Two years ago, by a neck, Kyprios brought the superstar stayer Stradivarius’s Goodwood Cup reign to an end. The four-year-old looked set to enjoy a reign of his own. Then Kyprios was injured.
Now Kyprios is back, unbeaten this season, fresh from victory in the G1 Gold Cup (3991m) and hot favourite to recapture his crown in a race with a history dating back to 1808.
“At one stage we didn’t think he’d live,” said trainer Aidan O’Brien. “I never thought he’d ever race again. Now, he seems as good as ever, which is very good.”
O’Brien said, “He’s a very special horse and has a lot of class, a lot more class than people think. As he goes up in distance, he just gets better. When you go up to those long distances, very few horses get them really, but he has the class and gets the distance as well.”
He added, “Kyprios is lazy in his work but we’re very happy with him. Everything has gone well since Ascot.”
Coltrane, now a seven-year-old and a talented stayer himself, is used to seeing Kyprios in front of him. Finished third and fourth respectively in the last two Goodwood Cups, Coltrane was well beaten in last month’s Gold Cup, over 3991m, and will need to return to his very best to challenge the favourite.
Trainer Andrew Balding acknowledged, “Kyprios will be very difficult to beat and Coltrane isn’t getting any younger but he’s won big races and been placed in Group 1s. He’s in great form at the moment.”
Perhaps a younger contender, Sweet William, can meet the challenge. Trainers John and Thady Gosden’s five-year-old has steadily improved and after winning a Group 3 race over 3245m was third in the Gold Cup, at a respectful distance behind Kyprios.
That was run on ground probably faster than ideal for Sweet William, whose connections expressed satisfaction with forecast conditions. Thady Gosden said, “Sweet William ran a great race in the Gold Cup on good to firm, so the ground shouldn’t pose any issues. He and Gregory have both been busy in their work and done well since Ascot.”
Stablemate Gregory was beaten a long way in the Gold Cup and will need to return to his best form over this shorter distance.
Trueshan, now an eight-year-old and not as good as he was, won the Goodwood Cup in 2021 on the soft ground he needs in order to show his best.
Several questions need to be answered. The main one is, can anything seriously challenge Kyprios?
There are plenty of other intriguing races and outstanding Hong Kong jockey Vincent C Y Ho, who rode winners at Ascot and Newmarket on his latest spell in Britain, in 2019, has rides in two of Tuesday’s races, on Loyal Touch and Rocking Ends.
It will be Ho’s first experience of Goodwood’s unique track, having missed last year’s meeting through injury. He said, “It will be a great experience. There are plenty of great jockeys there and Ryan Moore always gives me good advice.”
