Glorious Goodwood has proved a very happy hunting ground for the Darley stallions this week, with no fewer than eight winners, headed by Notable Speech (Dubawi) who took the feature G1 Sussex Stakes on Wednesday.
Their success continued on Friday, 2 August with a Group-race double led by Blue Point’s Big Evs, who recorded his second Pattern win at the Sussex track, this time in the five-furlong G2 King George.
Michael Appleby’s charge broke smartly from the stalls and simply scorched down the track, holding off the late challenge from Royal Ascot G1 winner Asfoora to prevail by a short head.
This was his fifth victory at Stakes level, having won the Molecomb at the same course last year, before going on to G1 glory in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint. A return to the Breeders’ Cup is now on the cards, with a trip to York for the Nunthorpe pencilled in before then.
Big Evs was bred by Rabbah Bloodstock and is out of the Oasis Dream mare Hana Lina, herself a daughter of G1 winner Queen’s Logic.
Blue Point is enjoying another outstanding season, siring Irish 2,000 Guineas and St James’s Palace Stakes winner Rosallion. This week alone he has now sired three individual Stakes winners, following victories for Raqiya in the G3 Oak Tree Stakes (also at Goodwood) and Raknah in the Listed Corrib Stakes at Galway.
Earlier on the card, consistent Dubawi colt Lead Artist added a first Group win to his record in the G3 Thoroughbred Stakes, run over a mile.
Taking the lead after a furlong, the John and Thady Gosden-trained colt was never headed from that point on, easily holding the fast-finishing King’s Gamble to win by three quarters of a length.
Owned and bred by Juddmonte, Lead Artist is the first foal out of the G2-winning, G1-placed Frankel mare Obligate, a granddaughter of the blue hen Hasili.
He becomes the second Group winner of the week at Goodwood for Dubawi, whose brilliant 2,000 Guineas winner Notable Speech took the G1 Sussex Stakes in sensational style on Wednesday. He became the first horse since Frankel to complete the Guineas/ Sussex double in the same season – and recorded faster times in both races.
Dubawi is also sire this year of multiple G1 winner Rebel’s Romance, Oaks heroine Ezeliya and Maker’s Mark Mile winner Master of the Seas, who has now won three times at the highest level.
