The Penultimate Day of Glorious Goodwood

Will we see super impressive 2 year old Emotionless bounce back on Friday?

It's onto the penultimate day of the Glorious Goodwood festival and another decent day of action.  Day three was frustrating with two selections second and one third, close but no cigar. We open the card with a competitive looking group three event in which you could make the case for a number of these. Scottish comes here off the back of an impressive win last time out, and he is the highest rated horse in the field. You could argue, however, that that tag should belong to King's Fete, Sir Michael Stoute's charge who missed the whole of 2015 and then was very unlucky to only finish third in a hot handicap, a neck behind Elite Army receiving weight as well, albeit just 1 pound. He has run well at Goodwood before, finishing 2nd over C&D in 2014, so the track should pose no problems and with the services of Ryan Moore on top I expect King's Fete to go very close in the opener of day 4.

We then move on to a tremendously interesting mile race, where super impressive 2 year old Emotionless rocks up after a reappearance run in the St James' Palace stakes at Ascot the last day. He is clearly still really well thought of at home to be given such a still task on reappearance, however I remember that day that connections were very keen to stress the horse would come on for the run. Indeed, Cymric finished well ahead of Emotionless that day and I suppose at the prices Emotionless is too short. He was such a special 2 year old however that I'm going to hope that Charlie Appleby has managed to get plenty of work into him since then, and with first time headgear also on a small win bet on Emotionless is the play here. 

I'm going to take a watching brief today with regards to the future with the Hugo Palmer trained They Seek Him Here. Now, after all I've said about Emotionless needing his reappearance run i'm weighing in with another long time absentee, a horse who has been off the track almost a year. However, this horse is an absolutely gorgeous horse.He is bred to be a much better three-year-old than two-year-old, so I am more than hopeful that he will have trained on. It is a bit concerning to have not seen him so far this year, but Hugo is a top trainer and a patient one and this horse could well develop into a St Leger horse by the end of the season. Even if you don't back a horse in this race, watch the run of They Seek Him Here and consider him for future assignments, with this run under his belt.

If we were hoping things became a little easier from there on in, well sadly they don't! The Betfred mile is a difficult looking race, the market made by Franklin D, ridden by Ryan Moore, who has secured the plum inside draw. However the price is now plenty skinny enough at 7/2, even allowing for how impressive he was last time out, as we've seen already this week luck in running is vital at this track. Instead I'm going for the more attractively priced Boomshackerlacker at 20/1, a horse who has good form over 7 furlongs and a mile, so will have tactical speed if required to get out of a pocket. George Baker had the winner of this race the last year so knows what is required to win this and Boomshackerlacker hasn't done badly with the draw, a berth is stall 8 decent enough. He runs off a mark of 100, 3 lbs higher than his win last time out, but I like a horse in form for these races and he looks a solid e/w bet.

In the 5 furlong sprint, the King George Stakes, I'm keen on Cotai Glory who will very much appreciate the return to 5 furlongs here having been tried over 6 furlongs the last day. All his best form is over the 5 furlong trip, he has finished 2nd twice in some really hot spring races this season, and George Baker gets on really well with him. Cotai Glory is very much my horse for the King George sprint, but Jungle Cat is also worthy of a mention. He too has run some very nice races this season and did actually win over in Meydan in January. Again unsuited I feel by the step up to 6 furlongs last time out, coming back to 5 furlongs will see him in much better light and if allowed two against the field Jungle Cat would be the 2nd selection.

I'll be taking a watching brief in the next two races on the card and come back otu of the shadows in time for the 5.30, the closing race on the card over 1 mile 3 furlongs. Here I want to be with Diamond Geyser for Luca Cumani, a dab hand at winning handicap races with progressive three year olds. This horse was beaten into 2nd the last day by a well handicapped horse I feel, and prior to that he had won his maiden over 12 furlongs. He steps back in trip here but I think his progressive profile will mean he could still be ahead of his mark and I'll side with Diamond Geyser in the closer.

Many thanks for reading and I'll be back for Saturday at Goodwood, home of the Stewards Cup.