Golden Goal Up To The Challenge

[Wandering Eyes]

Dale Brennan's Golden Goal (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}) indicated he could be rounding into his best form at age seven last year with a second-place finish in the G2 Godolphin Mile. Making his second start since in Friday's G2 Al Maktoum Challenge Round 1, he fulfilled that prophecy with a near gate-to-wire, 1 1/2-length victory.

Joining Doug Watson after winning twice in Britain at three for trainer Saeed bin Suroor, the £240,000 yearling Golden Goal made just two starts in both 2019 and 2020, winning once the former season and finishing second both times in the latter. Despite being a lightly raced 7-year-old, Golden Goal began to hint that he was coming into his own last season, winning at first asking going seven furlongs on the dirt before being beaten three lengths in fifth at the handicap level and 3 1/4 lengths when fourth in the G3 Burj Nahaar before his Godolphin Mile second. Golden Goal warmed up for this with a fourth-place finish in the Listed Dubai Creek Mile on Dec. 16.

Breaking on terms from the inside gate, Golden Goal gradually worked his way to the front under Sam Hitchcott. He briefly held the lead before Secret Ambition (GB) (Exceed and Excel {Aus}) moved to poke his nose in front in the three path, the pair split by Marie's Diamond (Ire) (Footstepsinthesand {GB}). With that rival prematurely packing it in, it was Secret Ambition who held a slightly advantage in the two path rounding the turn with Golden Goal hugging the fence. Golden Goal got his head in front upon straightening and though Secret Ambition remained a game rival through the lane, Golden Goal at last stole clear inside the final furlong, finding the wire 1 1/2 lengths the better of Secret Ambition with the previously unbeaten 4-year-old Kafoo (Curlin) making up ground late to be third.

Pedigree Notes

Golden Goal is a half-brother to three winners including the listed-placed Rosie's Premiere (Ire), now the dam of the Listed Prix Marchand d'Or winner and dual Group 3-placed Louliana (Ire) (Acclamation {GB}) and the listed-placed Rose Premium (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}). His second dam, the listed-placed Kelsey Rose (GB) (Most Welcome {GB}), is the dam of another evergreen black-type-winning son of Dark Angel in Sovereign Debt (Ire) as well as the G3 Fred Darling S. winner Puff (Ire) (Camacho {GB}). It is the extended family of the G2 Mill Reef S. winner and sire Indian Rocket (GB) (Indian Ridge {Ire}).

Friday, Meydan, Britain
AL MAKTOUM CHALLENGE R1 PRESENTED BY NAKHEEL-G2, $250,000, Meydan, 1-14, 3yo/up, 8f, 1:37.90, fs.
1–GOLDEN GOAL (IRE), 126, g, 8, by Dark Angel (Ire)
1st Dam: Golden Rosie (Ire), by Exceed and Excel (Aus)
2nd Dam: Kelsey Rose (GB), by Most Welcome (GB)
3rd Dam: Duxyana (Ire), by Cyrano de Bergerac (Ire)
1ST BLACK-TYPE WIN; 1ST GROUP WIN. (£240,000 Ylg '15
DBSPRM). O-Dale Brennan; B-Yeomanstown Stud (IRE); T-Doug
Watson; J-Sam Hitchcott. $150,000. Lifetime Record: 16-6-3-1,
$431,234. *1/2 to Rosie's Premiere (Ire) (Showcasing {GB}),
SP-Eng. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree. Werk
   Nick Rating: A+.
2–Secret Ambition (GB), 126, h, 9, Exceed and Excel (Aus)–
Inner Secret, by Singspiel (Ire). O-Nasir Askar; B-Darley (GB);
T-Bhupat Seemar. $50,000.
3–Kafoo, 126, c, 4, Curlin–Blind Luck, by Pollard's Vision.
($250,000 Ylg '19 KEESEP). O-Sheikh Mohammad bin Khalifa Al
Maktoum; B-Mark Dedomenico (KY); T-Bhupat Seemar.
$25,000.
Margins: 1HF, 3 1/4, 3/4. Also Ran: Thegreatcollection, Salute the Soldier (Ger), Imperial Empire (GB), Avant Garde, Kimbear, Eastern World (Ire), Midnight Sands, Marie's Diamond (Ire), Hypothetical (Ire), Capezzano, Syrtis (GB). Click for the Racing Post result. Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO.

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