Mike Cattermole previews day four of Glorious Goodwood
Check out our columnist's preview of this afternoon's feature action with Heartache taken as a value alternative to Battaash.
BATTAASH is going to be a banker of many to follow up his win in the King George Qatar Stakes at Goodwood on day four but, knowing that he can be his own worst enemy, should we be rushing in to take the odds?
Well, not me anyway. I am a big fan of Battaash and he took the breath away when blasting home in the Prix de l’Abbaye at Chantilly last October and was also very good when winning here last summer.
He has done just all right this year though, without showing his brilliance, gaining a hard-fought win at Haydock in the Temple Stakes before going down to Blue Point in the King’s Stand at Royal Ascot.
He needs to settle down both in the preliminaries and in the race itself if he is to regain his best form. Who knows, he might manage that but I would prefer to look elsewhere and in Heartache we have another 5f specialist who looks a great each-way bet at around 16-1.
Clive Cox’s filly won the Queen Mary at Royal Ascot as a two-year-old and was found to have pulled muscles behind when third in the Prix Robert Papin.
She was back to her best when getting the better of a fine duel with Havana Grey, by half a length, in the Flying Childers at Doncaster and is now 3lb better with Karl Burke’s colt who warmed up for this with a fine win in a Group 2 at the Curragh against some smart older sprinters.
Heartache, meanwhile, has tried her hand at six furlongs this year and she ran well – and travelled very well - for a long way in the Commonwealth Cup before fading into seventh behind Eqtidaar (Main Desire disappointing in 19th).
She doesn’t seem to stay and is worth a chance to show that a fast five suits her best.
As always, luck in running is going to play a huge part in the outcome to the 22-runner Unibet Golden Mile, a race won 12 months ago by Master The World who had also finished second in 2016.
Basically, he knows what it takes in this and with a nice draw in nine and being only 3lb higher than last year, David Elsworth’s grey (who was awarded the Winter Derby by the stewards back in February) ought to make his presence felt.
The trainer would have been thinking of this race for some time, you would imagine.
The opening Bombay Sapphire Glorious Stakes is a real puzzle and tight to call.
Second Step, a course and distance winner, found only Poet’s Word too good 12 months ago and there is nothing of his calibre in this year’s line-up. That said, he is not getting any younger at seven.
Red Verdon has been running well and wasn’t disgraced when chasing home Crystal Ocean in an uncompetitive Hardwice Stakes, while Eminent would win this on his best form of last year but has not looked the same horse at all this year.
It might be an opportunity for Mirage Dancer, a course and distance winner in May, who may be able to dictate things to his liking here after trying those forcing tactics when beaten half a length by Best Solution in the Princess of Wales’s Stakes at Newmarket.
The Bonhams Thoroughbred Stakes is for those three-year-old milers not considered good enough for the Sussex Stakes.
Mark Johnston will not be taking Threading anywhere near Newmarket again after she flopped for the third time at the venue in the Falmouth Stakes last month.
But she had made a winning debut here at this meeting 12 months ago and won the Lowther Stakes at York afterwards. She was really impressive back at York in May in Listed company and wasn’t disgraced when second in the Coronation Stakes at Royal Ascot last time behind outstanding runaway winner Alpha Centauri.
Behind her in third was Veracious who ran a creditable third in Thursday’s Nassau Stakes and Threading should take some beating.
SELECTIONS:
1.50 MIRAGE DANCER, 2.25 THREADING, 3.00 MASTER THE WORLD, 3.35 HEARTACHE (EW)
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