Tag: Goodwood

Goodwood Wednesday Preview

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Air Pilot (9-2) gave us a profit on Saturday although we were out of luck in the Ayr Gold Cup with Blaine finishing only third. Air Pilot is now favourite for Saturday’s Cambridgeshire at Newmarket and we shall be previewing that race later in the week.

Goodwood holds an interesting midweek card on Wednesday with our old friend Grandeur returning to one of his happy hunting grounds. Jeremy Noseda’s grey won this race a year ago and has been busy clocking up the air miles since.

He has been running consistently in Grade 1 races in America and was unlucky not to come back with at least one victory. Noseda blamed Gary Stevens for an ill-judged ride when fourth in the Manhattan Stakes and Grandeur received a hefty bump last time when beaten in a photo in the Bowling Green Handicap.

If he is anything like that kind of form on Wednesday, he should beat Danadana on level weights. There must be a slight concern about fitness after a 74-day absence but he has only been defeated once in four races at the Sussex course and is difficult to oppose.

Dissolution gets an opportunity to restore his reputation after being beaten favourite in his last two starts for Sir Michael Stoute. He ran a race full of promise at Newbury on his debut but has since been beaten at York and Haydock. James Doyle had to give him a smack after only a furlong last time and a visor is being tried on Wednesday. He ran on strongly but could not catch Lord Ben Stack. The winner could turn out to be useful and the third was left trailing by five lengths so Dissolution gets one more chance.

One horse that has already been transformed by the headgear is Ganymede. Eve Johnson Houghton applied the blinkers at Kempton where he ran out a most impressive winner before following up at Salisbury. He had previously raced too keenly over longer trips but seems to be settling much better in the blinkers. A 7lbs hike in the weights was inevitable after a couple of facile victories but I’m sure he can go well here for Jim Crowley. The big field should not be a concern as the likes of Belle Bayardo can give him a nice lead into the race. The veteran Parisian Pyramid is the danger after his good effort at Epsom last time.

Dissolution 2.40 @Bet365

Grandeur 3.50 @11-10 Paddy Power

Ganymede 4.55 @6-1 Bet365

Goodwood Tuesday Preview

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All of our selections ran well on Saturday with two winners and a place to keep us narrowly ahead on the day. The low draw system at Chester seldom lets you down and B Fifty Two (tipped at 5-1) and Dungannon (tipped each-way at 10-1) gave us a sprint 1-2.

Goodwood provides the main action on Tuesday and we have a tip for all seven races. The action kicks off at 2.20 and this looks booked for the familiar combination of Richard Hannon and Richard Hughes with Mystic Jade. She ran a race full of promise on her debut here and should appreciate the step up to a mile.

The three-year-old maiden is slightly trickier to call with the yards of Haggas, Gosden and Varian all represented. I am just siding with Soviet Courage and William Haggas as the first two pulled well clear last time he ran and that is always a good sign. Ryan Moore in the saddle is usually a good indicator that Haggas means business. Too The Stars is bred out of classic winners Sea The Stars and Finsceal Beo so she is going to be some addition to the paddocks when she breaks her maiden.

The nursery is one of the toughest races on the card but I’m sticking with Flash Fire having supported him in his maiden race last time. He may just have a little bit more scope than some of the exposed types in this race. The Conditions race can go the way of Godolphin courtesy of Good Contact. He was not particularly impressive when landing the odds last time but the Newmarket he finished second in previously was probably the best maiden race this season.

Moore will be expected to boot home Dolphin Village in the two-mile handicap after a fine run at York’s Ebor meeting but he is stepping up half a mile. I was impressed by the amount of ground Spice Fair made up last time and I think he could possibly outstay the favourite.

If Moore has already rewarded his followers by the time they come to the sprint handicap at 5.10, they will be lumping on the speedy Inciting Incident. A favourable draw and give in the ground will make him hard to beat but I just feel that Dilgura has more potential. She goes well fresh and looks better value, providing the going doesn’t deteriorate.

The last race looks like a battle between Hughes on Last Minute Lisa and Cam Hardie on Hallingham. I think Hughes may just be able to get a little more out of his mount as Hallingham can look a little reluctant at times.

