The horse racing broadcaster offers his selections for the opening day of the Qatar Goodwood Festival.
5 days of the Visit Qatar Goodwood Festival with the weather set fair makes for a glorious week.
With 5 races live on ITV on Tuesday there is a nice blend of quality and big field handicaps, starting with one of those handicaps, the 10f Coral Chesterfield Cup, one of the oldest races in Goodwood’s calendar.
18 runners twisting round the Downs will make luck in running important but granted reasonable passage, William Haggas’s CASTLE COVE (1.20 Goodwood) can get the meeting off to a good start for a yard that are finally finding the consistency they lacked in the earlier part of the season. The July record so far of 24/78 (Actual/Expected 1.08) contrasts with below par May and June (A/E 0.76 and 0.87) and that improved to 14/39 (A/E 1.16) in the last fortnight. Castle Cove looks to have started life in handicap company well treated, based on defying both an absence and an outside draw to win at Chester on his handicap debut. That was on soft ground so running in the very first race at the meeting when the ground is likely to have been well watered ahead of a largely dry week should help offset any ground concerns. His half sister Lilac Road also finished third here in the Nassau over course and distance in 2022.
The first Group race of the week is the Coral Vintage Stakes for two-year-olds over 7f where HUMIDITY (1.55 Goodwood) can retain his unbeaten record. His debut victory at Newbury has proved one of the cornerstone pieces of juvenile form this season, throwing up seven next time out winners along with the Coventry second place Do Or Do Not – who lines up again here. Humidity was also one of those ‘Magnificent Seven’ winning the Chesham at Royal Ascot and so is proven at the trip, as well as having an uncomplicated run style which should see him press forward from an outside gate.
Next up is the Group 2 Lennox Stakes where connections of KINROSS (2.30 Goodwood) will be hoping there is enough juice in the ground for him to take his chance. His record over the last three seasons at 7f reads 1123122 with the third coming in this race last year behind Audience, a horse I am always happy to take on. His return to action at Haydock behind Ten Bob Tony in the John O’Gaunt showed that even at the age of 8, he is no back number. The string of Group races at this trip over the next few weeks give him plenty of opportunities to improve that record still further.
The feature race on Day 1 is the Group 1 Al Shaqab Goodwood Cup, where SCANDINAVIA (3.05 Goodwood) can make the most of both the step up to 2m and a very healthy weight for age allowance which sees him receive a whole stone from his rivals, including stable companion Illinois – the choice of Ryan Moore. Scandinavia had cheekpieces applied for the first time and was very well backed when running right away with the Bahrain Trophy over 1m 5f at Newmarket, where his strength at the finish was the key takeaway. Whilst weight for age is meant simply to be a way of bringing horses at different stages of physical development together, history shows that the longer the distance the more the allowance tends to favour the younger generation. This represents a significant step up in grade, but the division as a whole post Kyprios and with the absence of Trawlerman looks ripe for the picking and it could be a bet on Scandinavia that bears fruit.
The last of the five ITV races is the first of the big straight field handicaps over 5f where a field of 22 will charge down the Goodwood hill. SHAGRAAN (3.45 Goodwood) represents a touch of class here and can give weight to all his rivals. A strongly run 5f is right up his street and he is drawn in the middle which should ensure plenty of options for Tom Marquand, who steered him to victory over course and distance at this meeting and also has a good record for the yard (36/228 A/E 1.17). Like many in the field he will need the breaks at the right time, but he can really get going once he starts passing horses.
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