Racing Chat - Wednesday 31st July

[The Brigadier]

Goodwood 1.50

The first of four races televised by ITV Racing is the Coral Daily Rewards Shaker Handicap run over a distance of 1M 4F for three year olds. This year’s renewal looks an open affair with several arriving in decent form. The one horse that appears to be improving fast is the Andrew Balding trained Galileo gelding Subsequent. He made a winning handicap debut at Salisbury over today’s trip from the subsequent Sandown winner Spaceport and a 7lb rise in the handicap may not be enough to halt his progress. An outsider who could run well is Master Builder, one of two David Menuisier trained runners. He actually beat the selection Subsequent at Salisbury back in May at level weights and receives 6lb today. That victory did come on soft ground however and he does have to prove his liking for a sounder terrain. Menuisier’s other runner here is Goodwood Odyssey who looks fairly treated in first time blinkers and is another who could run well but it’s the Oisin Murphy ridden Subsequent for me.

 

SUBSEQUENT 1 point each way @ 9/2 1/5th 1234

 

Goodwood 2.25

A field of eleven run in the Group 3 Visit Qatar Oak Tree Stakes for fillies and mares which includes the best bet on the card today. The horse that stands out here is the Roger Varian trained Jabaara who followed up listed victories at Musselburgh and Carlisle over today’s trip by running a highly creditable 3 3/4L second to the classy Porta Fortuna in the Group 1 Falmouth Stakes at Newmarket’s July meeting. She had Rogue Millenium a head back in third that day and that one has run well in finishing 3rd in the Group 1 Prix Rothschild since. Today’s race represents a drop in grade and with the drop back to 7F likely to suit looks the one to be on with James Doyle retaining the ride for Sheikh Ahmed Al Maktoum.

 

JABAARA 2 points win @ 11/4 Betway

 

Goodwood 3.00

A good sized field of sixteen assemble for this 5F Jaeger-Lecoultre Molecomb Stakes, a Group 3 contest for two-year-olds. This year’s renewal has an open look about it with the form horse been Archie Watson’s Aesterius who is the joint highest rated following his listed Dragon Stakes victory at Sandown at the beginning of the month. He’s been priced accordingly and I will take my chances at one at a bigger price in the shape of Mick Appleby’s improving Mr Lightside. He followed up his Redcar win in June by an impressive front running performance at Nottingham a fortnight later when responding well to pressure to beat subsequent easy winner Hallasan by 2 1/4L. The stable took this race with the speedy Big Evs last year and at a nice each way price with additional places is worth backing each way with the firms paying four places.

 

MR LIGHTSIDE 1 point each way @ 10/1 Boyles 1/5th 1234

 

Goodwood 3.35

The feature race of day two of the Goodwood Festival is the Group 1 1M Qatar Sussex Stakes which has drawn a small but select field of five following the unfortunate late defection of Rosallion who would have been a strong fancy.  Two three-year-olds now take on three  of their elders and it’s the classic generation I expect to come out on top. The pair ran against each other in the St James Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot with Aidan O’Brien's Henry Longfellow going down by a neck to Rosallion with Charlie Appleby’s Notable Speech a disappointing 6L further back. No excuse seemed to be forthcoming for that lack lustre run but any horse is forgiven one poor run and lets not forget how impressive he was in the 2000 Guineas. Drying ground looks to be against the French raider Facteur Cheval whilst the blinkered for first time Maljoom and Sonny Liston make up the sextet. A race to saviour but it will be no shock were Notable Speech to bounce back and beat Henry Longfellow.
 

NATIVE APPROACH 1 point win @ 7/4 William Hill

 

[richard-westwood]

150 good 

Subsequent 380 

French duke. 376

Attila the honey. 370.

3x 2pt wins BSP