2.20 Mystic Jade

2.55 Soviet Courage

3.30 Flash Fire @5-2 Bet365

4.05 Good Contact @5-2 Paddy Power

4.40 Spice Fair @9-2 Paddy Power

5.10 Dilgura @13-2 Paddy Power

5.40 Last Minute Lisa @4-1 Bet365

Goodwood Saturday Preview

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Red Avenger (tipped at 25-1) more than covered our expenses for Glorious Goodwood this week with a thrilling victory in the Betfred Mile. I must admit that I thought his chance had gone after a tardy start and he was poorly placed turning for home. All credit to Jimmy Fortune who somehow managed to get his head in front where it mattered.

As if the Mile wasn’t hard enough, we are now faced with the annual cavalry charge otherwise known as the Stewards’ Cup. Oddly enough, most of the recent winners of this race have been quite well fancied and I have two names for this year’s race.

Muthmir looked like a potential Group horse when winning at York last week. Admittedly this is a big question to ask of such an inexperienced horse just a week later but I am more concerned by his low draw. Dane O’Neill will just have to hope that there is enough pace on his side of the track, although several of the most fancied runners are drawn high.

Among them is Richard Fahey’s Alben Star. He was desperately unlucky in the Paddy Power Scurry last time out, having to be switched around horses before running on into fourth place. He will surely gain his revenge on Discussiontofollow on 7lbs better terms and will break from stall 19.

There are some very promising three-year-olds in the mile and a half handicap at 2.40. All of the early money has been for Kings Fete who holds a St Leger entry for Sir Michael Stoute. He is definitely a leading contender but I am just slightly concerned by the fact that he has been declared to run in a hood for the first time. He is also worse off at the weights with Second Step who beat him at Newbury on his debut.

I am reluctant to pass over the Cumani horse who won well last time at the same venue but the fast ground is a concern. I am just leaning towards the Mark Johnston runner, Rainbow Rock, after his fine run earlier in the week. He came from a long way back in the straight and was going on at the finish. With any other stable you would be worried about such a quick reappearance but this is second nature for the Johnston horses.

Rainbow Rock 2.40 Goodwood @9-2 William Hill

Muthmir 3.50 Goodwood @11-2 BetVictor

Alben Star 3.50 Goodwood @9-1 BetBright

Each-way ¼ odds, 1,2,3,4

Goodwood Friday Preview

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Friday’s Goodwood card opens up with the return to action of 2012 St Leger winner Encke. The 25-1 winner put paid to Camelot’s Triple Crown hopes but has not been able to race since owing to a failed drug test. He has reportedly been working well over a mile but would prefer a bit of cut in the ground and will surely be a little rusty on his comeback.

The same cannot be said of Sir Michael Stoute’s Hillstar who will be  having his fifth start of the campaign and has finished runner-up in the last three. He seemed to do nothing wrong behind Cavalryman last time at Newmarket and renews rivalry with Pether’s Moon who finished just behind him. Ryan Moore can make sure that the Stoute bandwagon keeps rolling.

The second race pitches classic form against a mixture of promising handicappers and a real dark horse from Godolphin. The famous blue silks were notable by the absence in the winner’s enclosure at the start of the week but Rapprochement looks an exciting recruit.

He wore a hood on his debut and had the rest of the field beaten fully three furlongs out, eventually winning by 11 lengths. Of course, they could all turn out to be useless but it will be fascinating to see how he copes with the likes of Shifting Power and Lightning Thunder. John Gosden’s Wannabe Yours won by nine lengths off a mark of 84 and has been put up to an official mark of 100 so he too could be in the shake-up.

The Betfred Mile has seldom been kind to me over the years. It all goes back to a “handicap good thing” of Sir Michael Stoute’s called Desert Dirham who tried to overcome a wide draw and was just about on the floor in the home straight. I also followed Stoute’s Safawan throughout his career and inexplicably didn’t back him off a light weight when he won here.

I cannot see any Safawan’s amongst this lot but the Epsom form between Velox and Red Avenger is interesting. Both were knocked sideways by Abseil’s failure to negotiate the camber and they have good draws here. Velox has since won for the in-form Luca Cumani at Sandown while Red Avenger has done not a lot. Back them both to be on the safe side.

Hillstar 1.55 Goodwood Friday @9-4 BetVictor

Rapprochement 2.30 Goodwood Friday @6-1 BetVictor

Velox 3.05 Goodwood Friday @7-1 Bet365

Red Avenger 3.05 Goodwood Friday @25-1 BetVictor (each-way)

Goodwood Wednesday Preview

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The highlight of Wednesday’s racing action is the Group 1 Sussex Stakes at Glorious Goodwood.

