Goodwood Lennox Stakes 2016

The G2 Lennox Stakes will take place, at Glorious Goodwood on Tuesday. Toormore was the 2015 winner, but which horse will land the knock-out punch this year?

Home Of The Brave

Hugo Palmer’s inmate beat Coulsty, to win the Listed King Richard III Stakes, before landing the G3 Jury Stakes at Haydock. The 4-year-old was sired by Starspangledbanner and is owned by Godolphin. He is expected, by many, to start the race as favourite.

Dutch Connection

Charlie Hills’ charge has frustrated punters of late and hasn’t won for over a year. He was runner-up, in last season’s renewal of this race and has since finished 2nd in a couple of other G2 encounters. Twice a G3 winner, as a 2 and 3-year-old, he shouldn’t be too far away.

Lumiere

Mark Johnston’s filly won the G1 Cheveley Park Stakes, last year, beating the likes of Illuminate, Besharah and Alice Springs. Earlier this month, she laid down another marker by winning the Listed Henry Cecil Stakes and proved 6 lengths too good for Cymric. She’ll be a factor.

Toormore returns to defend his crown, but he’s disappointed since winning a G2 race on his seasonal reappearance. Gifted Master, Birchwood and Markaz are all in the hunt, but Aidan O’Brien’s Air Force Blue and Air Vice Marshall have each failed to get their respective campaigns off the ground yet and both look held.

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History Of Lennox Stakes

This race is a relatively new addition to the Glorious Goodwood Festival, having only been inaugurated in 2000. The race was created to replace the Beeswing Stakes, which used to be run at Newcastle Racecourse.

The Lennox Stakes has a purse of one hundred and fifty thousand pounds, which is fairly high for a British Group 2 encounter. Three year-old horses carry eight stones and ten pounds, while horses aged four or more years carry nine stones and three pounds. There is a hefty seven pounds penalty for Group 1 winners and a four pounds penalty for Group 2 winners. The Lennox Stakes always takes place on the first day of the Glorious Goodwood Festival.

Given that the race is relatively new, a surprising number of jockeys have already had a couple of winners. Eddie Ahern won twice on Nayyir (2002, 2003), Kerrin McEvoy scored with both Byron (2004) and Tariq (2007), Richard Hughes took the spoils on Paco Boy (2008) and Strong Suit (2011), while Tom Queally also bagged a brace with Lord Shanakill (2010) and Chachamaidee (2012).

Adam Kirby picked up his first Lennox Stakes win in 2014, riding the Clive Cox-trained Es Que Love to victory in a time of 1:24.55. The last three year-old winner was in 2013. Ryan Moore was aboard the Richard Fahey-trained Garswood and was first past the post.

The very first winner of the Lennox Stakes was a horse called Observatory. He won the event as a three year-old and also went on to win the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes.

Most racing fans would concede that Paco Boy is the classiest animal to have won the Lennox Stakes. The Joan Browne-bred bay stallion is owned by the Calvera Partnership and was trained by Richard Hannon Sr.

Foaled in 2005, he was sired by Desert Style and his dam was Tappen Zee. Neither of those horses achieved a great deal on the track and the real form belongs to his Grandsire, Green Desert. won the July Stakes (1985), the Flying Childers Stakes (1985), the July Cup (1986), the Sprint Cup (1986) and the European Free Handicap (1986) before embarking on a superb stud career.

Paco Boy, who won the Greenham Stakes (2008), the Betfair Cup (2008), the Hungerford Stakes (2008), the Prix de la Forêt (2008), the Sandown Mile (2009, 2010), the Queen Anne Stakes (2009) and the Lockinge Stakes (2010) was just one of his many successful foals.

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