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2.00 Goodwood – 888Sport Prestige Stakes (Group 3)
Our Saturday afternoon’s entertainment begins with a Group 3 for two-year-old fillies and despite running slightly below expectations at Newmarket in the Sweet Solera Stakes last time, I think it might be too soon to be writing off Hugo Palmer’s Hawksmoor. She was really impressive when winning on debut on the all-weather at Kempton and even last time, she stuck to the task well despite not having the turn of foot of the winner. She was only beaten two and a half lengths at the line and I think racing around a bend may also suit her a little better than the straight seven furlongs at Newmarket. I have a slight concern with the ground likely to be on the soft side but she is clearly a filly on the up and I can’t see her being too far away at the business end of the race.
Richard Hannon’s Belvoir Bay brings previous Goodwood form to the table having landed a 6f nursery at the end of last month. Despite conceding weight to all but one of her rivals on the day, she won with plenty in hand at the line, quickening up smartly to win by one and a half lengths. She travelled smoothly throughout on that occasion before quickening in the style of a nice filly and was going better the further she went on that occasion. Like Hawksmoor I have a concern about the ground as this filly has never raced on anything other than good to firm ground so the softer underfoot conditions are something of an unknown. Should she handle the conditions you would have to say she is the one to beat based on the manner of her latest win but there is plenty of doubt in my mind at present.
Therefore it may be best to go with a filly that is already proven in these sorts of conditions, namely Mick Channon’s EPSOM ICON. She caused something of a surprise when landing the Listed Denford Stud Stakes last month in which she beat the third and fourth from the Vintage Stakes. She seems to be improving with her racing and her form on the ground ticks yet another box for us. It is also worth mentioning that her trainer has saddled two of the last three winners of this race so it is clearly one that he targets with his nice fillies. Her latest success was something of a surprise but she is clearly a filly on the upgrade and with that experience under her belt, she gets the nod.
Advice
EPSOM ICON – 1pt win @ 9/2 (Bet365, SkyBet)
2.20 Beverley – Totescoop6 Beverley Bullet Sprint Stakes (Listed Race)
This looks as open a renewal of this race as there has been for some time and it has taken a lot of work to get the field down to just five main contenders.
Eric Alston’s Ridge Ranger was impressive at Goodwood last time beating a progressive rival in the shape of Roger Varian’s Double Up in good style. There was plenty to like about that performance and the filly is clearly thriving at present so can’t be dismissed lightly on what she has achieved of late. Her main obstacle to overcome could be the draw with no winner coming from a double-figure stall in the last ten years of the race. For this reason, it might be better to look elsewhere.
The same can be said for Brian Ellison’s Northgate Lad who looks to have an otherwise likable profile aside from his drawn in stall 11. A winner at Newcastle in June, prior to that he had performed consistently well, finishing second twice before his fourth place behind Twilight Son at York in June. He probably doesn’t want the ground too soft and could have a chance but as we have discussed it could be difficult from stall 11.
Bryan Smart is no stranger to success in this race having saddled Hellvelyn and Tangerine Trees to victories in recent years and although he sends the latter here again this year, I slightly prefer the chances of his stablemate Red Pike. He has taken a little while to regain the winning thread but got a strong pace to run at last time and it saw him finish to good effect to gain a narrow success. The Ayr Gold Cup was mooted as the plan after that with the frenetic early gallop likely to suit him once again and he should get that here, although the drop back to five furlongs might be on the sharp side for him. He is likely to be doing his best work at the finish and with a clear run, he looks a likely candidate for the frame.
The two Irish raiders MAAREK and Dikta Del Mar also look likely to play a major role in proceedings with both likely to be suited by the underfoot conditions. The former is no stranger to top class contests and on his last run over the minimum trip, he finished just three and a half lengths behind subsequent Nunthorpe winner Mecca’s Angel. He runs here without a penalty and has been given a good draw in stall 4 which should allow him to get a good position. He may need a bit of luck in running as he is likely to be ridden patiently by Jamie Spencer but he is a solid Group performer and you can’t say that for many of these.
His fellow Irish raider is one of only two three-year-olds in the race and was last seen finishing third behind Monsieur Joe at Tipperary at the beginning of this month. He does need to improve a bit on what we have seen so far this term to go close here but I don’t think his trainer would be bringing him over unless he felt he would be competitive.
