Hills’ four previous victories in the race were provided by his former superfast stable star Battaash (Ire), who like this year’s winner is also by Dark Angel (Ire).
While Khaadem may not possess the star quality of his former stablemate, he showed a good turn of foot to repel the advances of a fast-finishing Raasel (Showcasing {GB}), eventually beating him by 0.1l. Caturra (Ire) (Mehmas {Ire}) was a further 0.7l away in third.
Best laid plan
Khaadem (Ire) was last sighted winning the G3 Palace House S. at Newmarket in April, but he put his previous course form to good use having landed the Stewards' Cup in 2019 and Hills said it was pleasing to see the gelding score another lucrative prize.
“It has always been the plan to come here. The track suits and he has won here before in the Stewards’ Cup. He is getting faster with age, and today he was so relaxed, which is not like him,” said Hills.
“I said to Ryan (Moore) that he was held up when he won the Stewards’ Cup, so ride him how you want. He has won a couple of times making all, but he does not have to be ridden that way. Ryan gave him a peach. The way the race unfolded, they all came down the one side, and that opened everything up. He likes a bit of space in his races.
“He is a good horse, a very good horse with a lot of speed. Ryan was very positive after and we will look now for a Group 1, the Nunthorpe or wherever.
“He is growing up. Sprinters can take their time. As a 3-year-old he had a fantastic season, but it then did not quite work for him as a four-year-old. When Baattash won this day, Khaadem won the Stewards’ Cup the next day and someone told me that he clocked a quicker sectional.
“We went then to a Haydock Sprint Cup and have always thought he could get to the top table. Maybe it’s age, maturity or being cut. He wears a red hood, blinkers – he is not tricky, just a bit quirky.”
Khaadem was purchased by Battaash’s owners, Shadwell, for 750,000gns (AU$1,308,600) at Book 1 of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale in 2017 and was purchased privately by his now owner Fitri Hay in January.
The gelding is out of dual winner White Daffodil (Ire) (Footstepsinthesand {GB}), making him a brother to Listed scorer Log Out Island (Ire).
Khaadem is one of 87 stakes winners by Yeomanstown Stud-resident Dark Angel who stood for a fee of €60,000 (AU$87,700) in 2022.
Time Test’s Rocchigiani takes Group 3 honours
German raider Rocchigiani (GB) - a son of Little Avondale Stud shuttler Time Test (GB) - proved too good for his rivals in the G3 Thoroughbred S. at Goodwood on Friday as he stormed home to land the Group 3 honours.
The colt was far from disgraced on his last start, when finishing a respectable fifth in the G3 Jersey S. at Royal Ascot, only 2.5l away from the winner and he brought that form again on Friday, staying on strongly to beat The Wizard Of Eye (Ire) (Galileo Gold {Ire}) by 0.8l, while Sonny Liston (Ire) (Lawman {Fr}) was the same distance away in third.
By Little Avondale shuttler Time Test (GB), the Peter Schiergen-trained 3-year-old landed a Group 3 in Germany as a juvenile and finished second in the G2 German 2000 Guineas before his Ascot raid and his trainer was not surprised to see him again.
“Rocchigiani is a nice horse. He travelled well in the race and the pace was good for him. The form in Germany was very good. The horse is a speed horse, and he likes leading horses.
“The owners [Stall Domstadt] like Goodwood and always come here. This is my first winner here today. We have not had many runners and it is not easy to do.
“I looked from race to race after Ascot and we will chat about what to do now. His last race was seven furlongs, but the mile is a little better for him. Maybe we will come back to England next.”
Meanwhile, winning jockey Tom Marquand added: “Rocchigiani ran well when fifth in the Jersey Stakes. He looked like he had a good bit of speed, so when Hotline Bling burst clear, I was happy to sit and use that injection of speed to go and win the race.
“It got a little bit messy at the two-furlong pole when the leader weakened, but this horse has travelled over really well for the Peter Schiergen team and it is a job well done.
“I was never really worried about the ground with his action. He is probably more used to cut in the ground, but it just shows that what they are used to is not always what they want.”
Rocchigiani is out of the German Listed winner Ronja (USA) making him a half-brother to stakes winner Ross (Ire) (Acclamation {GB}). Time Test resides at the National Stud in Newmarket during this time in the Northern Hemisphere, while he is currently standing at Little Avondale in New Zealand for a fee of NZ$10,000 (inc GST).
Rebel Romance toughs it out
Charlie Appleby, Godolphin and William Buick have been in almost unbeatable form all week at Goodwood and they continued their purple patch on the penultimate day of the meeting when Rebel’s Romance (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) recaptured his winning form in the G3 Queen's Plate Glorious S.
The son of Darley’s headline stallion Dubawi {Ire) was sent off the well-fancied favourite, but he did not have it all this own way and he had to pull out all the stops to grind down his stablemate Kemari (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}), eventually beating him by 1l.
Rebel’s Romance won the G2 UAE Derby in 2021 and was then sidelined following that Group 2 victory. He returned to the track in January and struggled for form in two starts at Meydan in the spring, but he signalled he was back to something life his best when he regained his winning groove in the Listed Fred Archer S. on his last start on June 25.
The 4-year-old gelding is from the stakes-placed Street Cry (Ire) mare Minidress and she is the dam of two other winners; stakes-placed Petticoat (GB) (Cape Cross {Ire}) and Dubai Beauty (Ire) (Frankel {GB}).
Dubawi’s global stakes-winning haul totals 236 and he stood at Dalham Hall for a fee of £250,000 (AU$436,000).
