King George hero Goliath strengthened his Japan Cup ambitions with a hard-fought victory in the Prix du Conseil de Paris at ParisLongchamp. Trained by Francis-Henri Graffard, Goliath hadn't raced since his stunning win at Ascot in July, where he defied 25-1 odds to defeat future Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe winner Bluestocking and Preis von Europa champion Rebel’s Romance.
As a gelding, Goliath was ineligible for the Arc, and connections opted out of a return to Ascot for the Champion Stakes. Instead, the Japan Cup was chosen as his primary end-of-season goal. A minor setback kept Goliath from facing Rebel’s Romance again in Germany, but he rerouted to Paris for a Group Two contest, where he was the favourite under jockey Christophe Soumillon.
Sporting the colours of new co-owner John Stewart, Goliath settled in third behind Maniatic and Hamish, trained by William Haggas, during the one-mile-three-furlong race. Soumillon confidently assessed his rivals in the home straight, and despite a strong challenge from Hamish, Goliath secured a comfortable half-length victory.
Trainer Graffard expressed his satisfaction with the performance, telling the PA news agency, "I couldn’t be happier with Goliath. The horse needed the race, and it’s all part of his preparation for the Japan Cup. He’ll improve from this run, and Christophe gave him a great ride."
With this warm-up victory under his belt, Goliath now heads to Japan with high expectations for the prestigious international race.