Advice
MAAREK – 1pt win @ 5/1 (bet365, William Hill)
2.35 Goodwood – 888Sport Stakes (Handicap)
We have a twenty-runner handicap next to test the brain and Richard Fahey’s Farlow has to be of interest having been running well before getting his head in front at Doncaster last time. He saw the seven furlongs out strongly on Town Moor and despite Goodwood presenting a very different test, he should be able to show up well despite his 4lb rise in the weights. The main negative against his chances is the draw having been allocated stall 16. As we discussed during the Glorious meeting, it can be difficult from a wide stall as you have to either drop in and risk running into trouble or use valuable early petrol to secure a position. In fact only two of the last ten winners were drawn higher than eight so the low numbers definitely seem to have the advantage.
Of those drawn low, Amanda Perrett’s improving five-year-old Czech It Out looks worthy of a second look having been narrowly denied at Newbury last time. He was perhaps a little unlucky on the day as he encountered trouble in running at a crucial stage and despite running on afterwards, he just couldn’t get to the winner. He won over course and distance back in May and this lightly-raced campaigner seems to be in a rich vein of form at present. The draw has been kinder to him that it was last time and Kieran Shoemark takes a valuable 5lb off his back. He looks likely to be competitive off his current mark and he looks to hold solid each-way claims.
However, he could have his work cut out with FOX TROTTER who was earmarked to be Richard Hughes’ final ride. Sadly there was no fairytale ending but the three-year-old still ran well despite being drawn wide and being very keen in the early part of the race. He kept on once switched to the outside to finish fourth but he never really looked to be getting to the leaders. He had been off the track since the previous October prior to that run so he should be a bit straighter mentally and physically for that return to action. He has secured a good position in stall 1 and on what we saw over course and distance at the beginning of the month, he looks likely to run a big race.
Advice
FOX TROTTER – 1pt e/w @ 9/1 (BetVictor)
2.50 Newmarket – Fly Easyjet From London Southend Airport Handicap
Mick Appleby’s Royal Signaller will no doubt be popular as the five-year-old comes here in search of a hat-trick. Victories at Doncaster and Ascot have seen him go up just seven pounds and the 5lb claim of the in-form Tom Marquand will help take some of that off. He didn’t look to be stopping over 2m last time but the race wasn’t the most truly run affair so the drop back to 1m5f should not cause him too many problems. The yard have a knack of improving horses likes this one and can’t be dismissed with any confidence in his search for a third consecutive success.
Karraar who joined William Haggas at the beginning of the season, won on his first start for the yard at Sandown but didn’t seem to see the trip out at Nottingham last time. He travelled well to a point and looked likely to mount a challenge but couldn’t see the race out. The ground was pretty soft that day so he deserves a second chance at the trip on slightly better ground and should run well.
At the foot of the weights, Karl Burke’s Intense Tango is an interesting runner having turned in two solid efforts on her return to the flat. A Grade 2 winner over hurdles, she was doing all of her best work at the finish over 1m4f and it is easy to see why connections have decided to step her up slightly in trip. She gets weight all around here and with the extra distance likely to bring about a little bit more improvement from here, she looks an intriguing contender.
Despite that, Alan Swinbank did us a good turn last week with Libran and he looks to have another promising stayer in KINEMA who did very little wrong when a narrow second at Nottingham last time. That followed another narrow defeat against a most progressive rival and having gone up just 3lb for his last run, he should be thereabouts again here. He is progressing and getting better with racing and with the Swinbank battalion in good form of late, I see this four-year-old as the one they all have to beat.
Advice
KINEMA – 1pt e/w @ 8/1 (Boylesports)
3.25 Newmarket – Stobart Club And Shop Hopeful Stakes (Listed Race)
This six furlongs Listed race looks a tricky little puzzle to solve with the ground likely to affect the chances of some of the main contenders here. If the forecast is correct then it should be just about good ground by the time this race goes off but it might just ride a little slower than that considering all the rain that they got on Wednesday.
At the bottom of the racecard, Lucky Kristale may not have got her head in front since winning the Lowther Stakes at York a couple of years ago but she has turned in some fine efforts in defeat this term, most recently over the same course and distance on the Knavesmire. She was closing all the time on New Providence that day but just couldn’t quite get there and lost nothing in defeat. She does like fast ground which she won’t get here but the switch of headgear from blinkers to a visor could be an interesting one, in a bid to eke out a little more improvement from her. She gets a fillies allowance here and although the ground is not as quick as she would like, there are plenty of other factors that suggest she can go close.
Another of interest is Dinkum Diamond who has been in the form of his life this term and ran a cracker to finish fourth in the Steward’s Cup last time. Henry Candy clearly has his seven-year-old in fine fettle at the moment and having won on everything from soft to good to firm, the ground shouldn’t affect him too much. He is probably vulnerable to real classy performer on his day but he continues to run well in similar races and I would not be surprised to see him thereabouts inside the final furlong.
