GOING NEWS
Goodwood’s Clerk of the Course, Seamus Buckley, is delighted with the state of the track ahead of the 2010 Glorious Goodwood meeting.
"We’re all set fair and the course is in great shape," said Buckley. "On the Straight Course, the going is Good and it is Good to Firm, Good in places, on the Round Course.
"We had light rain last night but nothing of any great significance. There’s a possibility of showers later today and once that is passed we are due to be settled for the rest of the week.
"We will review over watering policy on a day-by-day basis."
BETTING NEWS AT 1PM
It has been a lively morning in the betting offices with a good spread of horses being backed. Sponsors Betfair have seen support for Rebel Soldier, who is around 4/1 favourite, and Dandino (well-backed into 5/1 from 6/1) in the Betfair Gordon Stakes at 2.45pm.
In the opening Betfair App for iphone Heritage Handicap (2.10pm), Almiqdaad has been well-supported into 6/1 favouritism with Betfair although the big drifter has been Jo’burg, who has gone out from 7/1 to 20/1.
In the feature Group Two Betfair Cup (3.25pm), Dalghar is a strong 5/1 favourite with Betfair while Finjaan is a weak 13/2 chance.
Likewise Zebedee is weak in the Betfair Molecomb Stakes (4pm) market, drifting towards 3/1, while newcomer Big Issue is a strong 9/4 favourite for the EBF Dallaglio Foundation Maiden (5.05pm).
Other movers with bookmakers include:
2.10pm BETFAIR APP FOR iphone HERITAGE HANDICAP
Almiqdaad 5/1 from 7/1 William Hill, 11/2 from 7/1 Paddy Power
Submariner 15/2 from 11/1 Paddy Power, 9/1 from 11/1 Blue Square
2.45pm BETFAIR GORDON STAKES (GROUP 3)
Dandino 4/1 from 11/2 William Hill, 9/2 from 6/1 Paddy Power
Fencing Master 10/1 from 14/1 Blue Square
3.25pm BETFAIR CUP (GROUP 2)
Dalghar 9/2 from 6/1 William Hill, 5/1 from 6/1 Ladbrokes
Lord Shanakill 6/1 from 8/1 Paddy Power
Lovelace 14/1 from 20/1 Blue Square
4.00pm BETFAIR MOLECOMB STAKES (GROUP 3)
Bold Bidder 10/1 from 14/1 William Hill
Mayson 6/1 from 8/1 Paddy Power
4.35pm TATLER SUMMER SEASON HANDICAP
Benandonner 12/1 from 20/1 Blue Square
Justonefortheroad 10/1 from 12/1 William Hill
5.05pm EBF DALLAGLIO FOUNDATION MAIDEN
Fists And Stones 16/1 from 25/1
5.40pm ROA SUMMER HANDICAP
Perfect Shot 12/1 from 16/1 William Hill
FESTIVAL FAVOURITES ON HUNT FOR MORE GLORY
Sussex trainer John Dunlop is Goodwood’s most successful contemporary trainer, having saddled 192 winners at the venue, of which 41 have been gained at the Festival. In second place lies Richard Hannon with 186 winners - he needs just three more to reach the 50 mark at Glorious Goodwood and, given the strength of his current team and entries this week, that looks very likely. Also chasing a half century of Festival winners is Barry Hills, who needs just a single success, while Marcus Tregoning needs two to achieve 50 at all Goodwood meetings.
Sir Michael Stoute heads the list of current trainers with Glorious Goodwood winners. Horses in his care have won 66 races during the Festival week, while his Newmarket colleague, Henry Cecil, lies second with 64 Festival firsts.
Yorkshire-based Scotsman Mark Johnston has the best recent record among Glorious Goodwood trainers, having topped the Festival table in seven of the past 12 years. Of his 72 winners at the track, no fewer than 47 have been gained at the premier meeting. Johnston has never been Britain’s champion trainer, but last year he set a record of 221 for the number of wins in a year.
Among current jockeys Frankie Dettori is the most successful at Goodwood. He has ridden 162 winners, of which 52 have been recorded at the Festival. He has been Racing UK Top Festival Jockey on four occasions. Today he rides Yamal (2.10), Film Score (2.45), Hail Promenader (4.35), Golden Hinde (5.05) and Anhar (5.40).
Eight winners is the record by a jockey at a single Glorious Goodwood, and three riders share the honour, namely Lester Piggott (1982), Kieren Fallon (1998) and Johnny Murtagh (2008). The lowest total was two, by Steve Cauthen in 1984.
Ryan Moore could become Racing UK Top Festival Jockey for the third time, having won it with five victories in both 2007 and last year. Today he rides Rebel Soldier (2.45), Main Aim (3.25), Avonmore Star (4.00), Truism (4.35), Welsh Dancer (5.05) and Jedi (5.40).
