ALL VIEWS ARE MY OWN
Well, I am not sure why I am being brave/stupid enough to offer up opinions on Glorious Goodwood with far too may handicaps for my liking, but here we go regardless.
Of course I won’t find all the winers (any might be a result looking at the cards), bit I will at least have a look -and nominate my idea of the best bet of the day at the bottom – good luck, we are going to need it!
Goodwood Tuesday
1.50pm
Well its Glorious Goodwood starting this afternoon, so once more I will try to find two selections a day that I feel are likeliest to land the odds for us – and a short bullet point article covering the other races for anyone lucky enough to be heading off to the races, or fancying a placepot or something similar.Handicaps are, by definition, the toughest races to solve, but if we get it right, we could be richly rewarded. Four and five-year-olds have won all of the last 10 runnings so I will start by putting a line through any older contenders. A high draw has given us the last three winners and if that continues then my money, to very small stakes, will be on Wadacre Gomez who is coming out of the 14 stall. The Johnston yard have won this three times in the last eight years and with William Buick booked to ride, he can go well at a double figure price.
2.25pm
Not the best field I have ever seen assembled for the Vintage Stakes but I cannot for the life of me see why Wolf Of Badenoch is as big as he is after winning a shade cleverly on his Doncaster debut under Jamie Spencer who rides again this afternoon. He wasn’t given a hard time to win going away that day, and although I am convinced he will be even better over a mile, a fast run seven here won’t be an issue and he has every chance of running into a place at least.
3.00pm
On what looks like it may be turning into an each way kind of day, the Lennox Stakes sees Kinross heading the market at 3/1, but if the sun keeps shining he may not get the cut in the ground he needs to be seen at his best. In my opinion, (sorry mate) Rab Havlin was not seen at his best when riding Audience last time out at, going off a touch too slowly on the front and not managing to draw the finishing sting out of his opponents. Dropped back a furlong here, I doubt that mistake is repeated, and as he own the Group One Lockinge at Newbury on his return in May, this Group Two looks easily within his grasp, though at current prices each way has to be the play.
3.35pm
An further rain would see Trueshan in with a chance of taking the Goodwood Cup but if he turns up anywhere near to the top of his game, this is all about the odds-on Kyprios. Aidan O’Brien’s now six-year-old won this in 2022 and missed the race in 2203, but he has looked back to form with wins at Navan, Leopardstown and Royal Ascot this season, and is impossible to oppose this afternoon.
4.10pm
We haven’t seen a winning favourite of this in forever (or that’s how it feels), so you can only imagine how confident I am selecting here! Walbank hasn’t been seen since a poor run at Meydan in Dubai where he was found to be lame after the race, but may be better judged on his win at the same track in January when he quickened up nicely to win a decent handicap. Lightly raced with only eight career starts, we have to assume he is over his issues to be sent back to the track, and if he gets a clear run from the one stall he could overhaul them all late on.
4.45pm
I have never really understood what a maiden is doing on a Glorious Goodwood card but here we are regardless. Joseph O’Brien’s Gannas caught the eye first time out when he ran on into third despite being denied a clear run at a crucial stage at Fairyhouse and he is one to at least consider. Sent off an 18/1 chance that day, suggesting little was expected, he certainly outran those odds and if he improves for the race and the experience, he could go well here in a race with more unknown quantities than actual form.
5.20pm
Two handicaps to end the card, it is almost as if they want to make sure very few racegoers leave with anything left in their pockets, but if Mercury Day keeps on improving, she could be the one to back. Trained by Conrad Allen, I’ll admit my bias here as we go back too many years for either of us to count, and you have to wonder, would the horse be rated a few pounds higher were she trained by a “household name”? The winner of both his starts this season, by a length at Nottingham and a couple of lengths at Newmarket, she has been put up 5lb for her latest win but was value for more and although this is a tougher and better contest, I am hoping to cheer her home.
5.55pm
All three runnings of this have gone to three-year-olds, and that may well continue if Miss Bodacious bounces back to form. Karl Burke’s daughter of Zoustar dead-heated at Chelmsford to get off the mark at the second attempt in February and she followed that with an easy win at Newmarket on her handicap bow before they stepped her up to seven furlongs, which frankly didn’t work. Fifth of nine after pulling too hard for her own good after a poor start and then weakening late on, the return to six furlongs against her own sex could see her getting involved in the finish once more.
Sean’s Suggestion:
Audience each way 3.00pm Goodwood
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