Watch And Learn: Graeme North timefigure analysis for Celebration Mile and more

"Though it would be great to see the clock put back a century, and to see a great string of racehorses trained again at Goodwood, this is but a remote hope of the future. For the present, Goodwood remains the most lovely racecourse in the country, and its solitary meeting one of the best of the year".

Much has changed at Goodwood as well as elsewhere since those words were written around 75 years ago, not least the number of fixtures the Sussex Downs track now hosts, but throw in some persistent heavy rain and a near gale-force wind and it quickly loses its summer appeal.

Indeed, four times in the last seven years and three in the last four the weekend’s feature event, the Celebration Mile, has taken place on ground Timeform called either ‘Soft’ or ‘Heavy’ in weather conditions more akin to what you expect at a major music Festival.

In fact The Who and Pink Floyd played at Goodwood’s near neighbour Plumpton Racecourse in 1969 which was the precursor to the modern-day Reading Festival.

Anyway, back to the racing and much like the weather on race day in recent years, the race itself was another disappointing renewal, run in a slow time, notably so compared to the two-year-old maiden that opened the card.

None of that will be of interest to the connections of the winner Zavateri who besides being the only three-year-old in the field was the only one too that had acquitted himself with credit at the top level this year and he ran out an easy winner by three-and-a-half lengths, probably at an advantage in being one of the three who raced closest to the stand rail but by some margin the best on the day anyway.

This was a considerably easier task than his previous two starts which had been in the Sussex Stakes (fifth behind Bow Echo when denied a clear run) and the Sky Bet City of York (looked unsuited by the drop to seven furlongs at such a fast track) and though he was helped by some of his rivals misfiring, he handed the quick turnaround from York with aplomb, always travelling fluently and before going clear in style.

Obviously, he’ll have to step up again to make a significant impact back up in Group 1 company, but he’s been building his form nicely this season, clearly handles soft ground very well and with some of the top milers absent for the rest of the season, may not have to improve much to be bang there in the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes on Champions Day.

The weather was at least better on the Sunday at Goodwood but the card again had a low-key feel to it, even featuring a seller straight after the big race, the Virgin Bet Prestige Fillies Stakes.

The Prestige featured plenty of runners open to improvement – six of the eight went into the race with a p attached to their Timeform rating – but as so often in these races proven form trumped potential with the first two places filled by those that didn’t.

The race was won by the form pick Light of Dawn who had finished third behind subsequent Group winners Libertango and Sun Goddess in the Albany before finishing third last time out in France behind the subsequent Prix Morny third Kosuma.

The step up to seven furlongs seemed to help the winner, who came home in a rather ordinary 88 timefigure, but the eyecatcher from the race was third-placed Coaxed who had given her sire Baaeed his first domestic winner when successful at Kempton earlier in the month but who paid for lack of experience here, vulnerable late on after running the fastest time from the four-furlong marker to the two-furlong marker. Her family are well known for handling the mud, so she might well be set for a profitable autumn but looks one to follow next year in any case.

Dynasty delivers top timefigure at Sandown

With the Sky Bet Ebor Festival out of the way, the quality of racing across last week both here and in Ireland was largely second rate and timefigures followed that trend too, with only one of the eight Group races contested pulling in a winning timefigure in excess of 100.

That race was the Group 3 BetMGM Atalanta Stakes, one of two Group races on the Sandown Saturday card, and it went to Northern raider Love Dynasty in 105, the time a good one for all the field finished quite well bunched at the line.

Moon Target and Kon Tiki looked the form picks but only the former of that duo gave her running, or just about, leaving the winner to spring something of a surprise in a tight finish, understandably though given that for all she is five this was only her seventh race.

Strong at the finish over a testing mile in soft ground (she’d won under conditions Timeform had called even softer in both 2023 and 2024) she’s had one try at a mile-and-a-quarter but that was back in April on her reappearance and now might be the time to try her at it being by Dubawi out of a Galileo mare. Whatever, she looks one to keep onside if conditions come up heavy this autumn.

