PACE is everything in a horse race, and speed of the speed is a saying which often works out in sprints.
The idea is this: If you have a race full of front-runners then the horse who leads destroys the chances of others who like to blase a trail out front.
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So if the pacesetting speedballs take each other on then, in theory, it opens the door to a ‘closer’ or a late finisher to come through and win close home.
Last year’s hero Live In The Dream, Big Evs, Ponntos and Bradsell could all go off like the clappers, which means many will feel the race will be handed to the King Charles III Australian winning mare Asfoora.
If Regional has remained in the race I would have chanced him, but now he’s out so I’m also all over Asfoora this afternoon under champion elect Oisin Murphy.
The Australian raider, who has been handled brilliantly by Henry Dwyer, was a fine winner of the King Charles III at Royal Ascot, a race in which Regional was second and Big Evs back in third.
Asfoora is now 4lb better off with Big Evs, and while the latter reversed the form at Glorious Goodwood I suspect this more conventional track will suit the former much more. She won’t have seen many courses like Goodwood Down Under!
We open today with a handicap over a mile and a half.
WAFEI (1.50) could easily be a well handicapped horse for William Haggas and Billy Loughnane, who gets the ride due to the low weight.
The Wathnan runner has only had five races and ran well in defeat at Goodwood last time. He’s up 3lb for that but has an edge over some of these in that he seems to really like fast ground.
Up next is the Group 2 Lonsdale Cup over two miles and, with no Kyprios to worry about, this is a good chance for GREGORY (2.25) to get back to his best.
James Doyle rides the tip who went well when third in the Goodwood Cup.
He was also in the frame in the Great Voltigeur this time last year and has won a Listed race here, as well as being third in a Yorkshire Cup.
It looks mighty hard to crack the Gimcrack, a Group 2 over six furlongs.
I’ll go with the potential of SHADOW OF LIGHT (3.00). He was well backed when winning on debut and was strong in the market again under a penalty at Newmarket last time. Looks a promising colt.
I’d love to see Sir Michael Stoute get on the scoreboard, and his POWER OF DESTINY (4.10) is right in the mix for the fillies’ handicap over a mile and a quarter.
The lightly-raced three-year-old ran well at Goodwood last time and looks the ideal type to improve with time.
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