The horse racing broadcaster has five selections on offer for the second day of the Qatar Goodwood Festival, including Field Of Gold in the feature race.
The big race of the week at Goodwood is the Group 1 Visit Qatar Sussex Stakes over a mile, featuring the headline act of the week in FIELD OF GOLD / (15:05 Goodwood), who takes on the older horses headed by Rosallion and his Royal Ascot conqueror Docklands.
It looked as if the older horses may be a real force in this division after the Lockinge, but it hasn’t really proved that way with Dancing Gemini and Lead Artist disappointing at Ascot and Notable Speech unsuccessfully flirting with sprinting in the July Cup.
While Rosallion met defeat at Ascot, Docklands seems to reserve his best for the Berkshire track, so the Hannon horse looks to head the older horse challenge. Smart though he is, it will be a disappointment if he can lower the colours of Field of Gold, who has been the standout horse of the season so far. After his unlucky defeat in the 2000 Guineas at Newmarket he has made short work of his rivals in both the Irish 2000 and the St James’s Palace at Royal Ascot. Rosallion will prove a tougher test, but unless the fact Field of Gold is already having his fifth race of the campaign leaves any sort of mark, he can once again prove his status as horse of the season so far. William Buick will be in the saddle this time for the suspended Colin Keane.
The card opens with a field of progressive three-year-old handicappers over a mile and a half. The exploits of King George V Handicap second Serious Contender in running Lambourn close in the Irish Derby suggests some of these towards the top of the weights will be competing in Pattern races before too long. That includes THE OMNI MAN / (13:20 Goodwood), who was fifth in the King George V having come from a little further back than ideal. Behind him that day was Sing Us A Song in ninth, who also ended up poorly placed after fluffing the start. While that also gives him excuses, at the time of writing he is a shorter price than The Omni Man, who is taken to confirm the form.
JABAARA / (13:55 Goodwood) put in a rare below-par run at Chelmsford last time but is usually a model of consistency, and lost this race in the stewards’ room a year ago. Jabaara had to work a bit to get a position at Chelmsford from a tricky gate, and the exertions seemed to tell late on, but there should be no such issues from stall 4 where she is drawn to get a much better trail in. She is a strong traveller but needs producing at the right time, as she doesn’t always sustain her finishing effort for long. With Tabiti likely to force a decent gallop, things could set up nicely for her here under Silvestre De Sousa, who knows her well.
The feature juvenile test of the day is the Group 3 Molecomb Stakes, where AMEEQ / (14:30 Goodwood) can put his natural speed to good use. He has always been a bit of a firebrand – he was withdrawn after getting upset in the stalls at Thirsk on his intended debut – but he has begun to settle down as his Nottingham win and fourth in the Norfolk at Royal Ascot show. The Norfolk is proving string form with no less than four of the five that ran in the race winning next time out (mainly at short prices and Naval Force runs on Tuesday) and the downhill flying five should allow him just to be let run.
The last of the five live ITV races can see QUEBELLA / (15:45 Goodwood) land the Fillies handicap for in-form trainer Richard Hughes, who has had a fortnight to remember. She looked to have running left in her when fifth in a Listed race over course and distance in May and then met trouble at Southwell off this mark of 87, but for which she would have finished closer. That makes her look well handicapped here.
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