Glorious Goodwood – Day 2 Preview

This Marathon usually throws up a stirring finish and todays contest looks no different on paper. Our fancies include, Coue De Lion for Alan King, who loves these extreme distances and has been ultra consistent. He looked as good as ever at Newbury when Martin Harley followed the wrong one through and he will be keen to make amends. Gary Moore will have readied Altaayil for this race after 299 days off and he can get one right for the big day. The horse is still unexposed and this trip unknown but Gary knows if they will stay and he just might be the right horse in the right race. Sir Mark Prescott is in cracking form with his horses and Piedita has to be in the reckoning after a comfortable win over 2 miles at Chester, with the step up in trip looking a comfortable move for this 4 year old. I just love the attitude of Lil Rockefella, who wears his heart on his sleeve over hurdles and just keeps finding. I couldnt believe he was only 7. He must have a great chance but, I didnt think a favourites chance, as the betting suggests. Finally, Marcus Tregooning brings Imphal here after a string of placed efforts this year after winning 3 on the bounce last year. If the handicapper does have control then this step up for this stoutly bred horse may just be the right move. It’s a tight one to start but I am siding with two against the field. Couer de Lion who might have got closer last time out but for traffic problems and Piedita who looks like a stayer that can go up to the next level.

2:25

A tough handicap. Indicative of the type of race you expect at this festival. We have opted for the Roger Charlotn horse, Polish. He has only had the 3 runs and all of them have been to a high standard, with the latest beaten by a good horse in Bombyx at Doncaster and still showing greeness during a race that didnt go his way tactically. This mark looks like one from which he can rate a whole lot higher and he is the selection.

 

3:00

3:35

The winner of this race will come from, Without Parole, Expert Eye, Beat the Bank, Gustav Klimt or Lightning Spear. Its is one of those 5 horses, not that clever as they are the first 5 in the betting. But we have now got it from 8 down to 5. I think we can get rid of Beat the Bank and Lightening Spear because 7 of the last 10 runnings have been won by 3 year olds and the 3 in this race have already performed as well on paper as the two older horses, so you have to expect with a bit more improvement and a generous weight allowance at this time of year, that the 3 year olds will come out on top again. Down now to just 3. Without Partole got the better of Gustav Klimt at Ascot and is still unbeaten and there appeared to be no reason why that form should be reversed off the same weights, so that gets me to a match between the favourite and Expert Eye. I am siding with Sir Michael Stoutes Runner for two reasons. The first being the price, he is 3/1 and not 7/4 and the second being that at two years of age this horse ran, at this track to a figure of 116 and that is just 5 lbs below the 121 run by Without Parole on his latest, best performance. With Expert Eye having run to 120 on his comeback run I think he can rate even higher and might have more to come than the Gosden horse. Either way it promises to be a cracker.