Weekend Review: Golden Goodwood

Our racing team discuss everything from Golden Horn to Glorious Goodwood in our latest racing review.

Postponed and Eagle Top provided a pulsating finish to the King George. Are they now both viable contenders for the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe?

Matt Brocklebank: Take nothing away from the winner who was the best horse on the day but I’m in no way surprised to see Sky Bet make Eagle Top 10/1 for the Arc and Postponed 16/1. Thankfully there were no hard luck stories to be told but if I’d backed the runner-up I would have been left rueing the fact he had to come past all bar Clever Cookie to mount his challenge from near the back of the field. That big sweeping move after turning into the straight was fairly impressive but it just appeared to take too much out of him and Frankie Dettori’s mount couldn’t complete the job against a very game winner. Of the two I prefer Eagle Top with the Arc in mind, but the form doesn’t look up to beating Treve, or even Jack Hobbs for that matter.

David John: Undoubtedly a gripping finish and having watched that little RUK feature all week on Grundy and Bustino, this was every bit as good. You can get 25s and 33s about either of the duo coming good in Paris on the first weekend of October and I think it is about right at this stage with at least two or three maybe too classy on the day. But both showed the tenacity and toughness that will be required if they line up at Longchamp and are a credit to connections on what they shown so far on the racetrack.

Ben Linfoot: No. The absence of Golden Horn gave the race a look of a good Group Two at best - it was basically the Hardwicke Stakes II - and I'd be staggered if either proved good enough to get in the first five at Longchamp. Treve, Jack Hobbs and Golden Horn have nothing to fear here.   

Archie Bannister: They have both earned the right to have a crack at Europe's biggest race and are worthy members of an already very good line-up. Whether either of them are really contenders I would have serious doubts. It has to go down as one of the weakest King George's in recent decades and any of the winners since the turn of the century would have licked their lips at the prospect of running in a King George such as the one we had on Saturday. Yet take nothing away from either of them, they provided a pulsating spectacle in the light of Golden Horn's withdrawal and took some of the spotlight away from the debacle that occurred in the race before, and for that I'm sure the Ascot stewards are very grateful. But no, I do not see either as viable contenders for an Arc and the likes of Treve, Jack Hobbs, New Bay and Free Eagle will not be losing any sleep following the King George. 

Would that ding-dong Ascot battle have been for the minor money had Golden Horn stood his ground, and what were your thoughts on the decision to pull him out?

MB: It’s very easy to jump to the conclusion that Golden Horn would have added the King George to his CV in light of the narrow winning margin and the fact third Romsdal and fourth Madame Chiang got to within six lengths of the action, but we’ll never know for sure. I suspect the fact John Gosden had a fine second-string in the field meant he wasn’t putting any pressure whatsoever on the Oppenheimers to run their unbeaten colt, who now heads to York for the Juddmonte International. It’ll be fascinating to see what happens if it comes up soft on the Knavesmire next month, or at Ascot on Champions Day, but that’s a debate for another day.

DJ: Golden Horn has never encountered going any slower than good in public so the decision to take him out of the race was probably the right one looking at the bigger picture. You can argue that perhaps it was a little less sporting than we have come to expect from these connections but although he has not conclusively proved he doesn’t handle soft ground, putting his unbeaten record on the line was just too much of a risk. Bear in mind as well that his owner was worried about him staying 12 furlongs at Epsom on fast ground then tackling the distance around Ascot under more testing conditions was probably not an option. Anyway, the game moves on and we don’t have long to wait until the Juddmonte International at York.

BL: My personal feeling is that Golden Horn would've won very easily had he been allowed to take his chance as he simply looks a cut above and would've received loads of weight had he been given the green light. I can see why connections pulled him out but the campaigning of top horses continues to frustrate, after all, neither Postponed nor Eagle Top had proven thesmelves on soft ground before either, though it was expected to suit the latter. It looks unlikely we'll see him as a four-year-old and if they're not going to roll the dice on soft ground we probably won't see him at Longchamp. It makes you appreciate the bold campaigns of Sea The Stars and Frankel who turned up for just about every dance and blew all their opponents away.

AB: The decision to pull him out for me is only acceptable should connections have ambition to run him later in the season in even greater prizes, such as the Arc. I would hope their decision was made on the basis that even if he won easily it would take plenty out of him and potentially ruin targets such as the Breeder's Cup or the Arc later in the year. Yet if he is only seen once or even twice more it would be disappointing that they seemingly bottled the chance to repeat a rare feat in doing the Derby-Eclipse-King George treble, especially given that if he's in the same league as the likes of Nashwan and Mill Reef he would likely have won by half the track against the opposition. I do think he would have won by a fair margin as on pre-race ratings Golden Horn would have to run well below his mark to be toppled by Postponed and hence it is fairly disappointing that he did not line up. 

