The second day of Goodwood saw the reappearance of the highest-rated horse in the world, Baaeed, who extended his unbeaten run in fine fashion in the Sussex Stakes.
There was plenty to enjoy on a card that saw favourite backers off to a pleasing start with Charlie Appleby trained Secret State claiming the prize in the 1m4f handicap.
Oscula narrowly fended off long-shot Internationalangel in the Oak Tree Stakes, as Samahram backers were left disappointed.
Frankie Dettori’s mount finished third but didn’t get a clear run and was a real eyecatcher.
Trillium provided an upset in the Molecomb Stakes, beating evens favourite Rocket Rodney to victory.
Then came the feature race, Baaeed oozing class in a contest he won with ease at odds of 1/6, as Modern Games finished best of the rest in second.
State Occasion took the fillies’ handicap before The Platinum Queen annihilated her opponents with tremendous speed in the 4:45.
The final race on the card was won by 18/1 shot Lyndon B, who finished ahead of joint-favourite The Attorney to win his first race this season.
There’s plenty more action to look forward to in the final three days of the festival, and many interesting races tomorrow.
GOODWOOD
1:50 – Class 2 Handicap
The opening race on the card is an intriguing handicap over a trip just shy of a mile-and-a-quarter.
Migdam is the current market leader for Sir Michael Stoute, a Zelzal colt unbeaten in his last three racecourse appearances.
He sets the standard ahead of a gelded son of Churchill, Vee Sight, who has shown progression as a three-year-old, winning first time out over 1m1f.
Given a rise of 8lbs for that run, he could still be fairly well-handicapped off a mark of 82.
Warren Point is the shortest-priced runner of a Godolphin trio from the Charlie Appleby yard who are currently performing at a strike-rate of 38%.
The son of Dubawi appears the likeliest winner for the trainer and stablemate Natural World could be a possible pace angle in the race.
A rematch between Wanees and Blue Trail will be interesting, with the latter attempting to reverse form, having finished behind the Shadwell representative earlier in the season.
There were 8lbs between the two there, with Blue Trail carrying the most weight, but he will be in receipt of 1lbs this time out, which could give him an advantage.
A match-bet between the two is a potential betting angle in a race which could prove tricky to predict.
Asgoodassobergets ran well at Royal Ascot last time out, beaten only by the extremely impressive Missed The Cut.
He has gone up 3lbs for that second-placed finish, but will hope to be competitive once again.
Assassi is bidding for a hat-trick of wins, and is another who could be dangerous, whilst Whitefeathersfall is an interesting contender from an each-way angle and may be able to run into the places at a double-figure price.
The Zoffany colt represents a yard that often targets this meeting and the Charlie & Mark Johnston trained entrant has been showing progression as he’s stepped up in trip.
Best bet (win angle):
Warren Point 13/2 – Charlie Appleby, William Buick
Likely to go close and should be there or thereabouts at the finish.
Each-way selection:
Whitefeathersfall 18/1 (EW) – Charlie & Mark Johnston, Franny Norton
He could possibly be well-handicapped despite receiving a 6lbs rise for his Carlisle win.
This will be the first time he attempts further than 1m1f, but he stayed on well last time out and a step up in trip could bring out some further improvement.
The yard found a double-figure priced winner in the opening race on the first day at the festival, and will hope to find more success during the week.
Despite this being a competitive race, Whitefeathersfall could be good enough to mount a challenge and should be able to stay on well in the final stages.
2:25 – Richmond Stakes (Group 2)
The field is headed by Royal Scotsman, a worthy favourite for Paul & Oliver Cole, who is a winner over course and distance and finished third in the Group Two Coventry Stakes when last seen.
That form has been franked with the runner-up Persian Force going on to win a Group Two at Newmarket earlier this month.
The fourth-placed Blackbeard has also won a Group Two of his own in Chantilly.
That form sets the standard in this race, and, whilst Royal Scotsman will be the one to beat, there are many unexposed types in the field, and plenty open to further progression.
Al Karrar and Marshman have both only raced once, winning their respective races on debut whilst also showing signs of greenness.
There could be plenty more to come from the pair, as well as Bluelight Bay who does have a bit to find with the favourite but did win second time out.
Crispy Cat was unlucky in the Norfolk Stakes and may have fared better had he not been hampered in the final furlongs.
That race was over 5f however, and he didn’t appear as comfortable over 6f at the Curragh.
There are plenty of excuses that could be made for that run, as he didn’t settle and can be forgiven for showing greenness at such an early stage in his career.
But, he has been headed twice in the past over 5f, and doesn’t see out his races convincingly, which may indicate a step up in trip isn’t what’s needed, and he may be vulnerable.
