THE opening day of the 2020 Qatar Goodwood Festival was a windy one, which will have affected the times, but not to a degree that suggests the ground was anything other than on the soft side of good (in an example to other tracks, Goodwood gave access to detailed meteorological information and marked up furlong poles despite customary rail movements).

The last four days of Goodwood and the last five days of Galway will be picked up in next week’s Time Will Tell.

With the exception of his 10-length Gold Cup victory at Royal Ascot, Stradivarius has not won by more than three lengths since a handicap at Beverley in April as a three-year-old, not least because he has got into a lot of messy races since.

That was certainly the case with the Al Shaqab Goodwood Cup, which turned into a sprint from the home turn, Stradivarius breaking 35.0s for the last three furlongs (115% finishing speed) and going bigger than 5/2 in running at one point before claiming his fourth successive victory in this historic contest.

Turn of foot

One thing that Stradivarius undoubtedly has in staying terms is a turn of foot, and it got him out of trouble in the nick of time here. He remains on 123 with me after this, with Nayef Road still on 114 and Santiago considered to be 4lb below his Irish Derby win of 115. The last-named went freely enough on his first attempt at this far.

It seems to be stretching things to say – as one commentator did – that it needed this race to prove that Stradivarius is one of the all-time greats when the handicapper Euchen Glen was beaten just six and a half lengths in fifth. Stradivarius had surely done that already as a stayer.

As a middle-distance horse, things may be different. Stradivarius’s only recent attempt at 12 furlongs saw him comprehensively beaten, but that was by a clock-busting Ghaiyyath and a back-to-form Derby winner in Anthony Van Dyck on firm ground at Newmarket in the Coronation Cup.

The evidence of that is that Stradivarius is five to six lengths better at 14 furlongs plus than at 12 furlongs. But who knows what might happen in a strongly run Arc on ground softer than good? There is every chance that he could get placed, at least. I can understand where connections are coming from in aiming Stradivarius at that providing he comes through a trial in the Prix Foy in good shape.