Dubai: Cavalryman, Godolphin’s grand old crusader, demonstrated that he still retains the appetite for a face-off when outduelling stable companion Ahzeemah to win a thrilling renewal of the Group 2 Goodwood Cup on Thursday.
With six-time British champion jockey Kieren Fallon in the irons for the first time, the eight-year-old son of Halling rolled back the years to fearlessly hold of Ahzeemah, the mount of Harry Bentley, and score by a neck.
Both horses are trained by Emirati handler Saeed Bin Surour who appeared to be hiding tears of joy behind his dark glasses as he led in his fourth Goodwood Cup victory after success with Kayf Tara (1999), Schiaparelli (2009) and Opinion Poll (2011).
Last year’s winner Brown Panther, who is owned by ex-England football star Michael Owen, was third, while The Queen’s Estimate, the hot favourite, trailed in last of eight.
Fallon, who was winning his first Goodwood Cup, was full of praise for his horse and told Channel 4 Racing: “He’s a really top horse. It’s a very difficult race to win but he’s gone from strength to strength.
“The pace wasn’t great, it was OK, but this horse has a fantastic turn of foot. I thought I was clear — I didn’t think there was another horse coming at me — but he had enough.
“It’s a great race, a great meeting and it felt great to be aboard the winner.”
His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, who has long been associated with Cavalryman’s exploits as the creator of the Godolphin stable was not present at Goodwood to see his stable flag bearer pull off one of his greatest triumphs.
However, Bin Surour, who took over training Cavalryman after his third place effort to Sea The Stars in the 2009 Arc de Triomphe (G1) when previously trained in France by Andre Fabre, said: “He’s a good fighter, he goes on any ground and he has improved with age.
“He’s a stayer and a mile and three-quarters and two miles are the best trip for him.
“He showed some turn of foot and now we take him to York for the two-mile race, the Lonsdale cup and, at the end of the season, I will talk to Shaikh Mohammad, but it could be the Melbourne Cup.
“Ahzeemah, also, he could be a horse for the Melbourne Cup, too. This year, I would like to take three.”
Sky Bet make Cavalryman a 20/1 shot for the Group 1 Melbourne Cup and spokesperson Michael Shinners said: “The Melbourne Cup [November 4] looks an obvious target for a horse that can quicken and loves fast ground.”
