The pick of the prices on Day 1 at Glorious Goodwood....

Monday, 29th July 2024

The pick of the prices on Day 1 at Glorious Goodwood….

Whoop whoop!

Tomorrow is Day 1 at Glorious Goodwood….

…. we’ve got an entire week of top-drawer racing action to look forward to….

…. and it doesn’t get much better than that….

Regular readers will know that I go out with my picks 24-hours ahead of the action….

…. in an effort to bag the best of the prices in the big handicaps that this column habitually targets….

Tomorrow afternoon we’ve got….

…. the Chesterfield Cup (1.50) over the 10f trip….

…. and the Coral Racing Club Handicap (4.10) over the 5f trip….

Let’s crack on….

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In the Chesterfield Cup – 1.50….

BYSTANDER is the pick of the prices for this one at this morning’s general 10s & 9s….

Karl Burke’s 4yo has only had eight races under rules….

…. and his best work to date – no doubt – has been produced on the AW where his record reads three from five….

Fair enough….

…. but I wouldn’t be nailing him down as a synthetic specialist just yet….

Yes he bombed out in two of his three turf assignments to date….

…. but those performances were both delivered on soft ground which doesn’t appear to suit….

The one time he got a decent surface in May at Newmarket in a mile handicap….

…. he ran a good race – finishing 4/16 and beaten 1.75 lengths….

It wasn’t a bad race either – featuring subsequent Bunbury Cup winner Aalto and next-time-out Zetland winner Arthur’s Realm….

If he highlighted anything that day it was that 10f on decent ground might be the combination of variables that sees him to best effect….

…. and that’s pretty much what he’ll get tomorrow at Goodwood….

I know the going at the track is good to soft this morning but the forecast is for unrelenting sunshine all the way to post time….

…. and the track – sitting atop the chalk South Downs – drains quickly….

I think conditions will be perfect for Bystander by the time the stalls open….

He’s a fair bet at a fair price….

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In the Coral Racing Club Handicap – 4.10….

I’m having a swing of the bat in this one and backing TATTERSTALL who looks overpriced to my eyes at the general 16s (there is a bit of 20s about)….

He’s got a bit about him – he won the valuable Dash for 3yos at Epsom last year before his form dropped off….

He ended up having a wind operation at the back end of the season and his form has picked up again this term….

Of course, he’s only been running in much lesser races than this one tomorrow….

…. and he’s 5lb higher than he was when winning that big race at Epsom last term....

…. owing to the fact that the handicapper was pretty strict after he won at Catterick the time before last….

He only took £5k home that day….

…. and whilst the market appears to be making the case that he’s too high on the ladder….

…. I just don’t buy into the idea that canny old Michael Dods would blow the mark on this 4yo for what – in handicapping terms – amounts to chickenfeed….

This is his one runner at the track tomorrow….

…. Connor Beasley is back in the plate….

…. There not much pace in the race and he might just get the chance to dictate the early fractions….

…. his performance at Epsom suggests he’ll handle the up and down topography at Goodwood….

…. he carries a nice racing weight….

…. and he’ll enjoy what should be a decent surface….

Dods is a dab hand when it comes to developing sprinters….

…. this one is in good heart right now….

…. and could well take another step forward tomorrow….

There’s a lot to like at the price and he can go deeper than the market anticipates….

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That’s all for today….

I’ll be back tomorrow with my picks for Day 2 at Glorious Goodwood….

Win, lose or draw – enjoy the racing….

Stay tuned….

Against the Crowd