Glorious Goodwood comes to an end for another year on Saturday. Once again, the Sussex spectacular has provided some brilliant racing and the biggest crowd of the week will be in attendance on Stewards’ Cup Day.
Goodwood provides the best racing of the day and therefore the bulk of the live action from ITV Racing but there is space for a couple of good races from Newmarket to give us plenty of chances to beat the bookies in this week’s Saturday Racing Tips.
1:05 British European Breeders Fund EBF Maiden Stakes
Class 2, 7f
ITV Racing get going early on Saturday to bring racing fans this race for juveniles which is often an informative contest. We’ve seen some very good performances in recent years and the market is expecting another with Classic the 6/4 favourite at the time of writing but potentially much shorter by the time the race goes off.
The supremely well-bred son of Dubawi finished fourth on his debut but that does not begin to tell the story of the race. He was green, made a mistake coming out of the gates and was very gently handled by Pat Dobbs who looked to have been told that this was all about getting Classic some racecourse experience. Classic could be very good indeed and anything above odds-on has to be considered betting value.
1:40 Coral Stewards’ Sprint Handicap
Class 2, 6f
The Coral Stewards’ Sprint Handicap is a consolation for the Stewards’ Cup and it could fulfil that role perfectly for connections of Lethal Levi. The three year old missed the cut for the Stewards’ Cup but if he maintains his upwardly mobile curve he should be back at Goodwood next year for the big one. There is a real chance that Lethal Levi will make that return as a course and distance winner.
Lethal Levi justified favouritism to win at Newmarket last time out, winning like a horse with pattern ambitions. He responded well when Pierre-Louis Jamin asked for his effort and that pair shouldn’t be overly troubled by another rise in the weights as he is better than his official rating of 91. The only concern is a lack of experience at Goodwood but Lethal Levi’s class should get him through.
1:55 British Stallion Studs EBF Fillies’ Nursery Handicap
Class 2, 6f
It doesn’t happen as often as you might think but sometimes the betting market gets things spot on for a horse race. That looks to be the case with the British Stallion Studs EBF Fillies’ Nursery Handicap where 5/2 favourite Fox Degree will be tough to beat.
At this burgeoning stage of their careers, each of the juveniles in the field has scope to rate much higher than their current mark but none look quite so well treated as Fox Degree who runs off 75 on Saturday. That mark takes into account a six-pound rise for victory on his nursery debut but does not scratch the surface of the ambitions that Ralph Beckett and King Power Racing have for him.
2:10 Coral Summer Handicap
Class 2, 1m6f
At 1m6f, the Coral Summer Handicap is a very different contest from the other big handicaps on the Saturday Glorious Goodwood card but this race usually provides an entertaining finish. If the betting market is right then this year’s finish will be fought out between Soapy Stevens and Trawlerman. The pair are locked at odds of 5/1 at the time of writing but don’t be surprised to see money come for the former on the day.
Soapy Stevens showed signs that he had trained on well from three to four earlier in the season but his form has gone to a different level since we’ve hit the summer. A good win at Chester in June was eclipsed by an excellent staying performance when taking the bet365 Trophy at Newmarket and he will be well backed to complete the hat-trick. Franny Norton can keep things uncomplicated during the race, allowing Soapy Stevens to run towards the head of affairs safe in the knowledge that his horse has more than enough stamina to see off the competitors as they attempt to rally late on.
2:25 British Stallion Studs EBF Chalice Stakes
Listed, 1m4f
If things go to plan at Newmarket, Rose Of Kildare can take another step towards competing in Group company. She returned from a six-month absence as a 9/1 shot in a Listed race over 1m4f only to lose by under a length from the 5/4 favourite, Eternal Pearl. That run was just a fortnight ago but she should have no problem improving from it thanks to the extra fitness which is bad news for the competition.
As well as having more class and experience than her rivals in the British Stallion Studs EBF Chalice Stakes, Rose Of Kildare should also have the run of the race. Cieren Fallon will ideally make the running with her and is unlikely to find any competition in that regard. We know that Rose Of Kildare responds to her jockey when asked to close, even if she’s already at the head of affairs, so expect the 2/1 shot to stretch away from her rivals.
2:45 Qatar Lillie Langtry Stakes
Group 2, 1m6f
When it comes to the grade of racing the Qatar Lillie Langtry Stakes is Saturday’s best race of the day at Goodwood. As is always the case, we have some highly talented members of the Classic generation taking on their elders with Emily Dickinson leading the charge for three year olds.
Aidan O’Brien and Ryan Moore have already bagged one big race at Glorious Goodwood with Kyprios doing the business in the Goodwood Cup but Emily Dickinson might just find Sea La Rosa too good on Saturday. Back on the sort of ground that she loves, Sea La Rosa should be better than when losing out to Free Wind in the Lancashire Oaks earlier this month. The step up in trip and likely weak pace are also positives so this is one favourite who will be very difficult to beat.
3:20 Coral Stewards’ Cup
Class 2, 6f
The likely pace in the Coral Stewards’ Cup will be concentrated around the high-numbered stalls. The likes of Justanotherbottle, Able Kane, Zargun and Good Eye (stalls 21, 22, 23 and 25 respectively) all favour running prominently and they could hand the horses around them a big advantage.
The market suggests that Mr Wagyu is the most likely to capitalise on the pace around him and win the Stewards’ Cup. He’s a hard competitor who will keep going all the way to the line but does look a little bit short at the top of the betting at odds of 7/1. At a more tempting price, Method could be the one for each way money. Method has run almost exclusively in pattern company during his career and with conditions to suit and plenty of pace to aim at, he should be better than his official mark of 102 so odds of 20/1 represents a more than generous price.
3:55 Medallia Handicap
Class 2, 7f
How connections of Gisburn must have looked at the weather forecast for Glorious Goodwood with a sense of disappointment. The likely pace of the Medallia Handicap would play to the hold-up horse’s strengths perfectly were it not for the fact that he needs some cut in the ground to give his best showing. Those connections will be even more disappointed if Koy Koy employs similar hold-up tactics to win.
Koy Koy will likely stalk the leaders for the majority of the race before using his pace to full effect in the closing stages. Given he has a preference for good to firm ground, has won against big fields before and won at the first time of asking for new trainer George Boughey, Koy Koy looks like very good value at odds of 8/1.