Richmond role for Billboard Star

An appearance at the Qatar Goodwood Festival is likely to be next on the agenda for Billboard Star after filling the runner-up spot in Thursday’s July Stakes at Newmarket.

Having confirmed the promise of his debut third at Goodwood with an impressive victory at Newmarket last month, Eve Johnson Houghton’s youngster stepped up to Group Two level on his return to the July Course and ran a fine race to finish best of the rest behind hot favourite Whistlejacket.

With Billboard Star having now proven himself capable of mixing in stakes company, another Group Two assignment awaits in the form of Goodwood’s Richmond Stakes on August 1.

“I was really pleased with him,” said Johnson Houghton.

“It just all happened a bit away from us, but I think the favourite was a worthy winner and I think there’s plenty of improvement to come from our horse, so that’s exciting.

“We’re really happy with him and we’ll probably go for the Richmond in the first instance and then think again. We put him in the Gimcrack at York, but I think we’ll probably go for the Richmond.

“Ideally we’d like better ground, but it is what it is – you have to race on whatever the ground is on the day. The trouble is at the moment you don’t know what you’re going to get as you declare on one thing and then it’s something else, but it’s the same for everyone.”