Dubai: The Dubai-owned Godolphin stable won their fourth Group 1 race of the season in dramatic fashion when Trekking blitzed home to win the Group 1 Goodwood, at Morphettville Racecourse in Sydney, Australia on Saturday.
Ridden by jockey John Allen for Godolphin’s Australian handler James Cummings, the Darley-bred son of Lonhro showed battling qualities to deny the locally trained Gytrash and win by half-a-length.
Lyre, Godolphin’s second runner in the 1,200-metre contest, one of the top sprint races run during the Sydney Autumn Carnival, finished third under Zac Spain.
Gytrash hit the front at the 200m marker but was reined in by a game Trekking, aboard whom Allan rode a beneficial and confident race.
It was the second Group 1 success for Trekking who had previously won the Stradbroke Handicap in Brisbane last year.
The win was Godolphin’s 211th of the disrupted season. Godolphin was created by His Highness Sheikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE, in 1992 and competes at all the major racecourses in the world.
Cummings emulated his father Bart and great-grandfather Jim on the Goodwood roll of honour. when Trekking notched his 11th win in 29 starts.
“It was my first time riding him and when I got out to the mounting yard, I was surprised how small he was,” Allen told racing.com.
“He was tough and he had a super run but the runner-up (Gytrash) gave a really good kick. I thought when I got out that we were going to catch him but he kept kicking. To my lad’s credit, he really fought and kept kicking to the line.”
