The horse racing broadcaster offers up his five selections for Day 3 of the Goodwood Festival.
No doubt about the star act on display at Goodwood on Thursday, with French Derby and Oaks winner DIAMOND NECKLACE 8/13 (15:35 Goodwood) taking on her elders in the Group 1 Qatar Nassau Stakes. She made a deep impression last year when winning the Marcel Boussac and lines up looking for a fourth consecutive Group 1 victory. On official ratings the older horses are not far behind, with Friendly Soul likely to have supporters as she is due a change in luck, being the horse who put her foot into the ‘Haydock hole’ and then finishing off well behind Blue Bolt at Ascot. Personally, it looked to me as if she may have been sucked home by the tempo a shade that day but having won the L’Opera in 2024, she has also proved capable of winning at the highest level. So far that honour has eluded See The Fire, but only narrowly after she ran second in the same race last season, but they both look to lack the potential of Aidan O’Brien’s three-year-old unbeaten filly.
The day starts with the 10f Kincsem Handicap where LION OF ALBA 18/1 (13:50 Goodwood) looks overpriced based on his fourth in the Brittania, and with the step up to 10f looking to suit on pedigree. He was made plenty of use of at Newmarket last time and it may well be that the rhythm of a 10f pace may see a return to the Ascot form (only 1lb higher here). He won at a mile at two and his dam showed her best form at 1m 4f and actually ran in the 2m 4f handicap (run on Friday) here in 2019 whilst half-brother, Wolf of Badenoch, won over 1m 3 1/2f earlier this month. Lion Of Alba is another example of how markets are too driven by a horse’s last performance and the price just looks too big to ignore.
The Coventry looks the key line of form in trying to find the winner of the Markel Richmond Stakes, the highest profile juvenile race of the week. Six runners from that race line up again here including the second, fourth and fifth, and it is the fifth placed horse NIGHT IN VEGAS 4/1 (14:25 Goodwood) who looks of prime interest. Eve Johnson Houghton’s juveniles took a little longer to come to hand this season, but they have still had a decent enough 2026 (10/67 A/E 1.12) and the fact that Night in Vegas won here in May gives him useful track experience. Flann Sunna is the hard one to assess after impressive victories at a lower level at both Windsor and Ascot, but this looks fully discounted by the market given he is currently favourite over all the Coventry runners.
The return to fast ground should hopefully suit BAY OF BRILLIANCE 5/2 (15:00 Goodwood) in the Group 3 Gordon Stakes after he was well below form in the German Derby last time. His last run on a faster surface saw him make Maltese Cross (subsequent Derby runner up and Group 1 winner in France) pull out all the stops in the Lingfield Derby Trial where he really impressed with the way he stuck to his task. His fourth in the gruelling conditions at Epsom in the Derby along with the abortive trip to Germany have hopefully not left their mark and he can get his career back on track here.
Finally, MISS YECHANCE 15/2 (16:10 Goodwood) ran without a shoe and was drawn on the wrong side on her first start for Karl Burke at Ascot. She also possibly went hard enough trying to keep her group in touch with the speedy Bacio who blitzed the field in the stands side group. She has run well on several occasions in Dubai early in the year and looks the type the stable can do well with both domestically and back in the Middle East. Her natural speed suits the track well and she certainly won’t be running into another Bacio here!
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