Glorious Goodwood

racing news/

Moviesta Takes Flight in King George
02/08/13

1 Moviesta 5/1
2 Swiss Spirit 6/1
3 Justineo 40/1
NR: Definightly
17 ran Distances: 1½l, hd, nse
TIME 56.72s (fast by 0.28s)

Moviesta now has the step up to Group One company in the Nunthorpe Stakes in his script after his clear-cut success in the Group Two Betfred King George Stakes, his first race outside maiden or handicap company.

Moviesta
© Racehorse Photos

A fast-run five furlongs was the key to the three-year-old’s justifying his trainer Bryan Smart’s faith. “We always knew he was really good,” said Smart. “But he would pull, just wouldn’t settle. Today was the first time that I’d seen him off the bridle in the early stages and that was just what was needed.

“In the past we’d get him to the races but the peg kept falling out. But we knew just how quick he is. Last year we ended up taking him to Wolverhampton to get his maiden win, and he broke the two-year-old track record there.

“Paul [Mulrennan, jockey] rode him in work at home on Tuesday and got off and said ‘this is an absolute missile’ and you don’t hear jockeys say that too often. He was in such good form today, kicking and bucking when we were saddling him.”

Today’s Group Two race was Goodwood Plan B – Smart’s first thought for Moviesta had been the Robins Farm Racing Stewards’ Cup. “I knew we probably wouldn’t get in the Stewards Cup but I declared for both. But I did know we had a superstar horse.

“He’s in the Nunthorpe, and he’d be meeting a lot of the same horses as today. He’ll be in training next year and I promise you this is a very good sprinter indeed. We’ve got something right on our hands this time.”

Smart was at pains for others to get the pronunciation of the Hard Spun gelding’s name correct. “He is Movie Star, not Moovy Esta,” he said.

Moviesta was a first Goodwood winner for Mulrennan and his 50th of the year. “He’s a lovely horse,” he said, “and improving all the time. Fair play to Bryan and all of the staff, who have done a lovely job with him.

“He’s only three and you don’t know how good he could be. You ride him in behind and today he was looking for his bridle the whole way. I just crept into it, and he came real good a furlong down. He was a real missile.”

Moviesta brought up a football-themed treble for Glorious Goodwood. One of his part-owners is Harry Redknapp, after earlier winners in the week for Sir Alex Ferguson (part-owner of Magic City) and Brown Panther, owned and bred by Michael Owen.

Betfred King George Stakes
£100,000 added, 3yo plus, 5f, Class 1
17 ran
Going: Good, good to firm in places.

Swiss Spirit
© Racehorse Photos

SWISS SHOWING RIGHT SPIRIT WHILE VARIAN PONDERS PARIS

Moviesta proved the pin-up in the Gr.2 £100,000 Betfred King George Stakes, winning by one and a half lengths, but in a tight finish for minor honours there was plenty to like about the performance of runner-up Swiss Spirit.

Owned and bred by Trevor and Libby Harris’s Lordship Stud, Swiss Spirit is trained by John Gosden. A four-year-old son of Invincible Spirit, the colt beat this year’s leading sprinter Lethal Force last year when trained by David Elsworth, so entries in Group One races like the Nunthorpe Stakes and Sprint Cup are not fanciful.

Gosden was absent today, but William Buick, who rode Swiss Spirit, said: “He’s a big horse, and he lost momentum at a key time, but he was beaten too far to say he was unlucky. He’s a better horse when he has something to follow – he ran a fine race.”

Justineo, who finished third, beaten a head by the runner-up, has no entries in top-grade sprints, but a date in Paris on the first Sunday in October is in the mind of trainer Roger Varian.

He said: “It took us a while to find the right trip for him, but it seems five furlongs is the answer. He’s a very fast horse and we’re pleased with how he ran.

“I think if he got a good draw in the Prix de l’Abbaye he could run very well, because he has speed – and that is as fast a five furlongs as you will find – and goes on any ground.”