Judged on recent evidence the winner of today’s Betfair Gordon Stakes is worth including in future ante-post considerations. The winner in 2008 was Conduit, later successful in the St Leger (as was the 2006 Betfair Gordon Stakes winner Sixties Icon) and two runnings of the Breeders’ Cup Turf, while last year’s first, Harbinger, bolted up in Saturday’s King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Ascot, gaining his fourth success this season and becoming the best horse in the world.
Richard Hannon’s brilliance as a trainer of two-year-olds is well known, yet he has saddled the winner of today’s Betfair Molecomb Stakes only twice - with Risky in 1993 and Monsieur Chevalier last year. Hannon has a strong hand in today’s race, for he runs favourite Zebedee and well-fancied Avonmore Star.
TOWERING ARTEMIS WINS BY A HEAD
Horses are the premier theme at Glorious Goodwood, but one towers above the crowd for the first time at this year’s meeting.
Artemis, a four-tonne, striking 30ft depiction of a horse’s head that has been cast in bronze, is positioned behind the March Stand in the Richmond Enclosure and overlooking the paddock, giving racegoers the chance to get up close and personal with the dramatic sculpture.
Surrey-based artist Nic Fiddian-Green created the piece at his workshop near Godalming. Originally placed on Trundle Hill on June 29 above Goodwood racecourse’s finishing straight, Artemis will remain in its current position during the Glorious meeting before transferring to a site in front of Goodwood House for the inaugural Vintage at Goodwood Festival in August.
Fiddian-Green said: "My primary aim is to place beautiful works of art into inspiring landscapes. The Goodwood installation has been made possible thanks to the generous support of Artemis Investment Management and Lord March, who has hosted and made possible the idea."
Fiddian-Green creates his epic works of art from clay, using the ancient ‘lost wax’ technique, a process in which molten bronze in poured into the artist’s original mould. He always patinas (colours) his work himself, a process that other sculptors rarely do; but which gives his pieces a unique final finish.
Artemis sponsors the Goodwood Cup for the first time on Thursday.
ARTEMIS GOODWOOD CUP PREVIEW
Yeats, winner of the Artemis Goodwood Cup in 2006 and 2008, may now be relaxing after his first season as a stallion but his trainer Aidan O’Brien looks to have a live chance of landing the staying showpiece for a third time on Thursday.
The master of Ballydoyle is represented by Age Of Aquarius, one of 12 declared runners in the historic two-mile contest. The four-year-old, who captured last season’s Lingfield Derby Trial, has finished second on all three of his starts this season, most recently when just losing out to Rite Of Passage in the Group One Gold Cup at Royal Ascot.
Locally-based veteran trainer John Dunlop, a director of Goodwood racecourse, last won the Artemis Goodwood Cup in 1990 with Lucky Moon but he looks to have strong claims in this year’s contest with Tactic. The four-year-old goes into the race on the back of a two-length victory from Profound Beauty in the Group Two Curragh Cup last time out.
Saptapadi finished fifth at the Curragh and represents Sir Michael Stoute, who has won two of the last five Artemis Goodwood Cups (and three in total).
Illustrious Blue, trained at Angmering Park in Sussex by William Knight and winner of the Group Three Sagaro Stakes at Ascot in April, is another local runner bidding for success.
Godolphin, successful 12 months ago with Schiaparelli, has two chances of a back-to-back success. Last season’s Ladbrokes St Leger runner-up Kite Wood started the year with a victory in the Group Two Prix Vicomtesse Vigier at Longchamp before coming seventh in the Gold Cup at Royal Ascot. Stablemate Wajjir won in Group Two and Group Three company last year when with Elie Lellouche but has so far not shown the same level of form for his new connections in two starts this year.
The Queen has won the race twice before, with Apprentice in 1965 and Gaulois a year later, and she bids for a third victory via the Richard Hannon-trained four-year-old Free Agent, who scored at Royal Ascot as a juvenile and won a Listed handicap at York on his latest start.
"He had heart trouble last year so we had to give him a rest, but he has bounced back well this summer and really impressed me when winning at York," Hannon told his website,
www.richardhannonracing.tv |
The globetrotting Purple Moon will be one of the leading contenders on the back of his Gold Cup third at Royal Ascot, while trainer Clive Cox will bid for a first Artemis Gold Cup success with Electrolyser, who has not run since finishing third in the Sagaro Stakes in April.
The 13-year-old Carracciola, trained by Nicky Henderson, boasts 15 career successes but has yet to score at Goodwood ,while The Betchworth Kid represents another leading jump trainer, Alan King.
"The Betchworth Kid has enjoyed his trips to (gallop at) Manton, and I can't thank Brian Meehan enough," King told his website. "He will need the run at Goodwood and most of the opposition are rated higher than him, but we'll drop him out and hope to snatch a bit of prize money at the end, and the race should put him spot on for the Ebor."
The seven-year-old Kid Charlemagne, whose career began with two bumper successes, will represent another National Hunt handler, Warren Greatrex, although he is still a maiden after two Flat starts.