The other group race, the BetMGM Solario Stakes, went to Ed Walker’s Alfred Wallace in an ordinary 84. Once again, proven form proved too formidable for potential with the winner having been on the go since the spring, winning the Listed Pat Eddery Stakes at Ascot in July before acquitting himself well in the Acomb last time, and he proved just good enough in what looks a slightly substandard renewal.

Runner-up Dover Street and third-placed Breacher both look open to improvement, particularly the third who is very highly regarded by his trainer William Muir (best he has trained, reportedly) and would probably have won by some margin it seemed to me had the race been over an extra furlong and run at a stronger pace. By Cracksman, he’d be an interesting runner in the Zetland Stakes at the end of the year.

The Sandown card did at least produce the best timefigure of the week, with Kokbastau posting 110 in the handicap over a mile-and-a-quarter. One of three three-year-olds in a strong-looking handicap, he was running off a mark of 102, 14lb higher than when winning his previous contest at Kempton by five lengths 17 days previously, but made light of it despite a drop back down in trip and return to turf, clearly improving in leaps and bounds and completing a hat-trick that started in July with a lot more in hand than the bare margin suggests too, denied a run under two furlongs out until squeezing through a gap in the final hundred yards, finding plenty to lead late on.

This run underlines previous impressions that he's Group class, though the eight three-year-olds before him since 2020 that have won handicaps off a mark of 102 or higher have had mixed results when stepping up in grade; Bay Bridge who won at York off a mark of 105 in 2021 (and defying a 15lb hike in his mark, much like Kokbastau) went on to win the QIPCO Champion Stakes the following season but only Siskany of the others won in Group 2 company and then only in the United States.

Up at Beverley, Sunday’s card featured the William Hill Beverley Bullet which is arguably the track’s feature race of the season, at least amongst older horses, but the field was composed of its usual mix of high-end handicappers and those stepping down from pattern company in what looked no more than an average running with the race going the way of form pick JM Jungle who looked vulnerable with more than a furlong to go but showed a good attitude to get the better eventually of the three-year-old filly Argentine Tango, albeit in a slow time that stacked up poorly in comparison to the two other five-furlong races on the same card.

British raider best on the clock at the Curragh

There were three Group races on Curragh’s Saturday card but once again disappointingly little stood out on the clock. The best figure of the trio was posted by the Gosdens' Miss Scott in the Snow Fairy Fillies’ Stakes, passing the post in 98, though a three-and-a-half length defeat of the 112-rated Faiyum and 105-rated Sindria on the face of it makes her Group 2 level, which she might well be given this was only her fifth race and she’s clearly on an upward trajectory, her win rather confirming suspicions from last time out (confirmed by the sectional upgrades) that she was unfortunate to get beaten by the front-running On Message in a listed race at Salisbury.

Jim Bolger’s Sea Of Rain won the Newtownanner Stud Irish European Breeders Fund Stakes over a mile, worth another 3lb over the next three home than the bare result albeit the winning timefigure was just 91, while the Heider Family Stables Round Tower Stakes over six furlongs saw something of an upset with odds-on favourite Great Barrier Reef denied by a neck by Push The Boat Out who’d won nicely over course and distance under faster conditions here earlier in the month.

He’s rumoured to be supplemented for the Middle Park but his winning time was slow, reading poorly compared to the lowly three-year handicap that ended the card, and he’ll need to improve a good deal to be up to that level.

More from Graeme North

• Item has more to offer up in trip
• Coppull not truly tested at seven
• Stars shine bright at Goodwood

More from Sporting Life

• Free bets
• Racecards
• Fast results
• Full results and free video replays
• Horse racing news
• Horse racing tips
• Horse racing features
• Download our free iOS and Android app
• Football and other sports tips
• Podcasts and video content

Safer gambling

We are committed in our support of safer gambling. Recommended bets are advised to over-18s and we strongly encourage readers to wager only what they can afford to lose.al

If you are concerned about your gambling, please call the National Gambling Helpline / GamCare on 0808 8020 133.

Further support and information can be found at begambleaware.org and gamblingtherapy.org.