Without having a real strong conviction in the race, I have come down in favour of PORTAMENTO who won his maiden at Goodwood last term, beating Estidhkaar by four lengths at the line. He has always looked a smart sprinter over five or six furlongs and having won at Chester in July, he has run well subsequently finishing second in Group 3 company at Newbury before a fourth placed finish back at Chester last time. The draw was not kind to him on the latest outing and I don’t think this three-year-old would need to find very much to get his head in front here. A lot of his best form is on soft ground so any moisture would be to his advantage and I think he could be tough to beat here.
Advice
PORTAMENTO – 1pt win @ 9/2 (BetVictor, William Hill)
3.45 Goodwood – Doom Bar Celebration Mile (Group 2]
It is little surprise to see that the three-year-olds have such a strong record in this race in recent years, having accounted for half of the last ten winners. The weight-for-age allowance means that members of the Classic generation receive 6lb from their elder rivals and when you consider that the past winners of the race include Zacinto, Raven’s Pass and Poet’s Voice, you can see why the older horses may have struggled.
There are only six runners this year but despite having only one representative in this year’s field I think the three-year-olds are likely to take the prize again this time around. KODI BEAR flies the flag for them this year and he could not have been more impressive when winning the Sovereign Stakes at Salisbury last time by four and a half lengths. He has always been highly regarded by his connections but having missed the early part of this year with a setback, he looks to be coming good now. The ground should be no problem for him and although he has been drawn in stall 6, he should be able to get over and dictate the pace as he did last time. Personally, I think he is a Group 1 horse and looking at the rest of the field I think you would find it difficult to call give them that tag. Gerald Mosse once again comes over to ride the colt and I fancy him to win well here before heading to Champions Day for the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes. Unfortunately he is likely to be quite short in the market given the opposition and whilst I think he will win I wouldn’t be going having the mortgage on it.
As to who will follow him home, both Breton Rock and Cable Bay both ran well in a similar race over seven furlongs last time when finishing third and fourth in the Hungerford Stakes. I have slight preference for the former who seems to really relish soft ground, although he is far from the strongest stayer of a mile. Like I say they have their work cut out to beat the favourite but they should be the main dangers to the market leader.
Advice
KODI BEAR – 2pts win @ 8/11 (Bet365, Coral, Paddy Power)
Our Saturday afternoon’s entertainment begins with a Group 3 for two-year-old fillies and despite running slightly below expectations at Newmarket in the Sweet Solera Stakes last time, I think it might be too soon to be writing off Hugo Palmer’s Hawksmoor. She was really impressive when winning on debut on the all-weather at Kempton and even last time, she stuck to the task well despite not having the turn of foot of the winner. She was only beaten two and a half lengths at the line and I think racing around a bend may also suit her a little better than the straight seven furlongs at Newmarket. I have a slight concern with the ground likely to be on the soft side but she is clearly a filly on the up and I can’t see her being too far away at the business end of the race.
Richard Hannon’s Belvoir Bay brings previous Goodwood form to the table having landed a 6f nursery at the end of last month. Despite conceding weight to all but one of her rivals on the day, she won with plenty in hand at the line, quickening up smartly to win by one and a half lengths. She travelled smoothly throughout on that occasion before quickening in the style of a nice filly and was going better the further she went on that occasion. Like Hawksmoor I have a concern about the ground as this filly has never raced on anything other than good to firm ground so the softer underfoot conditions are something of an unknown. Should she handle the conditions you would have to say she is the one to beat based on the manner of her latest win but there is plenty of doubt in my mind at present.
Therefore it may be best to go with a filly that is already proven in these sorts of conditions, namely Mick Channon’s EPSOM ICON. She caused something of a surprise when landing the Listed Denford Stud Stakes last month in which she beat the third and fourth from the Vintage Stakes. She seems to be improving with her racing and her form on the ground ticks yet another box for us. It is also worth mentioning that her trainer has saddled two of the last three winners of this race so it is clearly one that he targets with his nice fillies. Her latest success was something of a surprise but she is clearly a filly on the upgrade and with that experience under her belt, she gets the nod.
Advice
EPSOM ICON – 1pt win @ 9/2 (Bet365, SkyBet)
2.20 Beverley – Totescoop6 Beverley Bullet Sprint Stakes (Listed Race)
This looks as open a renewal of this race as there has been for some time and it has taken a lot of work to get the field down to just five main contenders.
