Veteran Sussex flat racer Brilliant Red will be going for gold at Glorious Goodwood next month.

The eight-year-old star of trainer Lydia Richards' Funtingdon yard is targeting one of the big handicaps of the five-day meeting, the Golden Mile.

Despite his advancing years, Brilliant Red has come back as good as ever this season following a holiday during the winter.

Not the most energetic of horses on the gallops at home, he would normally be taken to a racecourse or alternative gallops. With foot and mouth restrictions ruling out those arrangements, Brilliant Red clearly needed his first run back in the Winter Derby at Lingfield.

A couple more lack-lustre efforts followed before Richards worked the oracle with the old campaigner, fitting him with a visor for his next run at Goodwood in May.

Brilliant Red positively bolted up under Sussex jockey Ian Mongan, beating the Barry Hills-trained Calcutta with the third horse five lengths adrift.

The visor failed to do the trick next time when the horse was well fancied for a Newbury handicap. However, Richards is now sweetening up the old boy at home and Brilliant Red, a winner of £170,000 in seven seasons, will be without the headgear next time.

As Brilliant Red gears up for another big day on the racetrack, another Richards veteran Secret Spring is looking forward to a well-earned retirement. The nine-year-old injured a tendon when third on his last run at Lingfield in November and, although the injury will heal, it is unlikely to withstand any more racing.

Secret Spring began his racing career in a Lingfield maiden in 1995, finishing second, and never looked back. Fifty-seven more runs on the flat and over hurdles followed, netting nine wins, 14 second places, four thirds and three fourths.

He was in still in good form last autumn, finishing second twice.

Secret Spring is spending the summer in Richards' paddocks at Lynch Farm and will then be used as a lead horse on the gallops.