Witness Stand Shocks in Lennox Stakes, Delivering Historic Win for Newland & Insole

Ridden to perfection by Hollie Doyle, the son of Kodiac scored at 25-1 at Goodwood, providing the training partnership of Newland & Insole with their first major flat success

Witness Stand and Hollie Doyle sprung the upset at Glorious Goodwood / GOODWOOD

CHICHESTER, Inglaterra (Special for Turf Diario).- The HKJC World Pool Lennox Stakes (G2–1400m, turf), one of Tuesday’s headline events at the Glorious Goodwood Festival, turned into more than just another Group race—it became an unforgettable milestone for the training partnership of Dr. Richard Newland and Jamie Insole, who celebrated their first major flat victory courtesy of a stunning upset by Witness Stand. Sent off at odds of 25-1, the son of Expert Eye delivered a commanding performance.

Drama unfolded even before the gates opened, as dual Lennox Stakes winner Kinross (Kingman) was withdrawn following a kick from his stallmate Audience (Iffraaj). Moments after the break, Noble Champion (Lope de Vega), a recent Royal Ascot winner, was pulled up by Kieran Shoemark, who sensed something was amiss.

The pace was sharp from the outset, with three horses cutting out a demanding tempo. Among them was Witness Stand, who traveled comfortably and asserted without opposition over the final quarter-mile under a brilliantly judged ride from Hollie Doyle, drawing clear to score by nearly three lengths.

Lake Forest (No Nay Never) rallied from the rear to finish second, while Audience, despite the pre-race incident, secured a respectable third, though he was unable to match the winner’s acceleration in the straight.

The result marked a breakthrough for Newland and Insole, who began their training partnership in 2023. Former Charlie Hills assistant Jamie Insole couldn’t hide his emotion: “I’ve been involved with big winners before, but training one yourself is something else. Racing is in my blood—my grandfather trained and rode, and my uncle, Will Kennedy, was a jump jockey. I think I made them proud today.”

“We bought him for 100,000 guineas at the horses-in-training sale. He went a bit under the radar, but we knew there was talent there. He had run well at Chester, where they broke the track record, and he clearly relished a bit of give in the ground. He really shone today,” Insole added.

Their ambitions are growing: “We entered him this morning for the Prix de la Forêt (G1), and now that feels like a smart move. He’s also in the Hungerford Stakes, though he’d have to carry a penalty there. We’ll see. This makes it 27 winners for the season. We’ve got a great team and hopefully this is just the beginning.”

Hollie Doyle praised the preparation: “A fantastic job by Jamie, Richard and the whole team. Not only did they get him back to the races, but to win at this level—it’s a Listed winner stepping up and proving he belongs. His rating wasn’t far off Audience’s, and he had more to give.”

Tom Marquand, aboard Lake Forest, reflected: “We were hoping the back-markers could close on the front group, but they got away. On tracks like this, once a horse gets loose in front, it’s tough to peg them back.”

Robert Havlin, who rode Audience, said: “That was encouraging—a step forward. He probably needs firmer ground. The cheekpieces helped, and he finished better than in his recent runs.”

John Gosden, who trains Audience with his son Thady, added: “Solid effort. He did everything right, but struggled a bit with the ground downhill. We’ll look toward York with him.”

Lastly, Rossa Ryan, rider of Kinross, explained the pre-race mishap: “Audience backed into him and caught him with a kick. It was unfortunate, and I want to apologize to everyone involved. Thankfully Kinross is okay—it happened so fast there was no time to react.”