Approval surged late under Tom Marquand to capture the Coral Kincsem Handicap for William Haggas at Goodwood.
Having been a runner-up twice on the all-weather in the spring and then securing a comfortable victory at Windsor in June, the chestnut headed to Royal Ascot for the Golden Gates Stakes. His front-running strategy didn’t pay off there, and he finished seventh. However, a change in tactics proved successful today.
An obvious gap didn’t appear in the final furlong from his midfield position, so Marquand had to navigate through a tight space along the inside rail. He seized the lead in the final strides, winning by a neck from Brioni, ridden by Vincent Ho.
Maureen Haggas, wife of the winning trainer, commented that it would have been unfortunate if Approval had been beaten, given that he had attempted to find every available gap. She noted that the horse did well to win, having previously led at Windsor and been too keen at Ascot. For this race, they expected a strong pace, and while the early speed was quick, the pace slowed considerably. There was concern that Approval might be in trouble.
However, she observed that he adapted well, ran a great race, and seemed to enjoy the track. She added that William Haggas would decide on his next steps, but Approval appeared much more mature in the preliminaries today.