Chateau has been progressing well and showed plenty of ability when winning a Listed contest at Newbury recently.
He finished fourth in the Windsor Castle Stakes at the Royal Meeting, the form of which has been franked, with the first three all winning since.
Likeliest winner:
Chateau 3/1 – Andrew Balding, William Buick.
In-form jockey William Buick continues his partnership with the colt, who has slightly more experience than a couple of his rivals.
That could serve him well at a track that can be tough to handle for a young horse.
3:00 – Gordon Stakes (Group 3)
The market leader is Dubawi colt New London who will have to prove he stays the trip in this contest.
His pedigree suggests he will, and he has looked as though he’ll enjoy a step up in distance.
He held an entry in the Derby earlier in the season, but connections decided not to go to Epsom and it was possibly too tough a task so early on in his career.
Although many young horses handle the undulating nature of Epsom, New London appeared to struggle with the track when competing in the Chester Vase.
He’s stepping back up in class here and does face stiff opposition in the form of Derby runner-up Hoo Ya Mal, now in the hands of George Boughey
He is expected to line up in the St Leger before moving to Australia to join trainer Gai Waterhouse, and is likely to be a contender for the Melbourne Cup later in the year.
He has shown he is able to deal with a tough challenge and undulating track as he chased home Desert Crown in June’s Classic.
Masekela finished fourth at Epsom, but was well beaten by Deauville Legend and Al Qareem last time out.
Grand Alliance gave a good account of himself when narrowly missing out on the King Edward VII Stakes at Royal Ascot.
A drop back down in trip may have been more suited to the colt as he didn’t stay at Epsom, and appeared to be tiring towards the line at Ascot, drifting badly and costing himself the race in doing so.
He is perhaps worth another chance at the trip, but his previous runs, as well as his pedigree, seem to suggest that 1m2f is possibly the optimum for the son of Churchill.
Jack Darcy is an interesting runner. The son of Gleneagles is two from two so far and tries this distance for the first time.
His pedigree suggests he’ll stay, and his last run over 10f resulted in a comfortable win.
Sussex makes his first appearance for new connections since switching to Joseph O’Brien’s yard, and is the outsider of the field along with Cresta.
NAP of the day:
New London 9/4 – Charlie Appleby, William Buick
He has shown professionalism in all of his wins to date, but didn’t cope with the track on The Roodee in May.
The opposition must be respected, as many have shown good ability this season, however New London is a classy type and may improve with age.
He’ll have matured and may be ready for the challenge of Goodwood as he steps back up in class having won a handicap last time out.
This is the perfect challenge for him.
3:35 – Nassau Stakes (Group 1)
Nashwa is the current odds-on favourite for the feature race on Thursday’s card, fresh from Group One win in the Prix de Diane at Chantilly.
She stayed on well to prevail there ahead of the rallying La Parisienne and seemed to appreciate the extended 10f trip.
Earlier in June she finished a good third in the Oaks at Epsom, perhaps finding the distance a furlong or two too far in the end.
However, the trip here should suit perfectly and on form she is clearly the one to beat.
She receives the age allowance from her two main rivals in the market, Lilac Road and Dreamloper, both of whom are more than capable of putting in a good performance on their day.
If either are on song in this contest, the win may not be as easy for Nashwa as the market appears to suggest.
Concert Hall is the Irish-raider for Aidan O’Brien, a consistent filly who finished a length-and-a-quarter behind Nashwa in the Epsom Oaks.
Ville De Grace has been beaten by both Lilac Road and Dreamloper in respective races this season, but did gain success over the former in a Group Three at Newmarket last October.
Rogue Millenium finished seventh in the Oaks before coming second in a Group Three on the all-weather, but will need to improve to feature here.Artistia and One For Bobby are two outsiders, along with Fonteyn who does have snippets of form to suggest she is slightly overpriced.
Long shot:
Fonteyn 33/1 (EW) – Kevin Ryan, Andrea Atzeni
A filly who could well outrun her big odds, she has made four racecourse starts and is yet to finish outside the top three places.
Since finishing third on debut she has finished second twice before winning a Listed race last time out, beating Grande Dame who went on to win a Listed contest of her own ahead of Oak Tree winner Oscula and a Royal Ascot winner in Heredia.
On her penultimate start she was narrowly beaten by Crenelle, who herself put in a respectable performance in the Sandringham Stakes at the Royal Meeting.
Fonteyn’s pedigree suggests a step up in trip will suit being by Farhh out of a Cape Cross mare and she could be overlooked in the market.
By Katie Midwinter (27/07/22)
THE CONDITIONAL 