IF THERE is one handicap which deserves the title of the toughest conundrum of the year, then it surely has to be the Coral Stewards’ Cup (Goodwood, 3.35).
There will be 28 horses thundering across the Sussex Downs and, with the draw being so important, I will be having two selections at double figure prices to play with.
First up, DARK THIRTY and a massive 40/1 in places, some bookmakers will be offering up to eight places. He has been running over seven furlongs (once at a mile) and only run over this trip once in five starts in 2024.
That run came at Newmarket in April, when he beat Baldomero and 16 other rivals off a mark of 93. His last four runs over seven furlongs have told us that a rapidly run six furlongs is his optimum set-up, and following those defeats he has now been knocked down to a rating of 95.
What I want to see is Sean Levey not blast off too hard, and save a bit up his sleeve for the final climb. If he does, I expect him to finish in the top six and go close to grabbing this historical prize.
My other play is RUMSTAR, a course and distance winner back in July 2022 in the nursery handicap on fast ground at this meeting, he has since been racing off marks in three figures with a career best fifth of 13 behind Shaquille in last year’s Group One Commonwealth Cup at Royal Ascot.
A good second to Lethal Levi at Newbury saw him go off at 15/2 for the Wokingham Handicap this year, but after racing prominently away from the main action he disappointingly faded to finish second last.
He was to an extent racing away from the main action on the far side and like our other selection possibly needs to be ridden further back as a presser rather than see too much daylight.
Of the remainder of the runners, I have the most respect for Mostabshir, racing for the first time over six furlongs, and Richard Fahey’s Strike Red.
Caius Chorister takes a drop in grade for the Group Two Qatar Lillie Langtry Stakes at 3.00 and at around 5/1 will certainly have plenty of support to land a seventh career win, but at much bigger odds I am rather sweet on the claims of SUMO SAM.
Following a poor run in soft ground here in May over a mile and a half, this daughter of Nathaniel returns following a wind operation and back to her best trip and with a bit of rain in the air she could outrun her current odds of around 16/1.
Elsewhere on the card, the nine furlong handicap, which traditionally ends the meeting at 5.20, is always massively competitive, and I have a strong feeling that we will get a huge run from the three-year-old NATIVE WARRIOR.
He was strongly fancied by the Karl Burke yard for the Britannia Handicap at Royal Ascot and ran an absolute cracker to finish third of the 29 runners behind Mickley. This extra furlong should be a plus for this son of Wootton Bassett and should give James Doyle a nice ride here.
Away from the Glorious Goodwood meeting, the penultimate day of the Galway Festival takes place and I have been waiting to see TOTO TOO (2.30) turn out again, and he is entered in the two-and-three-quarter mile handicap hurdle.
He looked set for victory on his last start at the back end of May at Ballinrobe until he was brought down at the second last. Gavin Cromwell has given his charge plenty of time to get over that tumble and with the stable in grand form and set to race off the same mark of 132 he can take care of hat-trick seeking Bardenstown Lad and Kilbeggan winner The Wallpark.
Later on, BOUTELLA looks very interesting in the seven furlong nursery handicap at 4.15. The filly was a huge eye-catcher for me when making late headway after a far from clear passage when eighth of 13 in a maiden at Fairyhouse.
An opening handicap mark of 65 looks fair, and she gets the vote over the likes of top weight Elzem and Lady O.
The Lister Chalice Stakes (2.40) is the feature event at Newmarket and I think it will be very hard to beat PERSIST, who we have yet to see the best of. George Boughey’s filly ran well in a Group Three at Vichy first time out, keeping on nicely in the rear, and I fully expect this extra quarter of a mile will be right up her street.
Later on, USUARIO AMIGO (3.50) can make up for a moderate run at Lingfield Park last time out when he was a well backed favourite, but threw his chance away from the start when he raced very freely under Kevin Stott and simply had nothing more to give from fully a quarter of a mile out.
There are a couple of competitive handicaps in the middle of the Thirsk card this afternoon, and I think we will get big runs out of KHABIB (3.20) and top weight AWAAL in the mile event at 4.30.
The last named has been given some tough tasks of late but with Sean D Bowen taking a valuable 3lbs off his back, he is set to run from a mark of 97 and any forecast showers will be hugely in his favour.
