Goodwood target revealed for exciting Lost Boys

Royal Ascot hero Lost Boys will keep to handicap company when he attempts to enhance his growing reputation at the Qatar Goodwood Festival.

David Menuisier’s colt is unbeaten in 2026 and made it four victories in a row when impressively landing the Golden Gates Stakes, his first start in the colours of Wathnan Racing who made him one of their star signings prior to the Royal meeting.

He will now form a key part of the Wathnan squad for Goodwood’s showpiece summer meeting and after a 7lb rise for his Ascot triumph will be aimed at the Coral Kincsem Heritage Handicap on July 30.

Stepping Stone Choice Over Deeper Waters

Explaining the next step in Lost Boys’ career, Wathnan’s racing adviser Richard Brown said: “He’s exciting, but we’re still going to take it steady with him and we’ll go for the Kincsem at Goodwood with him next.

“I think he’s a colt to bring along gradually rather than pitching him in deep and there will be plenty of time in the future for those races if it becomes the right thing to do.

“Goodwood is an important meeting for us and this seems a gentler stepping stone, it’s just down the road from David and everything points to the Kinscem for me.”

Lost Boys earned rave reviews from his winning jockey James McDonald in the aftermath of the Golden Gates and Brown was equally delighted to see him add to his previous London Gold Cup victory after racing keenly in the early stages at Ascot.

He added: “Everything went wrong at Ascot and he was free down the hill and struggled to get cover for the first three or four furlongs. The pleasing thing was once he got cover, he dropped it (bridle) and then in the straight he dove for that gap which is rare to see a horse do before then readily picking up.

“I thought it was going to be impossible to win after pulling so hard really and that’s not really him, I just think it was just circumstances. He’s definitely a horse to look forward to the future with.”

Sussex Ground Critical for Flying Paborus

Another possible for Goodwood is Ed Bethell’s Paborus after he returned from a day shy of a year off the track to strike in Newcastle’s Chipchase Stakes.

He could now move back up to his preferred seven furlongs for the Lennox Stakes providing conditions on the Sussex Downs prove suitable.

Brown said: “It was a great performance by all the people who do rehab for Wathnan and then Ed and his team, he had been off the track for 12 months and to come back and do that from quite an unfavourable draw out on a wing I thought was great.

“He had to do it the hard way and Callum (Rodriguez, jockey) said he took a blow in the final half-furlong and would come on plenty for it. I think there’s a huge amount of positives to take from that.

“He could now go to the Lennox, but he won’t run if there is firm in the description. Ed will train him as if that is the target and if the ground comes up right then fine, but if not he won’t take his chance.”

Goodwood’s ‘Glorious’ meeting takes great precedence for the Emir of Qatar’s racing entity given the Gulf state’s backing of the event, but prior to that there is plenty for the owners to look forward to elsewhere.

“Goodwood is of course a big meeting for us and we’re working on the team for the week, but there’s plenty to look forward to in between,” said Brown.

“There’s Gethin in the Eclipse, Division will take his chance in the July Cup and Earth Shot hopefully in the Irish Oaks so there is a lot to look forward to before Goodwood.”