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William Knight targets Glorious Goodwood

Image: William Knight is hopeful of a good Goodwood

Aussie Reigns is set to make a fourth consecutive appearance at the Qatar Goodwood Festival, with the talented stayer featuring among a strong team from local trainer William Knight for the five-day meeting, which runs from Tuesday, July 28 to Saturday, August 1.

The five-year-old won a nursery handicap at the Qatar Goodwood Festival in 2012 and has made the frame in two subsequent appearances at the prestigious meeting, including a close fourth in last year's Group Three Glorious Stakes.

He is set to return for a crack at the £300,000 Qatar Goodwood Cup, highlight of the third day. Knight tasted victory in the staying showpiece with Illustrious Blue, who triumphed for the Littlehampton handler in 2010. 

Speaking at a press event at his stables organised by Goodwood Racecourse, Knight commented: "Aussie Reigns ran well at Sandown last week but probably needs horses to point at and a bit more cover. His form with Trip To Paris in the Henry II Stakes is very good and, if he can run to that level of form, he has got to be there with a shout.

"He also likes Goodwood and he will hopefully go there in good form. He has come out of his race very well and is going to be a 12/1 or 16/1 shot for the Goodwood Cup and, if he runs into a place, he has run a blinder.

"I am always a big believer in you have to keep on moving forwards and you can't dwell on what has happened in the past, although that day when Illustrious Blue won the Goodwood Cup was amazing.

"It was very important for the yard and my career but we have to look forward now and try to unearth another one like him."

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Knight is set to be well represented throughout the week, with Fire Ship and Secret Art potential runners in the £150,000 Betfred Mile, the feature handicap on Friday.

He continued: "The Betfred Mile is a big-runner field and Fire Ship is probably better suited to a smaller field in Group Three or Listed class. However, the prize money is very good and, if Goodwood suddenly came up on the slower side, then we will take our chance.

"He was fifth in the race two years ago after winning a Listed race at Pontefract about four days before. The owners are all quite local and, if the ground comes up right, then we will definitely have a crack at it.

"Secret Art has got multiple entries. He is in the Betfred Mile although it slightly depends what the handicapper does and we could drop back to seven furlongs for the NatWest Handicap. I think we will have to see what the handicapper is going to do to us before making any firm decisions."

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Course winner Gavlar is due to contest the £50,000 Goodwood Handicap, while Solar Flair is being aimed at the seven-furlong £20,000 NatWest Handicap on the same day. Noble Gift is also set to line up in the £50,000 Qatar Goodwood Festival Handicap over just short of 10 furlongs on the opening day.

Knight added: "I think Gavlar will handle the trip of the Goodwood Handicap and he is probably my best chance of the week. He is more settled in his races now and I think that will give him every chance of getting two miles and five furlongs. He is by Gentlewave, who seems to be getting a lot of staying stock and jumpers as well.

"He handles Goodwood and we were always going to run at Kempton the other day just as a prep-race to lead us into the race at Goodwood. He will hopefully go there in good form and will have every chance.

"Solar Flair won over seven furlongs as a two-year-old and I have always liked him. I started him off over a mile first time out this year - which I am definitely sure he got - but then I decided for some reason to go further with him.

"He blatantly didn't stay nine furlongs and Jim Crowley told me to drop him back to seven furlongs, which we did. We ran in a handicap at Goodwood off a bad draw, when he was fourth, and then rode him more positively at Newmarket, when he won very well.

"I think the combination of riding him more positively and dropping back to seven has been the making of him. He has won his last two starts very impressively and has taken a big hike in the handicap, so he has now got to prove it off a higher weight but I think that he is progressive.

"I have always held him in high regard - I have always thought that he was my nicest three-year-old - so hopefully he keeps on progressive and goes to Goodwood with a chance.

"Noble Gift likes going right-handed and I think that is the key to him. Kempton, Ascot and Goodwood seem to suit him well. We are dropping him back to a mile and a quarter but I think that, because we ride him positively, he will make every yard the winning line.

"If we got a bit of rain, it would probably help his cause even more. He is high enough in the weights at the moment but, with a bit of luck in running and left alone in front, he could run very well."

Goodwood Racecourse announced a new 10-year partnership with Qatar in December, 2014, which is the single biggest sponsorship deal ever done for the benefit of British racing. Total prize money for the Qatar Goodwood Festival will exceed £4.5 million this year, a substantial increase on 2014 levels.

Knight continued: "I think Adam Waterworth has done a fantastic job in getting this deal with Qatar put together and the fact that they have signed in for 10 years provides security as well. I can only see positives from it.

"Prize money is key for owners and trainers. We are always moaning that we don't have prize money and then we start complaining about someone putting all this money into a festival and having the lion's share of all the sponsorship.

"No-one else has got up and put their foot forward so it's great that Qatar have gone and done it. I am sure Goodwood will look after them very well and I think that it will be a very good relationship between the two of them.

"I think the Qatar Goodwood Festival will only improve over the next 10 years and it is very exciting for everyone.

"We are always aiming to try and have runners at the meeting and the fact that the prize money has increased is the cherry on the cake and it makes your mind up. When I am looking through the programme book, Goodwood stands out because the prize money is so good and pays well down to fourth or fifth place as well.

"It is going to be ultra-competitive this year. With more prize-money, the better horses turn up so it does make it more competitive. That can only be healthy - we want to compete on the big stage and, if we have a chance of competing for a big prize like the Goodwood Cup, we are going to have a crack at it."

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