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19 Aug 2020

Ghaiyyath the Goliath completes Group 1 hat-trick in the Juddmonte International

It was a case of different Group 1, same Ghaiyyath, as the Godolphin star never saw a rival from the first furlong until the last in the Juddmonte International.

Ghaiyyath was simply relentless from start to finish setting a high-tempo gallop from the very beginning. A tactic which no horse has been able to live with so far this season and it proved exactly the same in the feature on day one at York’s Ebor Festival.

The race was packed full of Group 1 talent including QIPCO Champion Stakes heroine Magical, QIPCO 2000 Guineas hero Kameko and Prince of Wales winner Lord North. Predictably Ghaiyyath was allowed to assume the early lead, with Magical following and the remaining three swapping places in behind during the opening exchanges.

The straight came quick enough, such was the gallop set by Ghaiyyath, and it was around three furlongs out that the warning signs began to flash, as Magical looked flat-to-the-boards very quickly. It wasn’t long before the others followed, with Kameko and Lord North unable to make any impression heading into the final furlong.

William Buick then turned the screw on the favourite and within a few strides the race had been convincingly put to bed.

To her credit Magical picked up again in the closing stages, and while she couldn’t make any impression on the leader, she did grab what at one point looked an unlikely second place.