My regular readers will know that I had a 16-1 ante-post interest in Kingman for the 2000 Guineas so it was very frustrating to see him beaten close home by Night Of Thunder. He reversed that form in some style at Royal Ascot after bolting up in the Irish Guineas and is clearly the top miler of his generation.

On Wednesday he is set to meet the four-year-old Toronado, a half-length winner of this race a year ago from Dawn Approach. He flopped when tried over a mile and a quarter but was back to his best when winning the Queen Anne Stakes at Ascot last month.

Tactics are going to be vital here with both horses usually held up. There are only three other runners, two trained by Aidan O’Brien so it will be fascinating to see if he has any plans for Darwin and War Command. Outstrip ran much better at Ascot than at Newmarket and he is another that is suited by being dropped in behind. Providing the race does not develop into a crawl, Kingman should come out on top.

The card opens with a quick reappearance for Maid In Rio, one of our Ascot hat-trick on Friday. She was as easy a winner as you are every likely to see and gets in here with just a 3lb penalty. The handicapper would probably like to increase that by another 10 or 11lbs! The only question marks are the quick reappearance and the extra distance. She has another five furlongs to travel here but she won with her head in her chest last week and is impossible to oppose.

The Gordon Stakes is not the race it once was but still provides an interesting St Leger trial. Observational was very gutsy when winning here last time for Roger Charlton but connections would probably have liked to see a little more rain for him. Red Galileo was almost certainly flattered by his fifth in the Derby having been ridden to pass beaten horses.

I’m going to side with the Gosden and Buick team here with Cloudscape. He has disappointed before but finished to some effect at Ascot behind Cannock Chase and the likes of Snow Sky look vulnerable to a turn of foot. It would also make amends for Buick’s awful ride in this race a year ago when he was a fast finishing second.

Maid In Rio 1.55 Goodwood Wednesday

Cloudscape 2.30 Goodwood Wednesday @11-2 Paddy Power

Kingman 3.05 Goodwood Wednesday @4-7

Goodwood Tuesday Preview

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We arrive at Goodwood on something of a winning streak with our last six tips having won! Muhtarram also did us proud with our each-way bet in the King George so we have a few pennies to invest at the Sussex course this week.

If Tuesday’s card is anything to go by, this could be a difficult week for punters. The opening mile and a quarter handicap seems to have just about every in-form stable represented. Following Sir Michael Stoute’s horses has been very profitable in recent weeks and Stomachion must have a good chance of continuing that trend.

He was held up on the rail at Epsom and made good late headway to finish second. Like many of tomorrow’s fancied runners, he is dropping back to a mile and a half. I think he looks rock solid each-way material.

Magic Hurricane’s form looks red hot after the Ascot victories of Pallasator and Forgotten Hero. I just wonder if this is going to prove a sufficient stamina test for either and am tempted to take a chance on Luca Cumani’s Ajman Bridge. The Cumani team is also flying at present and 10-1 looks a good each-way bet in a tough opener.

It looks impossible to get away from the claims of Beacon in the Molecomb Stakes. He dismissed Mark Johnston’s Mukhmal with consummate ease at Sandown and should be suited by bowling down the hill at Goodwood.

There seems to be plenty of confidence behind Toormore in the featured Lennox Stakes at 3.05. He was a bit of a flop in the Guineas and in the St James’s Palace and I’m not entirely convinced that seven furlongs will see him in a better light. Gregorian has been a good friend to this column over the years and I cannot discard him after his terrific run in the July Stakes. All credit for John Gosden for even entering him in the race but I feel he is really closer to a miler.

Having gone for the Cumani horse in the opener, I cannot ignore Havana Cooler in the 3.40. He and Dashing Star have met several times and there is very little between them. He seems to take an age to find his stride so I’m hoping Adam Kirby drives him into contention at the top of the straight.

Ajman Bridge 1.55 Goodwood (each-way) @10-1 Bet365

Stomachion 1.55 Goodwood (each-way) @6-1 Bet365

Beacon 2.30 Goodwood @10-11 BetVictor

Gregorian 3.05 Goodwood @7-2 Paddy Power

Havana Cooler 3.40 Goodwood @4-1 Bet365