Thursday's Meetings Stratford N/H 7 Races 1:40-5:05p.m. Glorious Goodwood Flat 7 Races 2:05-5:30p.m. Nottingham Flat 7 Races 2:25-5:45p.m. Galway Festival N/H 4 Races 1:50,2:20,4:05 & 4:45p.m. Flat 4 Races 3:00,3:30,5:25 & 6:00p.m. Ffos Las (E) Flat 7 Races 5:40-8:55p.m. Epsom Downs (E) Flat 6 Races 5:50-8:40p.m. Racecards At The Races Racing Post Sporting Life Good Luck
I'm rather hoping that a few certain people will be having a good day at Goodwood today. With the wet weather behind us and better ground hopefully Mark Johnston will once again be banging in the winners along with jockey William Buick. So here goes: 2.05 RESONANT - MJ has won this race for the last 2 years and 4 times in the last 9. Less forget his last run though. 9/1 2.35 LOG OUT ISLAND - Likewise the Hannons have farmed this race over the last 7 years and hoping unlike KOR today this one will go out and make all. 5/1 3.10 ORIENTAL FOX - Can remember Mrs J talking this one up yesterday after BLUE WAVES victory as I think this was her best chance of a winner after a decent run last time out. 15/2 4.20 THOLEN - Another Johnston/Buick runner improving with each race. Has highest rating, that will do for me. Around 7/1 4.55 MONTSARRAT - Another Johnston/Buick runner who on a hat trick. 4/1 5.30 MIDLANDER - like the other two above Johnston/Buick runner who is now chasing a 5 timer. 7/1 good luck all today
The Galway Hurdle looks the race of the week to me and I've been blowing the DIAKALI trumpet for a few days now, so I won't stop now Make no mistake this is another progressive Champion Hurdle horse for Closutton, think Arctic Fire last season. This will not be beaten. (Sing along Steve Palmer style should you wish). However in the highly unlikely event he is I'm hoping it's by Modem if he can sneak in at the bottom, as I backed him each way at 20/1 before he won earlier in the week. Needs just one NR to get in so fingers crossed! In the 2.20 I've a soft spot for the mare Shesaportait 11/2 she's flying higher today than ever and whilst she's done her winning usually over further, Galway does take some getting. She'll try to make all, touchwood she's an electric jumper, she'll have most of them in bother two out, it's whether she has the class of Jessica's horse to see it out. I like her at a decent price in a small field. Over in Goodwood old boy Simenon should run his usual solid race, ie finish with 2 or 3 in front of him but who knows with Frankie on he might get a proper ride this time. Needs to see a real strong gallop, as he doesn't have a change of gear for good 2 mile races nowadays but he has an immense cruise which means he can keep going when others have cried enough. With the weight allowance he shouldn't be far away, he never is, but frankly he has a tendency to do a bit too much arse chasing and he just can't get his head in front. A sporting each way chance anyway at 13/2.
Been a relatively quite Galway for me so far but I like a few there tomorrow in the shape of Hidden Cyclone 7/1 in the Galway hurdle. Racing off 137 he is particularly well treated here and should prove very hard to beat granted he jumps fluent, get's plenty of weight off the fave Diakali and it could prove decisive up the hill. The other one I fancy is another from the Shark in the 1.50 at Galway. Clondaw Farmer 7/2 is lightly raced thus far but has the size and scope to be a useful chaser and having been off the track sine last August I would expect him to be cherry ripe for tomorrow's test where the Mullins runner will be a warm order.
Know you like the horse so wondering are you not backing ROCK THE WORLD in that novice chase? It's being smashed up in the market this evening, should leave my mare an even tastier price Decent race, Henry's is above average too. Know I'm tilting at windmills a bit especially over this short a trip but hoping she gets a crafty ride from young saddle genius Mark Enright!
I haven't backed Rock The World Beefy no. I see he's 5/4 generally..what price did he open? I think Galway was the plan for him for a while but when I checked my phone and seen the 5/4 I didn't rush to back that. You think the mare can lower his colours or the Sizers?
Certainly seen 6/4 during the racing anyways STH. She's a bit to find on the bare form anyway and she'll need to try and pinch it from the front. There's been a couple of races this week that has happened so who knows. It's a proper jumping examination there, on good ground they never doddle so quick jumping is essential, and as is so often the case Henry's looks good in that department. I'd say Jessica's could just be a step ahead of them though. Diakali is your best 5/1 shot tomorrow, that chase is awfully trapped the more I look at it!
I might back RTW tomorrow maybe, closer to the off, I may have a more in depth look at the opposition. He's looked a very fast, fluent jumper so far as well but the hill could be a different proposition. Diakali is certainly the one to beat, I plumped for the Cyclone in hope the weight he is receiving can aid his cause. Could not get away from him as he looks so well treated but Diakali may well be on another level and win regardless. Will miss the race live too but I will catch the commentary and watch it when I get home in the evening.
Paddy Power running scared of the Tony Martin trained SHALAMZAR in the 3:00 Galway tomorrow, they go 5's against Ladbrokes 8's, looks ominous.
Luckily I was able to see all off Monday & Tuesday's but not today's. Should be able to get finished to see most of it tomorrow. To be honest I'm not arsed about most of the races, most handicaps flat & jumps aren't really my cup of tea. Tomorrow has some nice jump races. The novice hurdle will be interesting, Mullins Gangster into 1/2 I see FFS! Mad price, they can win at that, especially up against the mighty Duke!
