Endless gets there just in time at Glorious Goodwood

Endless Time came late to lead near the line for a thrilling neck success in the G3 Lillie Langtry Stakes over a mile and three quarters on the third day of Glorious Goodwood, UK, Thursday, August 3. 

The Charlie Appleby-trained five-year-old mare, dropping back down in trip after finishing 10th over two and a half miles in the G1 Gold Cup at Royal Ascot in June, broke smartly and soon settled in fifth of the 10 runners. 

She travelled strongly in the straight but had to be switched out twice by William Buick after meeting trouble in running passing the two-furlong pole. 

Endless Time still had three rivals ahead of her with half a furlong to race but the daughter of Sea The Stars ran on strongly to collar Dubka in the shadow of the post and win in 3m 14.11s on ground described as soft, heavy in places. 

Melodic Motion took third with the other Godolphin runner Natural Scenery (Saeed bin Suroor/Jim Crowley) coming home fourth, beaten a length and a quarter in total, after holding every chance entering the final furlong. 

Charlie Appleby reported: “Coming here today we were happy to run Endless Time on this soft ground, although jockeys were saying after the first race that it was riding tacky. 

“She’s proven on soft, and I put the cheekpieces on because she was dropping back in trip and I hoped they would help her travel that bit better.

“When she went to York [close fourth in the Yorkshire Cup] she wandered about for a couple of hundred yards and I was keen to try cheekpieces over this trip. I didn’t put them on in the Gold Cup when she was stepping up to two and a half miles.

“Today she travelled well into the race, but for a moment I was a bit worried about the position she had. Once William got her angled out, and nothing much was happening very quickly in front of her, I knew she would guts it out. 

“It was a good ride by William and great to have a first winner of this week for His Highness Sheikh Mohammed.

“The Irish St Leger could be a possible for her, and she’s in the Prix Vermeille and Prix Royal-Oak – I would love to get a Group One win with her because she deserves it. 

“She was second in those two [the French races] last year and we might head back there and try to get her head in front this time.

“Endless Time is a lovely mare to have around.” 

William Buick commented: “Endless Time travelled very nicely, in a good rhythm and she had something to aim at today which has suited her.

“Obviously, there was a moment or two when I was looking for room, but she was going well and came on the outside. She is a mare we think can win a Group One.

“Charlie said to ride a race and let it unfold. It got a bit congested from where we were, but she got herself organised and went through the ground very well, which is a big help.

“The ground is very tacky, and I would say she was the only filly in the race that finished their race off properly. It’s very testing ground out there, it’s very gluey, it’s quite deep and horses feel different out there than they do on normal racing ground. Things do change a little bit on that ground, but she seemed to handle it fine

“On her day, she is pretty good and there are very few fillies in training who deserve to win a Group One more than her. Let’s hope we can do it.

“Endless Time travels very well. Certainly, in the Yorkshire Cup (when a close fourth) she travelled into the race very well but perhaps too well because she might have had a little look in front. 

“In the Gold Cup, I rode her to run well and we ended up quite far back, ultimately she didn’t stay. We had a lot of ground to make up, but I don’t think she gets that far anyway. The ground might have been a bit quick for her that day too.”