Thursday's Meetings Glorious Goodwood Flat 8 Races 1:50-5:55p.m. Nottingham Flat 6 Raced 2:00-4:55p.m. Galway Festival Mixed 8 Races 2:10-6:10p.m. Wolverhampton(E) A/W 8 Races 5:45-8:45p.m. Epsom(E) Flat 6 Races 6:00-8:35p.m. Racecards At The Races Sporting Life Racing Post Good Luck
With W P Mullins throwing so many arrows at the Galway Hurdle it should really be a race to avoid but I do like the chances of My Mate Mozzie in this. He is making his 3rd appearance in the race (12th in 2022 and 3rd last year) and ran a cracker in the Copper Horse at Royal Ascot, finishing 3rd, when last seen. He should relish the return to hurdles after a reasonable novice chase campaign and I think he has a massive chance here.
I think I will give the Richmond Stakes a miss as The Strikin Viking is clearly the form pick and the bookies are giving nothing away. It will probably be the Bet365 Super Boost today as yesterday’s got beaten. The Gordon Stakes also looks one to miss with Jan Brueghel odds on to maintain his unbeaten record. Back in the days when Mark Johnston used to raid Goodwood, outsider Align The Stars might have been worth a tickle to steal it under Joe Fanning but his son Charlie is struggling to find winners anywhere this term (3 from 40 runners in the last week, 1 from 11 at this meeting). Ten face the starter for the Nassau Stakes and it looks like a good line-up, although it seems quite easy to eliminate the outsiders. I have t wonder if Listed runner-up Doha is in the field to make sure that there is no hanging around for the connections’ other runner. Also from the Beckett barn, Listed winner Lady Boba looks up against it at Group 1 level. Novus really needs the heavens to open as all her wins have featured the word Soft in the going report and she is out of her depth here, having finished behind Lady Boba last time. It is hard to make a case for Lumiere Rock as she was well behind Emily Upjohn in the Pretty Polly last time and both her career wins have been on easy ground; her best effort being third in the Prix de la Opéra. Stay Alert was also behind Emily Upjohn in the Pretty Polly but she is clearly a better mare on quick ground (won the Dahlia first time out). There is no getting away from the fact that the form suggests that Emily Upjohn is not the force of old. Her last win was the Coronation Cup of 2023, a race where she trailed in fourth this term. Bluestocking advertised the form of her second in the Pretty Polly at the weekend but is she still good enough to beat the Classic generation today? French raider Sparkling Plenty won the Prix de Diane but runner-up Survie is the only winner to come out of that race, winning a Group 2 at Longchamp, and the fitting of a hood and a tongue tie plus an absence of form on quick ground are all negatives. Elmalka won a suspect 1000 Guineas on only her third start with See The Fire never a factor. Opera Singer started her season with third in the Irish 1000 Guineas but then went to Ascot. HQ runner-up Porta Fortuna won the Coronation Stakes, reversing form with Elmalka (fourth), See The Fire only fifth and Opera Singer second. So that creates a confusing set of form lines between three of the four Classic generation fillies. The extra distance should not prove a problem for any of the three (See The Fire ran in the Eclipse). So ultimately I am going to go with the filly that has the most collateral form and that is last year’s Prix Marcel Boussac winner OPERA SINGER who I expect to be kept near the pace today.
Frustrating Galway festival so far with decent places but no winners. Todays pick in the Galway Hurdle is Nurburgring of Joseph O’Brien’s. 11/1 ew. Good luck all.
Just a quick selection today, and that's in the Group-1 Nassau Stakes for Fillies' and Mares' (15:35) at Goodwood over a distance just short of 1m2f on good-to-firm ground. The choice is, In the belief that the Fastnet Rock mare, Stay Alert, is a much better horse on fast going. Hopefully she'll gain a podium finish, at least. David Egan rides for the Hugh Morrison yard. 14/1 (Bet365/BetVictor) top price early-doors, on the ATR site. E/W best option.
