Good morning all,
Glorious weather and glorious racing. However, it was still a surreal experience given the lack of racegoers at Goodwood last week. Watching the Galway Festival unfold was even stranger. That’s one racing festival that is as much about the craic and the social as the horse racing.
In today’s main piece. I will be looking back at my highlight performances from ‘Glorious’ Goodwood, spectators returning to British racecourses and I have a selection from Naas.
When will racegoers return to the track?
Goodwood’s plan to allow 5,000 of its annual members to attend the final day of Glorious Goodwood on Saturday had to be abandoned. The government pulled the plug at the last minute with the racecourse having to comply with new guidelines set by government and Public Health England.
Such pilots are now off for at least two weeks and likely longer. It seems ridiculous to me that you can visit a Theme Park or spend a week at Butlins but not visit a racecourse.
I found the decision perplexing. Especially after seeing pictures of crowded beaches at places like Brighton. Even more baffling was so many people in racing just seemed to shrug their shoulders at the government’s decision. Is the sport sleepwalking into disaster ?
I’m wondering if we’ll see spectators at a racecourse, beyond annual members and owners, before a vaccine arrives. However, what happens to the sport if vaccine doesn’t arrive for another 12 months?
How long can racecourses survive for with no income from admission, corporate, sponsors, catering etc? The money paid out by the Levy Board for the first three months will all be gone by the end of August. The courses are left with reduced money from media rights that will barely cover their day to day running costs, let alone provide for payment of prize money.
The sport is in a precarious situation and I don’t just mean financially either. Don’t forget, we don’t even have a fixture list for September, let alone a race programme or prize money beyond the end of the month.
Given such little information available how can courses make realistic financial plans for the next quarter. Let alone the next 12 months.
Goodwood highlights
Everyone will have their own highlights from last week. For some it will be Mohaather winning the Sussex Stakes. And for others it will be Battaash’s fourth win in the King George Stakes on Friday.
For me it was choice between Supremacy and Fancy Blue.
Fancy Blue
Donnacha O’Brien is only 22 and in his first season with a trainer’s licence. Yet his already won two Group 1’s. The first came when Fancy Blue won the Prix Diane (French Oaks) and the same filly provided number two in the Nassau Stakes on Thursday.
Fancy Blue won both her starts as juvenile when trained by Donnacha’s dad Aidan. She made a good seasonal reappearance in finishing second in the Irish 1000 Guineas, before holding off her rivals in tactical French Oaks.
In race without any guaranteed front runner, Ryan Moore had the filly in a good position behind the leader Magic Wand. Two furlongs out she came to challenge the long-time leader. Taking up the running a furlong from home, she held off the late challenge of another Irish trained filly One Voice with the pair pulling nicely clear of the third. I thought One Voice was coming to win when coming upsides but, like at Chantilly, Fancy Blue found plenty for her jockey's urgings.
The Irish 3-year-old fillies look decent this season, certainly better than their English counterparts. Fancy Blue isn’t the sort who will ever win her races by too far but she’s got a great attitude at the finish of her races. Such an attitude will hold her in good stead for tougher assignments against the boys later in the season.
Supremacy
I’m not sure what to make of this season’s juveniles. However, I think we saw the best one so far in the Group 2 Richmond Stakes.
Supremacy who had previously made all to win a Windsor maiden on his second career start. Once again showed a clean pair of heels to his rivals on Thursday.
It was an impressive four length win by a rapidly improving colt. I’m not sure runner-up Yazaman ran right up to his best form but even if he had he wouldn’t have beat the winner.
It was back to back wins in the race for trainer Clive Cox and like last years winner Golden Horde, connections will no doubt be thinking ahead to next years Diamond Jubilee at Royal Ascot for the colt.
For now the Middle Park looks a good race for him. I wonder if we may see him running in the Godolphin silks later in the season, like Harry Angel did a couple of seasons back.
Blistering Battaash
I can’t finish without mentioning Battaash. Yes, the ground was quick, but he still ran blisteringly quickly to win on Friday,
How many horses ever do 5f anywhere in under 56s?
He always had the speed but often lacked the psychological state to deliver it consistently. Now that his head has been sorted out, he’s turned into one of the most exciting 5f sprinters there has been in my lifetime. He’s the type of horse who will probably end up underrated by the form pundits because of the calibre of horse he has beaten but they will be ignoring the pure speed he races at.
It’s great for the sport that he’s a gelding as he's still racing. It’s great for the sport that he breaks track records because horses that break track records tend to get wider coverage in the media.
It was a great five days of racing, on ideal going, made even better by the sunny weather. It's just a shame there were no racegoers there to enjoy it.
In tomorrow’s column I will wrap up my Goodwood review with a couple of horses for the tracker.
Monday racing
Haydock
3:15- Mountain Peak made it two from two over C&D when winning here in May. He’s subsequently gone onto match that effort twice in defeat at Ascot. The faster the ground the better and he should go close again.
Naas
2:35 – Miacomet is handicapped to close in this 6f handicap. Backed into favouritism at the Curragh last time she lost any chance she had with a slow start there. The 4-year-old probably needs soft ground to be at her best but if she gets it won’t be far away.
If the ground dries out Blairmayne is the one to be with. A recent eyecatcher and a previous course winner at 5f. The 7-year-old has returned to action with three good efforts, including in the valuable Scurry Handicap 16-days ago. He was a bit short of room coming to two out that day but once in the clear finished his race off well to grab third. Just 2lb higher than his last winning mark he deserves to win a race like this.
Monday selection:
Naas
2:35 – Blairmayne – 9/1 @ Bet365
Until tomorrow.
John Burke is the tipster behind the long standing Victor Value service you can join himhere – https://victorvalue.uk