Scanning the early ante-post prices for Glorious Goodwood in nine days’ time and it looks like a lot of favourites will be difficult to oppose.
The first banker of the week appears to be ILLINOIS (5/6, bet365) in the Goodwood Cup.
With no Trawlerman in the field, this seems to be there for the taking for Aidan O’Brien’s four-year-old.
Illinois travelled into the Ascot Gold Cup in stylish manner buy was outstayed in the end by a more experienced rival in Trawlerman.
The drop in trip back to the bare two miles appears to be a huge positive for Illinois.
He holds Sweet William on Ascot running and the sole danger looks to be the equally progressive French Master, who took out the Copper Horse Handicap in good style.
Illinois (purple) was beaten by Trawlerman in the Ascot Gold Cup but can win at Goodwood
Field Of Gold is hailed in the Royal Ascot parade ring and will be a short price at Goodwood
Trainer Aidan O’Brien holds a good hand in the Nassau Stakes where Bedtime Story has a chance
But this is a much deeper race and takes on a tough rival in Illinois.
Favourites have a good record in the Goodwood Cup, with six of the last seven going in. Illinois looks poised to enhance that record and while 5/6 is no gimme there’s a case to be made that he ought to be shorter.
Illinois can be joined in the multis with the peerless FIELD OF GOLD (4/7, William Hill) a day later in the Sussex Stakes.
John and Thady Gosden’s three-year-old was unlucky in the Guineas but won the Irish equivalent and the St James’s Palace Stakes in good style. Connections sensibly swerved the Eclipse to freshen him up for this and it will be very difficult for Rosallion to give Field Of Gold weight.
On official ratings, Field Of Gold is 1lb superior to Rosallion but the three-year-old receives eight pounds from their elders. A tough task has just got even tougher.
Field Of Gold showed plenty of speed in the St James’s Palace Stakes and it’s understandable why the Gosdens are keeping him at a mile for now.
Henri Matisse has three and a half lengths to find on Royal Ascot form, while Queen Anne one-two Docklands and Rosallion are probably bigger dangers.
However, they have their work cut out in giving Field Of Gold weight. Again, odds of 4-7 are prohibitive but it’s not hard to envisage him going off even shorter than that.
Asfoora cools down and should have had enough time to climatise ahead of the King George
It’s the feature race on day three where a warm favourite can be opposed.
Whirl is a tough filly but she’s had two hard races from the front against Minnie Hauk in the Oaks and Kalpana in the Pretty Polly Stakes. 2-1 seems short enough.
See The Fire is interesting but it wasn’t really the plan to go to Royal Ascot and was beaten in this last year by a fellow three-year-old. She’s improved subsequently but all her best performances have been at York.
We have yet to see the best of BEDTIME STORY (8-1, bet365) but she’s always given the impression that the Nassau Stakes is for her. A 10-furlong test with the emphasis on speed looks right up her alley.
O’Brien’s three-year-old filly has been unlucky in her two Classic runs over in France this season. She made late gains in the French Guineas when she probably needed the run. The wide draw was her undoing in Chantilly when running a mighty race in second in the French Oaks.
There was strong money for her that day and Bedtime Story has shown indications that she’s back to her very best. The impression she left at the Chesham Stakes at last year’s Royal Ascot is still burned into the mind of many.
Not a lot has gone right since but perhaps she can make up for lost time and cause a mini surprise at Goodwood in what could be the race of the meeting.
The sprinters take centre stage on the Friday and it is little surprise that ASFOORA (5-2, William Hill) heads the market.
The sprinter from Australia ran with credit when fifth to American Affair in the King Charles III Stakes at Royal Ascot, a race she won last year.
She went to the royal meeting this year without a prep run and that probably told for Asfoora. She ought to be sharper for the King George at Goodwood where she lost out by a head to Big Mojo.
Minnie Hauk whooshes past Wemightakedlongway to win the Irish Oaks at the Curragh
They reoppose again but Asfoora also had a penalty to contend with last year. She was conceding 5lb to Big Mojo last year but they’ll compete off levels here.
In an open division on the home front, Henry Dwyer’s Aussie raider is fancied here to improve on her Ascot effort and take the spoils at Goodwood.
PERFORMANCE OF THE WEEK…
She was made to work very hard to complete the Epsom and Irish Oaks double… but MINNIE HAUK was able to run down Wemightakedlongway to win at the Curragh.
Ryan Moore was always in control and her superior staying power sealed victory at odds of 2-11 by around a length.
There was a fleeting moment of concern around the bend but Minnie Hauk got organised down the home straight and despite taking some time to reach the runner-up she pulled away nicely.
Stamina is definitely her forte and it’ll be interesting to see whether the keep Minnie Hauk over a mile and a half or eye up a St Leger with the fillies’ allowance.
The former looks the more obvious way to go, with races such as the Yorkshire Oaks and the Arc on the agenda.
