Great Ambassador

Great Ambassador did best of the low-drawn horses in the Stewards’ Cup at Goodwood last Saturday. They split into two groups, 14 went near side from high draws and 14 went far side from low draws. Great Ambassador, from stall 12, went far side, and he travelled well towards the rear of that group. He made good progress from the two-furlong marker, he had to chart his way through traffic, but he did, and he burst through the leading line of the far-side runners as the groups merged on the run to the furlong marker. He kept on all the way to the line to take sixth place overall, less than three lengths behind the winner Commanche Falls. He was just unlucky that the near-side horses had the advantage. The first five home all raced in the near-side group.

Ed Walker’s horse was probably punching above his weight in a hot Hackwood Stakes on his previous run, in which Saturday’s Phoenix Sprint Stakes winner Go Bears Go finished second behind Minzaal, who finished second in Sunday’s Prix Maurice de Gheest, but this was much more like it, back into top handicap company. Winner of a listed race at York last September, Great Ambassador could still be a Group-class sprinter, but he will also be of interest in another top sprint handicap. Beaten only by Bielsa, who raced a solo down the near side, in last year’s Ayr Gold Cup, he will be of interest in that if he goes to Ayr again this year, where, as things stand, he would be racing off the same mark as last year.
Goodwood, 30^th July 2022