Eric Alston’s Ridge Ranger was impressive at Goodwood last time beating a progressive rival in the shape of Roger Varian’s Double Up in good style. There was plenty to like about that performance and the filly is clearly thriving at present so can’t be dismissed lightly on what she has achieved of late. Her main obstacle to overcome could be the draw with no winner coming from a double-figure stall in the last ten years of the race. For this reason, it might be better to look elsewhere.
The same can be said for Brian Ellison’s Northgate Lad who looks to have an otherwise likable profile aside from his drawn in stall 11. A winner at Newcastle in June, prior to that he had performed consistently well, finishing second twice before his fourth place behind Twilight Son at York in June. He probably doesn’t want the ground too soft and could have a chance but as we have discussed it could be difficult from stall 11.
Bryan Smart is no stranger to success in this race having saddled Hellvelyn and Tangerine Trees to victories in recent years and although he sends the latter here again this year, I slightly prefer the chances of his stablemate Red Pike. He has taken a little while to regain the winning thread but got a strong pace to run at last time and it saw him finish to good effect to gain a narrow success. The Ayr Gold Cup was mooted as the plan after that with the frenetic early gallop likely to suit him once again and he should get that here, although the drop back to five furlongs might be on the sharp side for him. He is likely to be doing his best work at the finish and with a clear run, he looks a likely candidate for the frame.
The two Irish raiders MAAREK and Dikta Del Mar also look likely to play a major role in proceedings with both likely to be suited by the underfoot conditions. The former is no stranger to top class contests and on his last run over the minimum trip, he finished just three and a half lengths behind subsequent Nunthorpe winner Mecca’s Angel. He runs here without a penalty and has been given a good draw in stall 4 which should allow him to get a good position. He may need a bit of luck in running as he is likely to be ridden patiently by Jamie Spencer but he is a solid Group performer and you can’t say that for many of these.
His fellow Irish raider is one of only two three-year-olds in the race and was last seen finishing third behind Monsieur Joe at Tipperary at the beginning of this month. He does need to improve a bit on what we have seen so far this term to go close here but I don’t think his trainer would be bringing him over unless he felt he would be competitive.
Advice
MAAREK – 1pt win @ 5/1 (bet365, William Hill)
2.35 Goodwood – 888Sport Stakes (Handicap)
We have a twenty-runner handicap next to test the brain and Richard Fahey’s Farlow has to be of interest having been running well before getting his head in front at Doncaster last time. He saw the seven furlongs out strongly on Town Moor and despite Goodwood presenting a very different test, he should be able to show up well despite his 4lb rise in the weights. The main negative against his chances is the draw having been allocated stall 16. As we discussed during the Glorious meeting, it can be difficult from a wide stall as you have to either drop in and risk running into trouble or use valuable early petrol to secure a position. In fact only two of the last ten winners were drawn higher than eight so the low numbers definitely seem to have the advantage.
Of those drawn low, Amanda Perrett’s improving five-year-old Czech It Out looks worthy of a second look having been narrowly denied at Newbury last time. He was perhaps a little unlucky on the day as he encountered trouble in running at a crucial stage and despite running on afterwards, he just couldn’t get to the winner. He won over course and distance back in May and this lightly-raced campaigner seems to be in a rich vein of form at present. The draw has been kinder to him that it was last time and Kieran Shoemark takes a valuable 5lb off his back. He looks likely to be competitive off his current mark and he looks to hold solid each-way claims.
However, he could have his work cut out with FOX TROTTER who was earmarked to be Richard Hughes’ final ride. Sadly there was no fairytale ending but the three-year-old still ran well despite being drawn wide and being very keen in the early part of the race. He kept on once switched to the outside to finish fourth but he never really looked to be getting to the leaders. He had been off the track since the previous October prior to that run so he should be a bit straighter mentally and physically for that return to action. He has secured a good position in stall 1 and on what we saw over course and distance at the beginning of the month, he looks likely to run a big race.
Advice
FOX TROTTER – 1pt e/w @ 9/1 (BetVictor)
2.50 Newmarket – Fly Easyjet From London Southend Airport Handicap
Mick Appleby’s Royal Signaller will no doubt be popular as the five-year-old comes here in search of a hat-trick. Victories at Doncaster and Ascot have seen him go up just seven pounds and the 5lb claim of the in-form Tom Marquand will help take some of that off. He didn’t look to be stopping over 2m last time but the race wasn’t the most truly run affair so the drop back to 1m5f should not cause him too many problems. The yard have a knack of improving horses likes this one and can’t be dismissed with any confidence in his search for a third consecutive success.
Karraar who joined William Haggas at the beginning of the season, won on his first start for the yard at Sandown but didn’t seem to see the trip out at Nottingham last time. He travelled well to a point and looked likely to mount a challenge but couldn’t see the race out. The ground was pretty soft that day so he deserves a second chance at the trip on slightly better ground and should run well.
