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 Wednesday
1.50pm
You don’t see too many Aiden O’Brien horses lowering themselves in handicaps and for that reason alone I will be interested in how Gallantly fares in the early markets come race day, but his form gives him plenty to find and I prefer the chances of top-weight Voyage, even if that does make me a very forgiving person! I was very taken by his winning Newbury debut when he ran away with it over the mile and a quarter, but two raxes over the mile and a half he faces here saw him unseat in the Derby after which he pulled too hard before weakening in the Group Two King Edward. VII Stakes at Royal Ascot to be beaten 43 lengths at the line. Clearly that form isn’t good enough, even with the drop to handicap company, but the fact that Richard Hannon perseveres with this trip suggests stamina is not the issue, and if Pat Dobbs can (somehow) get him to settle early, he could still outclass these at a massive price.
2.25pm
An interesting race for the Group Three Oak Tree Stakes that pits Falmouth Stakes runner-up Jabarra against French 1000 Guineas runner-up Kathmandu, to name but two. Brian Meehan’s daughter of Showcasing was a below expectations fifth last time out in the Prix Jean Prat but she wears a tongue-tie for the first time here, suggesting she had breathing issues that day, and possibly swallowed her tongue. I do like her head second to Rouhiya at Longchamp and although that was on a softer surface, her closest relatives handled quicker going, so I won’t be using that as an excuse after the race.
3.00pm
Big Evs won this last year for Mick Appleby and it will be interesting to see if any of these turn out to be as good as he is, though that does look a big ask. Aesterius quickened up nicely to win in Listed class last time out and deservedly heads the early markets for Archie Watson, but his price seems skinny enough and it may be worth looking elsewhere for a bit of each way value. Mr Lightside represents last year’s winning trainer and isn’t one to ignore, a remark that also applies to the once raced Big Mojo who could be the surprise package, but I have the narrowest of preferences for Soldiers Heart who represents the Crisfords. Second on his debut he made up for that with a comfortable course and distance victory (the only one in this field), leading two out and quickening away for a four-length victory. With the potential for plenty of early pace here it may be set up for something finishing from off the speed, and if Harry Davies gets a clear run, he won’t be far away at the death.
3.35pm
Who would have thought an eight runner Group One over a mile could cause so much confusion, but here I am, scratching my head once more. Rosallion is the obvious pick after he followed a 2000 Guineas second with a win in the Irish equivalent, but life is rarely quiet so simple. He got up to beat Henry Longfellow in the St James’s Palace Stakes on his only other start but the O’Brien colt only has a neck to find on that form and cannot be written off, while Charlie Appleby’s Notable Speech was a poor seventh at Ascot – but in front of the Hannon colt in the 2000 Guineas when winning by a length and a half, leaving the score at one all between that pairing. It may be that the Hannon favourite has improved considerably, or it may be that the Godolphin colt had an off day, and with the Appleby yard in good form once more, the son of Dubawi may be the value call in a fascinating renewal.
4.10pm
Yet another handicap, this time restricted to the fillies, and where three and four-year-olds have dominated with the current score 5-3 form the eight runnings to date in favour of the classic generation. Sir Michael Stoute’s Power of Destiny looks to have every chance after narrowly failing to give 7lb to Charlie Appleby’s odds-on Blessed Honour at Nottingham last time out in her only start since winning a novice event at Newmarket over a mile and a half. She likes to come from off the pace, and a fast run mile and a quarter at a testing track like Goodwood may prove to be her ideal, while a mark of 87 seems fair enough for her handicap debut this afternoon. Add in the booking of Oisin Murphy to ride and I suspect they mean business, though by definition this isn’t easy to predict, and my bets will be reduced accordingly.
4.45pm
A five-furlong sprint for two-year-old fillies is next on the Glorious Goodwood agenda, and the first thing to note is that we haven’t seen a winner priced bigger than 5/1 in the five runnings of this race, with two winning favourites. Convo heads the early tissue prices for this race after her fifth to Arabie in the prix Robert Papin at Chantilly, weakening late on over the six furlongs, and she should go close if she can repeat that form against lesser opposition, but I am willing to take an each way chance on Ollie Sangster’s unraced Radio Star at a much bigger price. With Saturday;s winner Simmering in the yard he will have a good idea just how good the daughter of Starspanglebanner is, and after setting connections back £100,000 at the breeze-up sales, she must have been showing plenty for that price tag. Her inexperience has to be a concern, so my stakes will be halved on this occasion, but she is bred to be speedy and could sneak into a place.
5.20pm
Over the years I have become convinced they end the cards with a handicap to garner as much late cash from the punters, and once again, that is the case here. Top-weight Star Of Orion has his first start for Eve Johnson Houghton and is the class act after his third at York last October but he hasn’t been seen since, and this could prove too much of an ask on his first start in over nine months. He can still go well but I will be stepping in with Andrew Balding’s Miss Information. A daughter of Blue Point who has inherited plenty of her sire’s speed, and although I would have preferred a lower draw, she seems to be improving with every start. An easy win at Chepstow was followed by a three and a half length romp at Epsom which suggests he will handle the Goodwood undulations better than most, though she has been put up a huge 12lb in total for both wins. That suggests she will need to improve again, but that is far from an impossibility, and she still gets in here off just nine stone two on an afternoon where I am hoping Oisin Murphy will have a very good day.
Sean’s Suggestion:
Soldiers Heart each way 3.00pm Goodwood
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