Glorious Goodwood Saturday

So close to being a good day for the blog yesterday, with The Rectifier running a big race in third, Take Cover going down by a short head and Osaila just failing to reel in the winner. Windshear also ran well in third but missed out on each way money as there was only the seven runners. Hopefully we can find a horse to go one better for us today.

2.00 Goodwood (Handicap) 6F

An absolute cavalry charge, and last year's winner Barnet Fair is back to defend his crown, and Dandy Nicholls has managed to get him here off the same mark. He has also managed to secure the services of the soon to be retired Richard Hughes, and from his draw in stall 1 a bold bid should be forthcoming. He looks worthy of each way support at 16/1,  and with a few bookies paying an extra place it is advisable to shop around before getting involved.
On the far side of the draw another horse that is of interest is David Barron's Fast Track. He was successful in a big field handicap at Newmarket last season over this trip on quick ground, and he advertised his well being with a nice run behind Red Baron over a furlong shorter at Musselburgh. He is best at this trip, and off a mark of 96 he could well make an impact at odds of 16/1.

Selections: Barnet Fair (e/w) 16/1 Fast Track (e/w) 16/1

2.35 Goodwood (Handicap) 12F

A difficult race to decipher as it is difficult to discount the vast majority of the field. A case can be made for many, and Mark Johnston fires four bullets in a race he has won three times since 2008. All of his runners are entitled to respect given his amazing record here, and it looks as if Novancia is the first string. She beat Sagaciously last time out, a horse I had tipped up, but that came on very soft ground which will be a lot different to today's conditions. She did win her maiden on fast ground, so she should be fine.
De Sousa gets the leg up on Yorkidding, a horse he has won twice on already this season. This filly has gone up in the weights as a result, but it would be folly to presume her improvement has halted altogether. At 16/1 she could run a big race.

Selection: Yorkidding (e/w) 16/1.

3.10 Nassau Stakes (Group 1)

Jazzi Top is the selection, and you can read why here in my detailed preview


3.45 Goodwood  (Handicap) 6F

A real conundrum of a handicap, and finding the winner is akin to locating a needle in a haystack. Previous course form is usually a huge advantage at Goodwood, and Take Cover almost proved that point with an outstanding effort in trying to repeat his win here last year on Friday.
Ajjaadd is a horse that has been completely overlooked by the bookies, and with form figures this year of 7709 it is probably understandable that he can be backed at 50/1. However, there is plenty of reasons to believe that he may outrun those odds for Ted Powell and Willy Twiston Davies, who, incidentally,  has been riding very well of late.
He is returning from a break, and this will be his first appearance since being campaigned without success in Meydan during the winter. However, three of his wins have come after breaks of two months or more so that is not really a big worry.
He has run well here before, and indeed he managed a magnificent second place in this very race back in 2013 off just two pounds lower than today's mark. He didn't manage to get back to try and go one better in 2014 as his mark was too low to enable him to get in, and I am sure his trainer has had this race in mind for some time. He is effective on  all types of ground, has a similar draw to when he finished runner up on his last try in this race, and at 50/1 he could well rattle a few cages for his tiny yard.

Selection: Ajjaadd (e/w) 50/1.

4.20 (Maiden) 7F

A twenty runner maiden that does not appeal as a betting proposition. Full of well bred types from the leading yards and owners. One that catches the eye is Yorkee Mo Sabee down at the bottom for the Johnston/De Sousa combination. This is a son of Teofilo related to a couple of decent types and out of a Pivotal mare who won a Listed race. Johnston has a superb record at this meeting, and this colt is a speculative choice in a race probably best watched with regards to the future.

Selection: Yorkee Mo Sabee 16/1.

4.55 Goodwood (Handicap) 7F

No strong opinion here. Perhaps Fox Trotter has been primed for this and will send Richard Hughes into retirement with a winner.

Selection: Fox Trotter 14/1.

6.00 Goodwood (Handicap 9F)

Johnston has booked the services of Michael Murphy for this race on Ifwecan and they are a potent force when combining. Murphy has an excellent record at Goodwood, as does Johnston. From the plum draw in stall 1 this horse can bounce out and make all.

Selection: Ifwecan 10/1.