Rivalry Renewed In The Lillie Langtry

[Wandering Eyes]

With the prestigious sprint handicap, the Stewards’ Cup, taking centre stage on Goodwood’s Saturday card, the sole black-type event is the G2 Qatar Lillie Langtry S. for the fillies and mares over 14 furlongs. Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum’s Enbihaar (Ire) (Redoute’s Choice {Aus}) has to give three pounds to old adversary Dramatic Queen (Kitten’s Joy), having beaten her by a neck in the G2 Lancashire Oaks over a mile and a half at Haydock on July 6. Previously, the result was the other way around as Dramatic Queen prevailed by a half length in York’s G3 Bronte Cup over this trip on May 25, so on strict form Sheikh Juma Dalmook Al Maktoum’s 4-year-old has the edge.

Dramatic Queen’s trainer William Haggas said, “Hopefully the three-pound turnaround and going back up in trip swings it back around in our favour. I thought we outstayed her at York over a mile-six, so it should be closer. They have been two good races between them, with Enbihaar trying to make all at York and us trying at Haydock, so we’ll see what happens.”

Enbihaar’s owner-breeder Sheikh Hamdan Al Maktoum’s racing manager Angus Gold commented, “I don’t think going back up in trip will worry her in any way. When Dramatic Queen beat her at York over that trip, I don’t think it was the extra two furlongs that beat her, more that she had been out on her own in front for a long time and she just got lonely. We changed tactics at Haydock and managed to change the result. She’s an improving horse, both physically and mentally and John Gosden has been very pleased with her.”

Of the 3-year-olds, Waverley Racing’s Manuela de Vega (Ire) (Lope de Vega {Ire}) takes a drop in class and rise in trip after fourth and fifth placings in the G1 Epsom and Irish Oaks respectively. She gets 11 pounds weight-for-age from the older fillies and a stone from Enbihaar which is also the case for the Aidan O’Brien trio. Ryan Moore is on the progressive South Sea Pearl (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), a full-sister to Ernest Hemingway (Ire) who took the Listed Vinnie Roe S. over this trip at Leopardstown on July 25.

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