1 Ivawood 2/5F
2 Louie De Palma 14/1
3 Jungle Cat 5/1
NR: Ahlan Emarati (IRE)
8 ran Distances: 4½l, nk, shd
TIME 1m 10.09s (slow by 0.39s)

Ivawood maintains his unbeaten record with a comfortable win in the Group 2 Richmond Stakes.

Jockey Richard Hughes was not going overboard with Ivawood: "He's ahead of many of the other two-year-olds at the moment"

Ivawood
© Racehorse Photos

Trainer Richard Hannon, long associated with countless Glorious Goodwood winner trained by his father Richard Snr, gained his first success at the meeting today.

Hannon gained his own licence when his father retired at the turn of the year, and was expected to follow in his father’s glorious footsteps this week – but he suffered eight places during the first two days and seemed hopelessly out of luck. Ivawood came to the rescue today.

Now unbeaten in three races, Ivawood was given quotes for next year’s QIPCO 2000 Guineas of 8/1 by MansionBet and William Hill, and 10/1 by Betfred. The colt is a son of Zebedee, trained by Hannon Snr, and an outstanding two-year-old who was retired to stud after his juvenile season.

Hannon said of Ivawood: “Physically he looks streets ahead of a lot of two-year-olds, and I don’t think he will become ‘just a two-year-old’. We will probably keep him at six furlongs, although seven is an option and he looks a Guineas horse until proving otherwise.

“We don’t need to do a lot with him – he’s fit now and all we have to do is keep the ball rolling until the Prix Morny, or Middle Park or Dewhurst Stakes – or wherever we go. We’ll let the dust settle, but he will now go for a Group One, whether at six or seven furlongs. The Morny comes a little soon.

“His dad won the Molecomb Stakes at this meeting over five furlongs, but this horse is different from his dad. Physically he is very different – at two his dad wasn’t very big and was much sharper. This horse has loads of speed, but has a lot more scope than Zebedee had.

“I would say he is one of the best two-year-olds we have – I don’t like to say he is the best, but he is up there. He’s very sound and will have one or two more races this year.”

Clive Cox was absolutely delighted with Louie De Palma’s second place under Adam Kirby, the colt’s first step up to Group company after winning a nursery at Ascot earlier in the month.

“Normally I wouldn’t be happy with second,” he said of the son of Pastoral Pursuits, “as second is first loser. But this time we’re over the moon. He came out of Ascot really well but this was a big step up and he’s taken it against a horse [Ivawood] who is more than a bit special.

“He is improving, he has a lot of scope and another furlong will be no problem. Today was the  plan so far – we wanted to see if he was up to this sort of company. Now he’s proved he is we can start to think of where we might go next.”

Qatar Bloodstock Richmond Stakes (Group 2)
£80,000 added, 2yo only, 6f, Class 1
8 ran
Going: Good to Firm