At the foot of the weights, Karl Burke’s Intense Tango is an interesting runner having turned in two solid efforts on her return to the flat. A Grade 2 winner over hurdles, she was doing all of her best work at the finish over 1m4f and it is easy to see why connections have decided to step her up slightly in trip. She gets weight all around here and with the extra distance likely to bring about a little bit more improvement from here, she looks an intriguing contender.
Despite that, Alan Swinbank did us a good turn last week with Libran and he looks to have another promising stayer in KINEMA who did very little wrong when a narrow second at Nottingham last time. That followed another narrow defeat against a most progressive rival and having gone up just 3lb for his last run, he should be thereabouts again here. He is progressing and getting better with racing and with the Swinbank battalion in good form of late, I see this four-year-old as the one they all have to beat.
Advice
KINEMA – 1pt e/w @ 8/1 (Boylesports)
3.25 Newmarket – Stobart Club And Shop Hopeful Stakes (Listed Race)
This six furlongs Listed race looks a tricky little puzzle to solve with the ground likely to affect the chances of some of the main contenders here. If the forecast is correct then it should be just about good ground by the time this race goes off but it might just ride a little slower than that considering all the rain that they got on Wednesday.
At the bottom of the racecard, Lucky Kristale may not have got her head in front since winning the Lowther Stakes at York a couple of years ago but she has turned in some fine efforts in defeat this term, most recently over the same course and distance on the Knavesmire. She was closing all the time on New Providence that day but just couldn’t quite get there and lost nothing in defeat. She does like fast ground which she won’t get here but the switch of headgear from blinkers to a visor could be an interesting one, in a bid to eke out a little more improvement from her. She gets a fillies allowance here and although the ground is not as quick as she would like, there are plenty of other factors that suggest she can go close.
Another of interest is Dinkum Diamond who has been in the form of his life this term and ran a cracker to finish fourth in the Steward’s Cup last time. Henry Candy clearly has his seven-year-old in fine fettle at the moment and having won on everything from soft to good to firm, the ground shouldn’t affect him too much. He is probably vulnerable to real classy performer on his day but he continues to run well in similar races and I would not be surprised to see him thereabouts inside the final furlong.
Without having a real strong conviction in the race, I have come down in favour of PORTAMENTO who won his maiden at Goodwood last term, beating Estidhkaar by four lengths at the line. He has always looked a smart sprinter over five or six furlongs and having won at Chester in July, he has run well subsequently finishing second in Group 3 company at Newbury before a fourth placed finish back at Chester last time. The draw was not kind to him on the latest outing and I don’t think this three-year-old would need to find very much to get his head in front here. A lot of his best form is on soft ground so any moisture would be to his advantage and I think he could be tough to beat here.
Advice
PORTAMENTO – 1pt win @ 9/2 (BetVictor, William Hill)
3.45 Goodwood – Doom Bar Celebration Mile (Group 2]
It is little surprise to see that the three-year-olds have such a strong record in this race in recent years, having accounted for half of the last ten winners. The weight-for-age allowance means that members of the Classic generation receive 6lb from their elder rivals and when you consider that the past winners of the race include Zacinto, Raven’s Pass and Poet’s Voice, you can see why the older horses may have struggled.
There are only six runners this year but despite having only one representative in this year’s field I think the three-year-olds are likely to take the prize again this time around. KODI BEAR flies the flag for them this year and he could not have been more impressive when winning the Sovereign Stakes at Salisbury last time by four and a half lengths. He has always been highly regarded by his connections but having missed the early part of this year with a setback, he looks to be coming good now. The ground should be no problem for him and although he has been drawn in stall 6, he should be able to get over and dictate the pace as he did last time. Personally, I think he is a Group 1 horse and looking at the rest of the field I think you would find it difficult to call give them that tag. Gerald Mosse once again comes over to ride the colt and I fancy him to win well here before heading to Champions Day for the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes. Unfortunately he is likely to be quite short in the market given the opposition and whilst I think he will win I wouldn’t be going having the mortgage on it.
As to who will follow him home, both Breton Rock and Cable Bay both ran well in a similar race over seven furlongs last time when finishing third and fourth in the Hungerford Stakes. I have slight preference for the former who seems to really relish soft ground, although he is far from the strongest stayer of a mile. Like I say they have their work cut out to beat the favourite but they should be the main dangers to the market leader.
Advice
KODI BEAR – 2pts win @ 8/11 (Bet365, Coral, Paddy Power)
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