GOODWOOD 15:35

All 7 ran. Race Distance Adjustment: +10 yds

Time: 3m 30.56s Closing Sectional: (4f): 46.7s (112.4%)

Overrounds: Industry SP 110%, Betfair SP 100.6%

No Vazirabad to break them up this time, and the relationship between Stradivarius and Torcedor was slightly reduced from the Gold Cup, probably a reflection of the fact the latter controlled this race by and large, going only steady for the first mile at least, also explaining why Stradivarius made hard work of the first movement of catching him, convincing enough by the end, those big two closing the door on the rest in the finish, though Call To Mind pulled up injured.

STRADIVARIUS (IRE) is a Lonsdale Cup away from the new £1m bonus for stayers, but his status as top dog in the division is already secured, the hard work for that done at Ascot, two less antagonists to worry about here compared to there, a simpler equation for him, more or less a straight fight with Torcedor in an otherwise thin Goodwood Cup, though the target on that one's back was made smaller by his control of the race, forcing Stradivarius to dig deep to reel him in, doing so 1f out, and at the line it was about as cosy as it gets for a half-length win in a Group 1; the Lonsdale being a Group 2, he'll have a 5-lb penalty to carry, which would in theory tip the scales marginally in Torcedor's favour should they clash for a fourth time, but ratings alone don't communicate how difficult it now is to defeat Stradivarius, given the style, spirit and staying power that have made him a true staying heavyweight in an historical sense and not just in the context of a season in which he won by knockout at York and on points the last twice, hard to find fault, well and truly earning the bonus that's in his grasp.

TORCEDOR (IRE) has graced the stage alongside Stradivarius the last twice, his talents somewhat overshadowed, but acting as an important indicator to the winner's true worth, giving him a thorough workout here, shaving some of the gap from Royal Ascot, without pushing up his rating any more, as dictating handed him an advantage, the ability to front run very much a string to his bow, winding up from 4f out and sticking to the task once Stradivarius took his measure 1f out, 6l clear of the rest.

IDAHO (IRE) has come to 2m experimentally, a by-product of his general failings over middle-distances ever since the peak of his third in the 2017 King George, not much of a future for him on the staying scene - at least not at the top end - based on this, a pretty hollow third, not far ahead of the also-rans and not in the same league as the first 2, left for dead by them approaching the last 1f, stamina perhaps not the principal shortcoming, one paced rather than weakening.

DAL HARRAILD looks good enough for pattern races, but not for Group 1s, blinkers not helping him bridge the gap, doing about all he could for fourth, from off the pace, plugging away in his time; he has an Ebor entry, an interesting alternative for him, in line to carry a big weight but earning it, and York's long straight suits him.

ST MICHEL hasn't and won't ever measure up with the best stayers, but has several pattern placings on his CV, and this suggests plenty of that ability is intact, in at the deep end for only his second start after a 10-month absence but doing a lot better than the first, outclassed in the end, but closing in quite quickly (from last) 3f out.

DESERT SKYLINE (IRE) has a cloud over him for now, the first of 3 successive meetings with Stradivarius showing what he can really do (3l second in Yorkshire Cup), no guessing it from tame displays the last twice, not so bad here as at Royal Ascot but still little response when called upon, no matter that he was checked briefly by an injured rival.

CALL TO MIND was pulled up after breaking down 3f out, a career-ending injury.