Andrew Asquith has two selections on the final day of Glorious Goodwood.
The Verdict: Saturday August 1
1pt win Sing Us A Song in 13:50 Goodwood at 6/1 (William Hill, Betfred, Ladbrokes, BetVictor, Coral)
1pt e.w. Annaf in 15:35 Goodwood at 16/1 (bet365, Betfred, Coral 1/5 1,2,3,4,5,6)
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John & Thady Gosden have won the Highclere Castle Gin Summer Handicap with the likes of Trawlerman and Sweet William in the past and they will be hoping Valedictory can scale similar heights as his stablemate in the future.
However, I’m a big fan of SING US A SONG and I feel he has even more to offer at this trip. He beat the very promising Klassleader on his first try at a mile and three quarters at Haydock last season, relishing the extra emphasis on stamina and looking a handicapper to follow.
Sing Us A Song wasn’t knocked about on his return over a mile and a half at Epsom in April, finishing third to the rock-solid Night Breeze but leaving the impression that race was being used to set him up for a bigger target.
Klassleader reversed the form with him next time in a typically useful handicap at York in May, though he once again wasn’t unduly punished once he was headed over two furlongs out.
He was strong in the betting for the ultra-competitive Copper Horse at Royal Ascot last time and I thought he shaped particularly well, up with the true pace throughout and sticking to his task in the straight, snatched up close home which halted his momentum, but he was still coming back at the line under a hand ride.
Sing Us A Song would have likely finished third without suffering interference and I think his prominent racing style will be seen to better effect at this track. He races from the same mark now, which remains a lenient one, and I’m almost certain we haven’t yet seen the best of him on just his third start at this trip.
It’s another ferociously competitive renewal of the Coral Stewards’ Cup, but the one horse who I think is coming to the boil nicely is the Mick Appleby-trained ANNAF.
He was highly tried in pattern company last season, his only start in a handicap actually coming in this race where he shaped quite a bit better than the bare result implies, meeting trouble in the final furlong when making headway and unable to recover.
Annaf would have finished much closer barring that interference, possibly could have even made the frame, and that came from a mark 7lb higher than his current one. He did get his day in the sun when beating the very likeable Apollo One in the Group 3 Bengough Stakes at Ascot on his final start last season, however, proving he’s a smart sprinter.
Indeed, he’s taken a while to come to hand this year, but his last two runs have been most encouraging, taking a big step back in the right direction when third to Tuco Salamanca in a competitive handicap at Newcastle at the end of June and confirming that return to form dropped to five furlongs at Ascot three weeks ago.
He again travelled with plenty of verve back over the minimum trip, ridden patiently and his jockey not really going for everything, but he made eye-catching progress when an opening appeared in the final furlong to be never nearer than at the finish.
That race was won by Dubai Bling and he finished behind some others that also reoppose here, but he has a pull in the weights now, and it wouldn’t be a surprise if he’s been laid out for this.
There appears to be a fair bit of pace drawn in the lower numbers, so his draw doesn’t bother me too much, and his last win in a handicap came in the Portland at Doncaster from 106, so he is attractively weighted for one who is signalling he’s on his way back to his best.
Published at 15:30 BST on 31/07/26
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