Racing Chat - Thursday 1st August

[The Brigadier]

Goodwood 1.50

The first of four races covered by the ITV cameras today is the class 2 1M 2F Coral Kincsem Handicap which has attracted fourteen three-year-olds. Plenty can be given chances with my pair against the field being Ed Walker’s Into Battle who has been gelded since last seen and should run well under Hollie Doyle and the selection which is the Hugo Palmer trained Watcha Matey who was an easy winner at Newmarket and Musselburgh earlier this season and hasn’t been disgraced since in decent three-year-old handicaps at Ascot and Newmarket over a mile. He may well improve for stepping up to 10F here with the icing on the cake the booking of Ryan Moore. He can be booked each way with additional places.

 

WATCHA MATEY 1 point each way @ 16/1 bet365 1/5th 1234

 

Goodwood 2.25

Nine two-year-old colts run in the Group 2 6F Markel Richmond Stakes in which Hamad Al Jehani’s The Strikin Viking is a warm favourite following a decent effort when running second in a Group 2 at The Curragh, beaten half a length by Henri Matisse when trained by Kevin Ryan. The Inns Of Court colt has been sold privately since, no doubt for a kings ransom to Wathnan Racing and transferred to the up and coming Al Jehani Newmarket stable. He looks sure to go well and is the most likely winner but has been well found in the market and I would rather player one at a bigger price each way. One horse who still remains un-exposed is the Paul & Oliver Cole trained King Of Bears. He stepped forward for his debut when winning a Newbury novice stakes by 1 1/4L from Jet Packer (4th won since) and although this is a big step up in class is quite highly thought of by his trainers and can out run his odds.

 

KING OF BEARS 1 point each way @ 16/1 bet365 1/5th 123

 

Goodwood 3.00

Only five have declared for the Group 3 John Pearce Racing Gordon Stakes run over 1M 4F for three year olds. Aidan O’Brien has a plethora of decent middle distance three-year-olds and saddles his unbeaten Galileo colt Jan Brueghel, named after a Belgium painter from the 1700’s. He’s looked an exciting prospect in winning a maiden and a Group 3 at The Curragh over 10F and should appreciate this step up 2F to 1M 4F today under Ryan Moore. He does have to shoulder a 3lb penalty for that Group 3 victory and is the one to beat and so the pick here. The best of the other quartet may turn out to be David Simcock’s Sayedaty Sadaty who was a 7 1/2L fifth in the Epsom Derby and has left Andrew Balding to join Simcock since.

 

JAN BRUEGHEL 1 point win @ 10/11 bet365

 

Goodwood 3.35

The day’s feature race is the Group 1 Qatar Nassau Stakes for fillies and mares which has attracted a classy field of ten. John & Thady Gosden’s Emily Upjohn went for home possibly too far out in the Pretty Polly Stakes at The Curragh last time out when finishing runner up to Bluestocking who has subsequently run a decent second in last weekend’s King George at Ascot. She can run well but it’s the three year old of Aidan O’Brien’s Opera Singer who looks the one to be with. Rated the best two year filly last season she badly needed her seasonal re-appearance when third in the Irish 1000 Guineas and was hardly disgraced in going down by a length to Porta Fortuna in the Coronation Stakes at Royal Ascot which has an even better look about it now with that one going onto plunder the group 1 Falmouth Stakes by 3 3/4L at Newmarket. She’ll be hard to beat with Ryan Moore on board.

 

OPERA SINGER 1 point win @ 15/8 William Hill.

[LEE-GRAYS]

Just bump this up 👍