breeder, Ballydoyle’s Aidan O’Brien, whose bloodstock interests are known as Whisperview Trading Ltd. Hannon Jr said of King Torus: “He was very impressive there considering he was carrying a 3lb penalty. We’ll probably go for the Dewhurst Stakes or Racing Post Trophy from here - we were thinking of a race in Italy, but after that performance we might step it up.

“Hughesie said he’s never finished so fast in a seven-furlong race at this track, yet the horse is very laid back. He’s by Oratorio, and they are all like that. I’m pleased for Sir Robert and grateful to Ross and Peter Doyle [bloodstock agents] who picked him out at the sales. We bought him for 30 grand [Euros] - it’s a shame the Goffs Million [sales race] is no longer available because he would have won that.

“Major Art ran well too. He looked uncomfortable throughout the race and is a little bit awkward. He’s a big horse, but he’ll progress and there’s a Listed race at Deauville he might go for. He’s a nice horse and it was only his third run.

“King Torus saves his best for the racetrack. Patrick Hills rode him yesterday and when I asked ‘how did he get on’ he said ‘fine’, because that’s all he does at home. Strong Suit [who won Royal Ascot’s Coventry Stakes] is probably the best we’ve got [among the two-year-olds] but you don’t know what this fellow’s got under the bonnet. He’s getting better and better and he’s so easy to ride he’ll get a longer trip.”

Position	Horse Trainer	Jockey Weight	Starting Price Beaten Distance
1	King Torus R Hannon	R Hughes 9st 3lbs	11 - 4 Winner
2	Stentorian M Johnston	L Dettori 9st 0lbs	8 - 1 6 lengths
3	Major Art R Hannon	R L Moore 9st 0lbs	5 - 1 Short Head
4	Chilworth Lad M R Channon	J Fortune 9st 0lbs	12 - 1 1 length
5	Waltz Darling R A Fahey	P Hanagan 9st 0lbs	11 - 1 Neck
6	Crown Prosecutor B J Meehan	K Fallon 9st 0lbs	6 - 4 1 length
7	Surrey Star R A Teal	John Fahy 9st 0lbs	33 - 1 Head

STENTORIAN TAKES SECOND

The Mark Johnston-trained Stentorian looks set for a step up in trip after finishing six lengths second to runaway winner King Torus in the Veuve Clicquot Vintage Stakes.

“Second sucks but you can’t take anything away from the winner, he was very impressive,” said Johnston.

“Stentorian has been crying out to run over further and we’d probably think about the Royal Lodge Stakes at Ascot in September. That’s the next real possibility over a mile but I haven’t thought what he might do in between, we thought we’d see how he got on today.”