By Peter Moore at Goodwood Wednesday 23rd September 2026

Pictures: Credit Malcolm Wells

Local trainer David Menuisier finally had something to celebrate, just days before he gets married at the weekend after Tribal Chief landed the 1m handicap at Goodwood on Wednesday.

Menuisier has had to wait 85 days and 71 runners before finally getting a winner, and it was appropriate that Tribal Chief who took his record to two wins from four starts at the Sussex track came with a late run under William Buick to score by a neck from Storm Star.

“There’s no problem at the yard,” said Menuisier. “We just had a few moderate horses to run this summer and the ground didn’t help.

“They’ve been running really well. We should have had a winner on Monday and were really unlucky, and we’ve had five or six seconds in the last two or three weeks.”

“Of course there have been a few tense moments,” he said. “I’m getting married this weekend and I haven’t really had a chance to think about it because we were a little bit under pressure. Now I can enjoy myself over the next few days.

“It was important to win today so we go into the upcoming races with a bit more confidence than we’ve had recently.

“It’s been a love-hate relationship with Tribal Chief. Now we love him and we’re very proud of him. He’s a nice horse on his day.”

Respond certainly did that in spectacular fashion by making all under Oisin Murphy to win the Listed Virgin Bet Foundation Stakes in dominant fashion.

The son of Ghaiyyath has now won three times in eight starts for the Highclere Thoroughbred Racing team, with the removal of a hood helping him to a first Listed success.

Trainer Andrew Balding said: “I’m thrilled for him as he’s always threatened to be a decent horse. It’s just getting him to do things the right way round and he’s very good when he can relax, which is the key to him.”

Despite another £39,000 into the prize pot, Balding still feels it will be difficult to catch Aidan O’Brien in the trainers’ championship.

“Champions Day is going to determine what’s going to happen and we’re not looking that strong,” he said. “If we were going there with strong chances I’d be very keen, but I think that’s a bit unrealistic.”

Credit: Malcolm Wells

James Fanshawe brought up a career-best 60th winner of the year when Plaid cruised to a seven-and-a-half-length victory over her market rival Runman in the 1m 2f classified stakes.

The trainer said: “She’s always been a nice filly and we’ve liked her a lot. She broke the track record at Kempton which I think took a bit out of her, but we wanted to come back here and try to get her winning again and she’s done that.”

After spending last season jumping, the Faye Bramley-trained Paggane made a winning return to the Flat in the 1m6f fillies’ handicap under Saffie Osborne.

Her last run on the flat was 432 days ago at Haydock, where she finished fourth of eight.

Bramley said: “She’s very versatile when it comes to ground and also over different distances. I think we’ll go back to hurdles next for the Silver Trophy at Chepstow.

Please Don’t Go made it 22 two year old winners this season for Richard Hughes after landing the opener on the card with Tom Marquand in the plate, by running on well to win by a length and a quarter.

The British EBF Fillies Series Final produced a big surprise when Poppy Fox landed the spoils at 25-1 for trainer Charlie Clover under Rossa Ryan.