Hi all,
Inside today’s main piece you’ll find two future winners from last week’s Goodwood Festival.
The Qatar Goodwood Festival is done and dusted for another year. The quicker is recedes into the memory bank the better from my perspective.
York’s Ebor Festival get underway two weeks on Wednesday, and despite last week I can’t wait. It’s my favourite meeting of the summer. Give us decent ground and we’ll see some great action.
Glorious Goodwood: The Final Word
Ok, my viewpoint is somewhat biased because I didn’t have good week betting wise but personally, I thought the meeting was just generally disappointing with few highpoints. Hence why I don’t have much to say about it.
My main memory of the five days was seeing Saturday’s action run in swamp. Regarding swamps. Goodwood had 93mm of rain in July and another 31mm for the first five days of August which puts things into some sort of context.
Now I can’t confirm the veracity of the following. But if the stories are to be believed the course put on over 50mm via artificial watering in the week leading up to the festival. Now I accept that Goodwood is one best-draining course in the country. However, to put on so much water when no forecast I saw was predicting any warm or dry spell seems like utter madness.
It looks to me like all the artificial watering, we are seeing, means out racecourses can’t handle heavy rain like they used to in the past.
As to the best performances…
Paddington didn’t need to improve on his Coral Eclipse performance to win a sub-standard Group 1 Sussex Stakes. He seems to be one of the ‘hard as nails’ horses who thrives on his racing. Next up is York’s International Stakes. He’ll face a much better rivals there, but the colt has a likely even big performance in him.
Jim Crowley gave Al Husn a canny ride to win the Group 1 Nassau Stakes on Thursday. He had his filly ideally positioned close to the leader in a tactical race. Whereas the front two in the betting Blue Rose Cen and Nashwa got contrasting rides. The former found herself in a pocket when the race began in earnest and the latter was poorly placed.
Tom Marquand was crowned top jockey at Goodwood. It was well deserved as Marquand rode the track better than any jockey over the five days. He bulldozed the opposition from the front on Quickthorn to win Tuesday’s Group 1 Goodwood Cup and repeated the dose on Sumo Sam in the Group 2 Lilly Langtry Stakes on Saturday. Mind you it was lucky spare ride. He was a late replacement for Neil Callen who wasn’t able to do the weight on the filly.
Goodwood: Future Winners
Sweet William cemented his place at the top of the Ebor Festival ante post betting after his success in Saturday’s Coral Summer Handicap. He needed to win to give him a chance of getting into the York’s big handicap and its likely he’ll he will do.
The rapidly improving staying handicapper gets a 4lb penalty for his Goodwood success. However, its hard to think that will stop him given that connections think he could make up into a Cup horse. Whilst his odds 5/1 are cramped he’s likely to be a lot shorter if he does get into the race. He will take some beating in the Ebor, if Saturday’s race in attritional ground hasn’t had a negative impact in the short term.
Designer – John Butler
Designer got no sort of run between the final two furlongs but once in the clear she ran on well to finish a 3 ¾ length 4th of 12 to Lord Riddiford in the 5f handicap that opened the meeting. The 4-year-old last success came in the 5f fillies handicap at York’s Ebor Festival and she's firmly on course for another win in that race.
Al Mubhir – William Haggas
Al Mubhir at his best on testing ground only finished a 4 ½ length 8th of 20 to Johan in the Friday’s Golden Mile Handicap. However, the 4-year-old can have his effort marked up. He did best of the hold-up horses, in a race where if you weren’t ridden prominently you had no chance. The colt also didn’t get the best of runs 2f out and inside the final furlong. There are races to be won with him in the autumn. Either in a valuable handicap or back in minor pattern company when he gets his favoured soft or heavy ground. I don’t think he’ll get his ground, but he would seem an ideal type for a race like the Cambridgeshire. Or more likely the Balmoral Handicap at Ascot on Champions Day.
Tuesday Preview:
There’s not much that interests me in truth today. And indeed the two horses that I looked at are in the same race at Roscommon this evening.
Roscommon
7:30 – Norwigi a hurdle winner on heavy ground has yet to win after 16 starts over fences. The mare travelled like she can take advantage of her declining mark when 3rd of 15 at Killarney 18 days ago. Today’s drop back in distance should suit and she should be bang there. Royal Juniper hasn’t had many goes over fences. However, she posted a personal best over the larger obstacles when 4th of 14 to one of today’s rivals Seskin Flyer at Kilbeggan 18 days ago. A 6lb pull in the weights with the winner might not be enouggh but the 7-year-old might be capable of better over the larger obstacles. He would have been the pick but for the fact that his trainer Tony Martin is struggling for winners.
Norwigi – 6/1 @ Paddy Power & Betfair Sportsbook.
Good luck with your Tuesday bets.
John