By Sean Cronin
Former Tom Clover trainee and dual Listed winner Witness Stand (Expert Eye), now representing the training partnership of Jamie Insole and Richard Newland, was let go at 25-1 for Tuesday's G2 HKJC World Pool Lennox Stakes at Goodwood and made a mockery of his extended odds with a stunning victory in a dramatic renewal of the seven-furlong contest. The well-supported dual winner Kinross (Kingman) was withdrawn at the start after receiving a kick from eventual third Audience (Iffraaj).
“I have been involved in a lot of big winners and to actually train one myself is pretty special,” said Jamie Insole after overseeing a first Group success for the stable. “My grandad was a jockey and a trainer, and my uncle Will Kennedy was a National Hunt jockey, so racing is in the blood and I did them all proud today. We bought Witness Stand for 100,000gns at the horses-in-training sales. He went under the radar and we immediately had offers of more money for him. I already had this race in mind and he ran a great race at Chester last time, when they broke the track record. The bit of ease in the ground helped him and he looked pretty good. I wouldn't have run him if we didn't think he had a good chance. The Chester run gave us confidence to come here and it's lucky that I put him in the Group 1 Prix de la Foret this morning. That is looking like a pretty good idea now. He is in the [G2] Hungerford Stakes, but will have to carry a penalty in that now, so we will see. We have had an amazing season and that is 27 winners now. We have a really good team and, hopefully, we can keep going and keep getting these big winners.”
The outsider broke in second and was positioned third behind Quinault (Oasis Dream) and Audience after the initial exchanges as the leading trio stole a march and raced clear of the rest of the field. Easing to the fore soon after passing the quarter-mile pole, Witness Stand was not for catching thereafter and came under a Hollie Doyle drive to comfortably hold the late flourish of Golden Eagle victor Lake Forest (No Nay Never) by 2 3/4 lengths for a career high. Audience, who raced down the centre of the track in the straight, kept on well to finish 2 1/4 lengths back in third.
Pedigree Notes
Witness Stand is the sixth of eight foals and one of four scorers out of a full-sister to G1 King's Stand Stakes hero Prohibit (Oasis Dream). The January-foaled bay's dam Respondez (Oasis Dream), who also produced the once-raced 2-year-old colt Clipstone (Ardad), is also kin to Listed Prix Amandine-winning G3 Prix du Pin and G3 Prix de Lieurey placegetter Emergency (Dr Fong) and Listed Prix Montenica and Listed Prix Sigy victor Prior Warning (Barathea).
A Lennox Stakes boilover 👀
Witness Stand (25/1) provides @UrloxheyStables with a first stakes winner as they land a dramatic edition of a Group 2 contest that very few horses got into.@HKJC_Racing | @WorldPool | @HollieDoyle1 pic.twitter.com/mwyZ75b3K2
— Racing TV (@RacingTV) July 29, 2025
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