Witness Stand Among Top-Class Runners In The Visit Malta Hungerford Stakes

Dual licence holders Dr Richard Newland and Jamie Insole’s Glorious Goodwood winner, Witness Stand, is one of ten declared for the Visit Malta Hungerford Stakes. The feature on Saturday’s seven-race card at Newbury Racecourse takes place at 3:35 with ground conditions currently reported as ‘Good to Firm (Good in places)’. The seven-furlong contest, open to horses aged three and older, now offers an increased prize fund of £150,000.

Following a career-best performance last month, when landing the Group 2 Lennox Stakes, Witness Stand returns to the racecourse this Saturday in a bid to continue his excellent form. A 100,000gns purchase from the 2024 Tattersalls Horses-in-Training Sale, the gelding was picked up in the hopes that he would become the yard’s “ITV Saturday horse” – a status he has very much earned. Previously trained by Tom Clover, he had already shown ample ability when winning a Listed contest at Newbury before being bought by current connections.

The four-year-old’s first appearance for the yard came in Riyadh. Although the race had been targeted as a lucrative opportunity, the quick ground caused him to fall short of his opposition. Despite the result, the run served as a valuable experience. He then shaped well in the Cammidge Trophy at Doncaster and, following that, just missed out at Chester when stepped back up to seven furlongs, where he was narrowly beaten in a track-record time.

That run proved the perfect prep for his most recent start at Goodwood, which not only represented the biggest win of his career to date but also a breakthrough Group success for the training partnership. Reflecting on the day, Insole commented: “It was really emotional. I was involved with a lot of good horses throughout my time with Charlie Hills and Alan King, so to be able to train one ourselves and to win at a major festival in Glorious Goodwood was pretty special.”

Currently rated 118 and top of the weights in Saturday’s field, Witness Stand is in good order as he looks to reaffirm his place at this level in The Visit Malta Hungerford Stakes with Billy Loughnane in the saddle. Insole remarked: “We obviously have to carry a penalty now, but he’s come out of the race at Goodwood well. He did a nice breeze this morning (Wednesday) and we’re really happy with him.” He added: “He’s already a Group 2 winner now, so we just hope he turns up and puts in another brave run to do us all proud.”

With the two Group 1 horses now out of the picture, the race has opened up somewhat. Heading the betting is William Haggas’ Bunbury Cup winner, More Thunder. The four-year-old colt moved from the recently retired Sir Michael Stoute and has tallied up a total of three wins this season, as well as a second place in the Wokingham Stakes.

Now Godolphin’s only runner, Spy Chief comes here off the back of his seventh in the Group 1 July Cup, where he finished just two and three-quarter lengths behind the winner. John and Thady Gosden’s three-year-old has always acted better over seven, as evidenced by his second place in the Group 3 Jersey Stakes at Royal Ascot in June.

Ralph Beckett’s King’s Gamble is also of interest after returning from nearly a year out to finish second in a Group 3 at Newbury. He sits at third in the market, while Eve Johnson Houghton’s Rage Of Bamby, who finished in front of him on that occasion, bids to give her a second win in the race.

The field is completed by Owen Burrow’s Alyanaabi, who kicked off this season by defeating 2024’s Hungerford Stakes winner Tiber Flow in a Listed contest at Haydock but has struggled since moving up in class, as well as Great Generation, Fair Angellica, Marvelman and Duty First.