Quest for G1 breakthrough leads First Mission to Santa Anita

First Mission travels to Southern California for the first time as he searches for an elusive G1 success in the Goodwood Stakes at Santa Anita on Saturday, 27 September.

The Street Sense entire has posted four victories in Graded races, including dominant displays last season in Oaklawn Park’s G3 Essex Handicap and the G2 Alysheba Stakes at Churchill Downs.

He gained another impressive win in the G2 Oaklawn Handicap in April before producing his best effort in four G1 appearances at Churchill Downs at the end of June as he chased home Mindframe and Sierra Leone in the Stephen Foster Stakes.

First Mission met with a surprise defeat on his only subsequent appearance in the G3 Philip H Iselin Stakes at Monmouth Park in mid-August, when the Brad Cox-trained five-year-old found Surface To Air three-quarters of a length too strong.

Michael Banahan, Director of Bloodstock, Godolphin USA, said: “First Mission is coming into the G1 Goodwood in excellent shape. It’s been six weeks since his somewhat disappointing run in the Iselin, where a track specialist ran him down.

“Brad likes to have six weeks between runs when possible, so the timing should tee him up nicely. It appears to be the best opportunity he has had to try and secure a G1 for his resume, with his main challenger being the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile winner from last year Full Serrano.

“We are very hopeful that he can add this G1 to his record now that we have gotten away from the best of the older horse division on the East Coast.”