SECOND GOODWOOD BANKER AFTER 5-2 WINNER: Masamah (WON 4-1) kept Daqman afloat yesterday, as did earlier winners at 20-1 and 8-1 (from 20.0), but he has yet to repeat his first-day Goodwood success with banker Strong Suit (WON 5-2) and Namibian (WON 7-1). Today sees a second banker.
40-1 BIG-RACE OUTSIDERS: Daqman also digs out of the myths about the draw 46.0 and 41.0 bets in the big handicap. You’ll find him hunting up more amazing Betdaq value in tomorrow’s Stewards’ Sprint and Stewards’ Cup.
2.00 Goodwood: Redwood has been aimed at this repeat bid all season: his seconds to Mastery and Rewilding suggest he is a Group-1 horse in a Group-3 race here. Redwood was beaten at Royal Ascot but was second in the same event last year, too, before winning this one.
Harris Tweed, whose keen-running style has brought him success at Chester, is expected to lead from stall 3, but his winning form is only Listed, and on soft ground at that. Similarly, Drunken Sailor: he’ll be helped by the fast pace and Luca Cumani has won the race five times but I doubt he’ll get enough rain.
Campanologist could go well on a going day, with Frankie Dettori flying yesterday, and Jukebox Jury can pester Harris Tweed up front, but both have been beaten in the last 14 months by Redwood, whose trainer, Barry Hills, had a double on this card last season.
2.35 Goodwood My first-day banker Strong Suit might have been overhauled in another furlong by Western Aristocrat in the Group-3 Jersey Stakes at Royal Ascot (7f): this drop to Listed, upped to a mile, seems perfect for him.
Neebras has been highly tried, held up in Group-1s (good effort behind Frankel), and would do well to return to the keener tactics used at Newmarket (won Listed) and Sandown: but he was behind Strong Suit at Chantilly and he was beaten at Sandown by Tazahum, though has 4lb on better ground with which to turn around a length and a half and a neck.
3.10 Goodwood The Press is extolling the low draw (eight straight winners from stalls 1 to 4) but, in fact, that was the outside draw until this year and only goes to show the traffic jams caused on the inside rail, as runners drawn wide came across (watch the replays). High numbers on the inside rail nearly always won it before that freak run.
Confront (41.0 this morning on the Daq) is the one likely to charge across after the first furlong: pacesetter for Workforce in the Eclipse, he won at York (furlong more than this) in his own right. Highland Knight (17.5) is another I expect to see come across and kick on.
Unlucky with the draw at Ascot and taken to the wrong side at Newmarket, Mont Agel (46.0) could recover his York form of the Dante meeting (beat Dance And Dance)
Green Destiny wriggled out of trouble twice, ‘not clear run’ or having to switch, at Newmarket and York; don’t worry if he flashes his tail: he’s only saying ‘I know how to win; put the wretched stick down, you wally!’
3.45 Goodwood Here’s the banker, Harbour Watch. Richard Hannon has won the last three runnings of this Richmond Stakes, and rates this one better than last year’s winner, Dick Turpin. Yes, really.
His Newmarket winning time was slow but that was because it was a race of dossers and, when he was asked to renew his effort, and put the dossers to sleep, he stormed nearly five lengths clear with an electric burst.
4.20 Goodwood Hannon again has a major chance with the rails-drawn duo, Lord Of The Shadows and Glee, but, with Richard Hills claimed for Mabroor, Silvestre De Sousa is free to ride off a light weight on West Leake Hare (8.0 on the Daq, as I write) who, like that pair of top-weights, has Group-race entries. ‘Chucked in’ says my ratings anorak.
DAQMAN’S BETS
BET 7.4pts win REDWOOD (2.00 Goodwood)
BET 12.5pts win WESTERN ARISTOCRAT (2.35 Goodwood)
WIN-40 JACKPOT: 2.4pts win HIGHLAND KNIGHT, 1pt win and place CONFRONT, 0.8pts win and 1pt place MONT AGEL, plus 2.2pts win (stakes saver) GREEN DESTINY (3.10 Goodwood)
BANKER: BET 20pts win HARBOUR WATCH (3.45 Goodwood)
BET 2.8pts win WEST LEAKE HARE (4.20 Goodwood)