The 2nd and 3rd from Gangsters maiden win both won their next starts and then both placed 4th after that. Has to gain maximum respect being from Willies yard and the bookies won't take any chances for sure. I was very impressed with Sandymount Duke at Tipp, got headed and looked beaten by Daisy before rallying strongly to score. Giving weight away all round though and back to 20 furlongs may possibly be enough to just let it be a watching brief but the hill could be beneficial and possibly wouldn't be the worst each way bet to nothing.
4.45 Galway Stephanie Frances 20/1 Dan Skelton's 7 year old mercurial mare is a horse I've always thought had a serious, serious potential and I think she's finally showing it. Having landed a huge shock on her debut for Michael McElhone (he said she was so light and he couldn't get any work into her) in winning what has turned out to be an extremely strong bumper when she beat Wicklow Brave & Macnicholson, she was was picked up at the sales and sent to Dan Skelton's yard. Stephanie Frances mixed the sublime with the shocking on her first 6 starts over hurdles for the Skelton (who freely admitted she's very hard to train) but I think he has found the key to her with two emphatic and incredibly easy successes on her two most recent starts. In a handicap off a mark of 120 (18lb higher today), she won hard held in a race that isn't terrible form at Ludlow back in March before pretty much doing the same in a Listed Mares Novice Hurdle at Cheltenham a month later (again not outstanding form). Judged on the collateral form of those two, a price tag of 20/1 now she has a mark of 138 looks about right but I think she's now putting in her best work at all times. I believe that decent ground (which she gets) and probably a different approach to her trainer by Skelton have seen her in a much better light and I firmly believe that if she turns up in the right frame of mind she's got an absolutely outstanding chance to land this. This represents trainer Dan Skelton's 2nd ever runner in Ireland and I'm hopeful that this very talented mare puts everything in today and lands this big prize. I'm also pretty confident that 2.20 Galway Sizing Platinum 4/1 will get the better of the fav
Mustard should have won last time out but Durcan gave his mount far too much to do. So he got a 6lb lift without the winning purse. Let's hope Durcan gets it right today. 2.05 Goodwood
MISS MAYFAIR 16/1 Stratford 4:30 Fair amount of "yard confidence" about this one and really should go well off its current mark!
4.45 GALWAY - SNAKE EYES- 14/1 I'm sure Barney will be able to explain his chances better than I, so please feel free to add anything I have missed but he won 1/2 last season and that win he won a decent conditions race at punchestown in which the runner up has won since and is fancied for this race even tho from the looks of it he won't get in looks on a good mark and should make a bold bid at his price
4.45 Galway Ted Veale 14/1 Can't help but be impressed with his 2nd to the well weighted Modem earlier this week. Extremely handy 5lb claimed on board, smart course record, and fairly weighted. I know he was only 8th in his last try but he is surely capable of making the frame and we know he is in good form. Diakali might yet be Champion Hurdle class and at 6/1 I might even take a little piece of that alongside. Hope it's a clean race
Although Dermot Weld has not had the greatest week at Galway so far I think his Rock Critic has outstanding claims in the 3.00 today. Ran really well in his "pipe-opener" at Sligo in June when just touched off by I'll Be Your Clown (subsequent winner of a big premier handicap at Navan) and has tumbled down the weights to a very manageable-looking 86.
Looks like Modem won't get into the Galway Hurdle so I'll take an e/w poke on another of Jessie's runners - the thoroughly unexposed Rae's Creek at 33/1.
Mark Johnston won the opener at Goodwood last year and fields two here; however, Triple Dip takes a drop in trip after disappointing last time and Resonant has been beaten double digit lengths in three of his last four races (last time a match) and is 11lb higher than his last win. Pricewise has tipped two in this race, one of which is lightly-raced Keble, who seems to keep finding one too good. This leads me to one of the two owned by HM The Queen: MUSTARD, who only has five races on the clock but has been raised 6lb for finishing second last time. In the Richmond Stakes, I cannot fancy Shalaa under a penalty to get the sponsors money back. If I were going to get involved, Tasleet must be better than his latest win as he had a really rough race but showed a smart turn of foot. Last night, the Goodwood Cup favourite was Gold Cup winner Trip To Paris, but I think he will be vulnerable here with his penalty. I expect Group 2 winner Big Orange to make the running as he did last time; however, the finish will be fought out by Eye Of The Storm (readily won at Sandown), Oriental Fox (hammered Taws at Ascot but drops in trip) and progressive QUEST FOR MORE (Northumberland Plate winner with course form). Unfortunately the money has piled on my selection overnight and he is likely to go off favourite now. In the 3:45, there are two foreign raiders, Germany’s Kaldera and France’s Lady Dragon, who are unknowns. Arguably the form pick is Lancashire Oaks runner-up Lustrous. Lots of the fillies are trying fourteen furlongs for the first time and the one that I think will benefit most from the step up in trip is Luca Cumani’s four-year-old JORDAN PRINCESS. I see no reason for Arabian Comet reversing the form of their last meeting and quite a few of the others need to improve significantly to feature. The owner might have jocked Adam Kirby off Postponed but this would be his second winner for him this week.
