Horses to follow: Trackside Live team with horses for My Stable

Brosay (Paul Attwater)

• 31st July - Goodwood - 5f Buccellati Handicap

Backing hold-up sprinters ought to come with a wealth warning, like the sort they put on the front of a packet of fags. “Continually punting this horse can seriously damage your wallet.” Or something like that. And Brosay fits beautifully into that category, yet like any addicted puffer, I’ll be going back for another drag on him this autumn.

After a couple of solid placings in the spring, he had a little break and came back to run well enough in the ever-competitive Palaceofholyroodhouse Handicap at Royal Ascot to think he’d be up to winning more races this term. He did nothing but back up that impression when sixth at Southwell next time, getting no luck in the run at all and finishing with running left as he finished sixth and you might have well have written the same script for him at Goodwood on Thursday as he travelled sweetly at the back of the pack, got no run until late, and then cut through them like a knife through butter. Sixth, again.

Given a liking for softer conditions, you’d love to think there’s a big-field handicap in him once it drops right. Which it surely will, at some point.

Fifth Column (John & Thady Gosden)

• 1st August - Goodwood - 1m Handicap Coral Golden Mile

Pick of the paddock for the Golden Mile was Fifth Column, who looked tuned to the minute for this, fit as a fiddle, an excellent shine to his coat and he took the preliminaries really well, nothing but positive signs. He raced prominently throughout and looked set to throw down a challenge at the two-furlong pole, but whether the sticky ground blunted his speed or whether he wasn’t particularly happy on Goodwood’s rollercoaster undulations he couldn’t muster the necessary effort to go through with that effort and he was a beaten horse as others crowded him out at the furlong pole. Nevertheless, he wasn’t beaten far, just three lengths, and we saw more than enough to think he’s still in good form.

Essentially watch for him back on a more conventional track next time; we know he can operate at the likes of Newmarket and Ascot, and maybe York later in the month would be an opportunity for him to bounce straight back, as he’s got an entry in the Clipper; a good draw there and he could be back in business.

Spinning Lizzie (Dr Richard Newland and Jamie Insole)

• 31 July – Goodwood - Phase Eight Nursery Handicap

It was a good week for the Dr Richard Newland and Jamie Insole team with Witness Stand’s victory in the Lennox Stakes, and they appear to have another capable performer on their hands in the form of nursery second Spinning Lizzie.

A smart, rib-fit filly, she was straight forward in preliminaries so it was a surprise to see her rear at the start, losing a few lengths under Kieran Shoemark. She still looked to showing signs of inexperience in the closing stages, hanging right when making a challenge but ultimately only beaten a neck by the worldly wise Sir Albert.

Connections clearly think plenty of her and whilst we’re probably not in the ‘she could be a Guineas filly for next year’ camp as Jamie Insole in his post-race comments, this is a filly capable of minor Black Type honours before the end of the season.

Palmeira (Eve Johnson Houghton)

• 30 July – Goodwood - British Stallion Studs EBF Alice Keppel Fillies' Conditions Stakes

The 80/1 available for Eve Johnson Houghton’s Palmeira felt a little unfair to the filly, given her appearance in the paddock. Small and compact, she was clearly fit for the day and the yard were having a positive week with results - plus she was wearing first time tongue-tie and cheekpieces, which were causing no ill-effects in the preliminaries. It was understandable that connections had reached for headgear given the filly’s keen racing style in her previous four starts, where she’d finished behind useful performers such as Nandita and Comical Point.

It’s difficult to know if the headgear made a difference, as Palmeira was slow out of the stalls and hampered by stall neighbour Temple Of Athena diving left, leaving her at the rear of the field. She made headway with a furlong to run and produced a promising late run to finish four-and-a-half lengths in fourth - a considerable step up on previous form. A maiden win is surely next on the agenda and it could be a watching brief to see if the headgear has really helped with settling the filly.

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