ALL VIEWS ARE MY OWN
First things first and the big question – when is a race not a race? Stupid question I agree but with no-one taking the bull by the horns, that’s pretty much what we got in the Sky Bet York Stakes last Saturday, run at a snail’s pace from the off until it turned into a sprint late on – I thought we were watching French racing for a second! Looking back at the contest, and I still can’t work out who it was who felt a sprint would suit them best (they all have form over the trip of a mile and a quarter), and although I acknowledge that none of them were confirmed front-runners, they all played into the hands of winner Alflaila who has good form over a mile, which must have seen jockey Jim Crowley beaming from ear to ear for the entire race.
Question two (there is a theme here), and when is the going not the going – at Ascot according to Aidan O’Brien. His interview after the defeat of Auguste Rosin was pretty scathing by his normally diplomatic standards with the going, in his words, nowhere near to the Good to Firm it will be recorded as for ever. Therein lies two issues in my mind – the first is punters on the day doing their dough on horses who love the going as described only to find it rides nothing like that come race time, and (to me more importantly), the fact that the races on the day will go on record in the formbook as being on Good to Firm for immortality for our use in future races – however inaccurate. The general consensus (from people cleverer than me) is it was Good in general, slower on the straight course after watering Friday night, but with my understanding being that Good to Firm is fine, you have to wonder how it got/was made as slow as it was.
Part two of the same question quickly arrived at Glorious Goodwood on Tuesday afternoon – though this time it was the other way round. The first five races will be recorded for ever as Good going – so either we have a generation of superstars or someone got that wrong – course records are rarely challenged on anything other than fast ground, especially not at a course as prestigious as Goodwood, so what happened? Aomori City won the Vintage Stakes in the fastest time this century, Audience would have clocked the fastest Lennox Stakes ever were it not for the rail movements, Kyprios and the next four home all broke the course record in the Goodwood Cup, while Tatterstall, an 87 rated handicapper, came within 0.02 of a second of matching the course record set by Group One sprinter Battaash – go figure (with thanks to Simon Rowlands @RowleyfileRRR for the figures)? That was not good ground and no-one will persuade me otherwise, so why aren’t questions being asked at the very top of the sport?
Looking for good news (not going) and which horses stood out for you on the first three days of Glorious Goodwood? I won’t mention any of the handicappers who will be running off different marks by definition for the rest of the season, but in the Group races I was mightily impressed by Audience who was given a great ride by Rab Havlin who judged the pace to perfection (though he may still come up short if they up him in grade again), and of course Kyprios who is one of the best stayers since Yeats on Tuesday, while Wednesday’s plaudits went to Big Mojo in the Molecomb Stakes (another quality horse for Mick Appleby), and 2000 Guineas winner Notable Speech who looked back to his imperious best when quickening up nicely to take the Sussex Stakes – though the absence of Rosallion rather devalued the form.
On Thursday it was all about Ryan Moore in my opinion, love him or hate him (why do people hate him, by the way?). His rides on board Jan Brueghel (always doing enough to hold off his challengers), Opera Singer (sublime from the front and quickening up nicely to put the race to bed when asked) and newcomer Dreamy (as green as grass but somehow gathered up and persuaded to get there where it matters). He is currently top of the International jockey standings and I fully expect to see him in Hong Kong picking up his award (and another nice Longines watch) once more come December.
Lastly for this week, one of Ron Robinson’s loyal followers saw two horses running last weekend and felt the need for an each way bet. Step forward the Jamie Osborne trained Sean (great name), and the Ray Craggs handled (and owned) Ron O who both failed to win (no great surprise there), but landed the place part of his each way bet at odds of 14/1 and 10/3 – with both of them finishing second, making them like me – top of the list of life’s losers!
Fanny a free podcast – oh gone on then….https://theworldofsport.co.uk/2024/08/02/false-pace-dodgy-going-descriptions-and-an-american-banker/
Saturday Racing Away From Goodwood
2.40pm Newmarket
A mile and a half Listed race to start proceedings this weekend and a contest won by the Gosden yard on four occasions in the last 10 years which is mightily impressive. Just to make life that little bit more awkward they have two entries here, with Lmay presumably the first string with Rab Havlin in the saddle, and Place Of Safety the second string. The odds suggest that is the case (3/1 and 5/1) with the hat-trick seeking Fairy Glen the meat in the sandwich (7/2) but I wonder if Rab has got it wrong on this occasion? A lightly raced daughter of Night Of Thunder, Place Of Safety ran away with a Class Five Novice at Kempton on just her second start, and when you consider three-year-olds get 10lb from their elders and have won seven of the last 10 runnings and every renewal since 2019, I know where my money will be going.
4.30pm Thirsk
A mile Class Two handicap will keep some happy, though as you all know by now, handicaps are not my “thing”. With zero previous runnings we have no historical statistics to work with, though I do note Empirestateofmind has two wins here at the track over this trip, though he was rated considerably lower than this at the time. James McHenry is another who could go well with the Ed Bethell horses in such good form, but it is impossible to oppose Thunder Run on his handicap debut. Second at Wetherby on his debut in June, the son of Night Of Thunder (again), has won both starts since with a four and a quarter length C&D success and an eased down win at Hamilton. I cannot pretend he is thrown in off a mark of 96 but I had expected him to step up to even better company, and I expect he will win this before heading off to Listed class or better
7.40pm Hamilton
I must be in some kind of sadistic mood to even suggest a five-furlong sprint handicap, but with Goodwood covered elsewhere, I am running out of options. A small field means the draw is unlikely to make a lot of difference (shame really, that would have been a good starting point), but never mind, and I am more worried about a potential lack of early pace with the obvious exception of Jordan Electrics, who is looking for his fourth win in a row and 16th overall. He races off a new mark of 96 this evening which means he will need a career best at the age of eight, and for that reason I will weigh in with the three-year-old Dark Vintage. One win from eight starts isn’t too impressive, but he was less than three lengths behind the Group One winner Big Evs at York in May, and a repeat of that may be good enough. A weakening fifth over a furlong further at Newmarket he has been dropped 2lb, and in receipt of his 3lb age allowance, he will do for me.
10.42pm Saratoga
The Whitney Stakes from Saratoga may not be on everyone’s shortlist, but it a class race for horses aged four and over, and has been won by the likes of Frosted, Gun Runner, McKinzie, Knicks Go, and White Abarrio in recent years, so it takes a good one to collect the £433,071 to the winner. A “win and you’re in” contest for the Breeders’ Cup this Autumn, it looks looks a proper bun fight to me between Oaklawn Handicap winner Skippylongstocking and Bob Baffert’s National Treasure, a year younger and a nose second to Cody’s Wish in last season’s Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile, and the winner of the Pegasus Invitational at Gulfstream in January, and the Grade One Metropolitan Handicap here at Saratoga by over six lengths last time out. That looks the best form on offer by some margin, and as long as he is at that sort of level, it would be a surprise were he beaten in this field.
Something for the weekend
Thunder Run 4.30pm Thirsk
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