Besharah, Sixth Sense and Recorder were three of the more exciting juvenile winners over the weekend. Could any of them develop into potential Classic contenders?

MB: Besharah put the Princess Margaret Juddmonte Stakes to bed in a matter of strides and was clearly a class apart but beating the Super Sprint seventh Great Page by three lengths is a world away from Classic potential and we’ll know far more about her long-term credentials when she faces a stronger field next time. She’s held in very high regard, though, and looked like another furlong would do no harm when only narrowly failing to overhaul Illuminate at Newmarket the time before.

DJ: All three put up pleasing-enough performances but none really float my boat for next year’s Classics to be honest. We are entering the time of the season when the picture in those respective markets start to clear a little and I will keep my powder dry until something really catches the eye.    

BL: All were relatively impressive in their own way but none of the trio appeal as a potential Classic bet at this stage. Perhaps Goodwood and York will throw up a more viable contender for the big ones next year.

AB: Besharah has to be the most impressive of the weekend and the most likely to be a Classic contender as she looked like any step up in trip would be in her favour. The way she travelled and picked up was in the style of a very good filly and she could be one to follow for the rest of the season and hier three year old campaign. Recorder is potentially exciting too and will also need to go up in trip to be seen at full potential. But he still has a long way to go to be considered a Classic contender. Sixth Sense was ultra-professional and won in typical Mark Johnston style, yet will likely be a fair bit short of classic class.

Which performance were you most impressed with on Saturday’s Sky Bet/Sporting Life-backed York card?

MB: David O’Meara continues to work wonders with his new recruits and Big Thunder dug deep for Danny Tudhope to make all in the two-mile handicap. He had obviously become well handicapped and will be in line for a fair rise in the weights but he looks sure to remain competitive now he’s rediscovered his old sparkle. He won’t be high enough in the handicap to get into the Ebor (his only entry at present) but there are more races to be won with him before the season’s out.

DJ: I thought that Chain Of Daisies was better value than her neck victory in the fillies’ handicap but it was actually Kevin Ryan’s juvenile newcomer Mohab on Friday evening at the Knavesmire who went into the notebook over the two days. He started to get the hang of what was required in the closing stages under Graham Lee and a couple of Group 2 entries in the autumn suggest he will not be a maiden beyond his next outing.  

BL: Tanzeel put up a superb performance to win the Sky Bet Dash and he's a worthy favourite for the Stewards' Cup on that evidence. He didn't strike me as another Muthmir before the race but he's clearly a sprinter that is going to end up competing in Pattern company.

AB: Salateen was hugely impressive off the front end in the 7f handicap. He was a good horse as a two year old and finally confirmed he is a force to be reckoned with off 96. The favourite Alejandro went with him off the front end but faded very tamely early on and that could illustrate the mean tempo he set and sustained throughout the race. He has the potential to go up in class and it would take a brave punter to go against him if he lines up in another handicap next time.

Whether it’s a punting strategy or a particular horse you’ve been waiting for, what’s your top tip for this week’s Glorious Goodwood?

MB: Front-runners are always worth close consideration at Goodwood, especially if there isn’t much competition for the lead. Mark Johnston’s liking for the meeting is no secret and he’ll have a stack of runners throughout the week but top-weight Fire Fighting looks to have been underestimated at 14/1 for the opening race on Tuesday and he’s well worth backing with Sky Bet, who are kindly refunding all losers on the race (up to £25).

DJ: Algar Lad still has an entry in the Stewards’ Cup next weekend and he could be a player at around the 33/1 mark if taking his chance. He was all dressed up with nowhere to go in the Sky Bet Dash at York on Saturday before running on inside the final furlong to finish a never-nearer sixth. Trainer David O’Meara is carrying all before him this season and has an interesting contender for another big sprint handicap.

BL: If you can minimise the hard-luck stories at Goodwood by backing well-drawn horses with prominent running styles then do so - if they are well-handicapped and overpriced go in again! They're hard to find and luck will play a part in plenty of races this week so I'll be having a few bets a day in the handicaps and one or two in the group races, such as the Sussex Stakes. It's a pity we won't be seeing Gleneagles but at least we can all have a go on Arod now with more confidence. His running style looks perfect for this track and I'm not convinced Solow should be so much shorter to beat him despite his wealth of Group One winning experience.

AB: I have a very speculative e/w tip for the Betfred Mile on the Friday. I'm still hoping he heads for the race but if he does I think that Jacob Black has the right profile for the race at a big price of around 25/1. He has climbed the weights considerably, but he was just beaten on the line two starts ago by Basem, who goes off favourite for this contest. Jacob Black has a profile i like for the race, he is tough and very game in front, battle hardened by previous handicap experience and i really think his front running tactics could be very effective in this race.