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Three-year-olds and up. Seven furlongs.
Goodwood acquired this Group race in 2000. It was staged previously at Newcastle as the Beeswing Stakes.
The Goodwood inaugural contest, with Group Three status, was won by the John Gosden-trained Observatory, who went on to triumph in the Group One Queen Elizabeth II Stakes at Ascot the following month. Nayyir won the race in 2002 and nearly died in Hong Kong during the winter but came back in fine form for a repeat victory in 2003, when the race was upgraded to Group Two.
Court Masterpiece triumphed in 2005 and went on to Group One success at Longchamp that October before returning to Glorious Goodwood the following year to win the Group One BGC Sussex Stakes. Iffraaj had been beaten a head in the Group one July Cupover six furlongs at newmarket prior to landing the 2006 renewal of the bet365 Lennox Stakes impressively by four lengths, the widest winning margin by far witnessed in
the race.
Paco Boy proved himself a very worthy winner in 2008 as he went on to race most consistently at the highest level. The three-year-old added the Group Two Hungerford Stakes on his next start, was far from disgraced when third to subsequent Breeders’ Cup Mile heroine Goldikova in the Group One Prix du Moulin in France and displayed his burgeoning brilliance when slamming 1,000 Guineas winner Natagora by three lengths in the Group One Prix de la Foret at Longchamp later in the year. Paco Boy gained two more Group One victories, taking the 2009 Queen Anne Stakes at Royal Ascot and adding the Lockinge Stakes at Newbury the following year.
Finjaan, winner of the 2008 bet365 Molecomb Stakes, showed his liking for Goodwood with success in 2009,
giving trainer Marcus Tregoning his second victory in the race following on from Fath in 2001. The Henry Cecil-trained Group One winner Lord shanakill won in 2010, while Paco Boy’s trainer Richard Hannon was
back in the winner’s enclosure with 5–2 favourite Strong Suit the following year which means that two of 12 favourites have won in the bet365 Lennox Stakes.
Bet365’s sponsorship began in 2011.
GUIDE TO GLORIOUS GOODWOOD 2012 – CLICK HERE
Allison is the Publisher of Eclipse Magazine. She loves going to the Races and is learning to bet (despite being officially the worst bettor in the History of the Universe), there’s a lot more to learn…
