Second stakes winner for Free Eagle and 33rd for Zoffany
The Andrew Balding-trained Khalifa Sat (3 c ex Thermopylae by Tenby) prevailed in close finish to win the Cocked Hat Stakes (Listed, 1m3f) at Goodwood on Sunday and in the process became the second stakes winner for former Cornerstone Stud shuttler Free Eagle (High Chaparral).
Having his first start of the season, the colt repelled the advances of the more fancied runner Emissary (Kingman) eventually beating him by a neck, with another five lengths back to Celestran (Dansili).
“He’s a really nice horse and he stays well,” Balding said. “I’m very pleased with the performance today, but we’ll keep all the options open just for the time being. I’ve always thought he was more of a Leger horse than anything else and that’s very much on the agenda for later in the year.
“We’ll keep all the options open and debate it with the owner. The horse will probably tell us where we go next. He stays well and is a lovely horse to have in the yard.”
The colt was purchased by Coolroe for €20,000 at the 2017 Goffs Ireland November Foal Sale and was then purchased by his trainer for €40,000 at the Goffs Ireland Orby Yearling Sale the following year.
He is of the placed mare Thermopylae (Tenby), making him a three-quarter brother to Group 3 winner and Group 1-placed Unsung Heroine (High Chaparral) and Listed-placed Ghostmilk (Golan).
Thermopylae herself is a half-sister Group 1 winner Posidonas (Slip Anchor) and Listed-winning duo Carry The Flag (Tenby) and Final Verse (Mark Of Esteem).
Further back this is the same family as Group 2-winning duo Spirit Of Desert (Desert Prince) and Larchmont Lad (Footstepsinthesand).
Free Eagle shuttled to Australia for three seasons, but did not return in 2019 and he now stands exclusively at Irish National Stud for a fee of €12,500 in 2020.
Earlier on the Goodwood card, Lyzbeth (4 f ex Arcangela by Galileo) landed the Cathedral Stakes (Listed, 6f) and in the process became the 33rd stakes winner for Coolmore Stud-based sire Zoffany (Dansili).
Dropping back to six furlongs, the Martyn Meade-trained four-year-old travelled energetically and did well to stay on to beat Bungee Jump (Canford Cliffs) by a length with another half a length back to Wise Counsel (Invincible Spirit) in third.
Meade was represented by his son and assistant Freddie, who said: “I think coming back to six furlongs was important, she’s been showing a lot of speed at home so we thought we’d drop her back. Ideally we’d have gone somewhere with a stiffer six, but she coped with it fine today so that was a bonus.
“She’s really strengthened up, got a bit quicker and hopefully there’s more to come.”
The filly is out of placed Galileo (Sadler’s Wells) Arcangela, who was purchased for €40,000 at the 2015 Arqana December Breeding Stock Sale with filly in utero.
Arcangela herself out of Listed winner Crafty Buzz (Crafty Prospector), making her a half-sister to Group 3 winner Plantagenet (Trade Fair).
Zoffany shuttled to Australia for four seasons between 2012 and 2015 during which time he covered 459 mares.
