Sprinters take center stage in Goodwood's King George

Sir Henry Cecil's presence is sorely missed at the Glorious Goodwood meeting

he enjoyed so much down the years, and it is a Warren Place representative in

Tickled Pink who is the focus of attention in Friday's Group 2 King George

Stakes. Her dam, Cassandra Go, captured this race in 2000 for her owner Trevor

Stewart, and there were shades of that talented distaffer in her daughter's

dominating display in Newmarket's Abernant Stakes over six furlongs April 18.

Subsequently off the board in both the May 15 Duke of York and the Ballyogan at

Leopardstown June 13, she dropped to this five-furlong trip and duly regained

the winning thread in the Sandown Sprint last time July 6.

Back in second on that occasion after a luckless trip was Cheveley Park

Stud's veteran Kingsgate Native, who took this four years ago and has looked

something like the force of old so far this term. Penalized for his win in

Haydock's Temple Stakes May 25, the eight-year-old will find it difficult to

defy that against Lordship Stud's Swiss Spirit, who was just a neck behind in

that contest on level weights. Like Kingsgate Native, whom he had beaten in the

Dubai World Trophy over this trip at Newbury in September, he failed to make an

impact in the King's Stand at Royal Ascot last time June 18.

"Kingsgate seems in really good form and looks a picture," trainer Robert

Cowell told PA Sport. "He ran a bit flat at Ascot, but bounced back at Sandown

and hopefully he'll run very well. Ideally we'd like the ground to dry up a

little bit for him."

Swiss Spirit's owner-breeder Trevor Harris told PA Sport, "I think if he can

reproduce his Temple run, he'd have a very good chance. If the ground is good or

faster, that will suit him. The one question we would have is how he will handle

the track. Hopefully he'll be all right, but he is quite a big horse. If he runs

his race, then he's going to be there or thereabouts."

Friday's Group 3 Glorious Stakes sees the return of Masterstroke, and

Godolphin's four-year-old remains one of the most intriguing of the older

brigade with a host of the major contests still to come in 2013. Handled by

Andre Fabre last term, the homebred captured the Grand Prix de Deauville over 1

9/16 miles in August before filling third spot in the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe

at Longchamp in October. After failing to appear at the Dubai Carnival when

getting involved in a stalls incident, he has been given time to recuperate and

trainer Charlie Appleby is not expecting fireworks on this belated seasonal bow.

"Masterstroke has been off the track for a while," he said. "We have taken

our time since then and I expect him to improve on his first start of the

season. He ran well on heavy going in the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe and he would

probably prefer a little cut in the ground, although he won on good going at

Deauville and Vichy last year."

Among his opponents is George Strawbridge's 2012 Grand Prix de Chantilly

winner Aiken, who was runner-up in the two-mile British Champions Long Distance

Cup on Ascot's Champions' Day on his last outing in October.

Richard Hannon's Glorious Goodwood could hardly have gone better so far, and

one of the stable's leading prospects Montiridge looks to extend the sequence in

Friday's Group 3 Thoroughbred Stakes. Smooth over this one-mile trip when taking

the Heron Stakes at Sandown May 30 and Newmarket's Stubbs Stakes July 11 either

side of a second in Royal Ascot's Jersey Stakes June 19, he is joined by stable

companion Baltic Knight, who captured the Ganton Stakes over this trip at York

last time June 15.

"Montiridge surprised us how well he coped with the fast ground when winning

a listed race at Newmarket last time, so we will have no excuses when he steps

back up to Group 3 for the Thoroughbred Stakes," Hannon commented. "We think

that he has the potential to go all the way, so we'll be looking for a big run

here. Similarly, Baltic Knight, our second runner, is making great strides, and

he is rated only two pounds behind Montiridge, so he deserves this shot at

pattern company."

Glory Awaits probably ran right up to the form of his second to Dawn Approach

in the May 4 Two Thousand Guineas when fifth behind that rival in the St James's

Palace at Royal Ascot last time June 18.

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