1.50 Goodwood – Phantom Flight (Win)
Cases can be made for all of the five runners, but Phantom Flight might be the way to go. There isn’t much pace on in here, and he could get a solo out in front. The last time we saw him, he won a Listed race at Newbury, and he led from start to finish. His trainer George Scott has worked wonders with Isle Of Jura, whom he transformed into a Royal Ascot for the same connections, and maybe he can do the same with this son of Siyouni.
2.25 Goodwood – Align The Stars (Win)
It’s interesting to see that connections of Align The Stars have decided to come instead of running in the Gordon Stakes, which he could have run in earlier this week. The three-year-old colt is very well treated at the weights, and he’s a similar progressive type the Johnston’s tend to do well with. We last saw him winning well in a valuable handicap at Haydock, where he pulled clear at the line. He’s entered in a lot of big races, including the St. Leger, so if he were to win this, then perhaps a Classic attempt could be on the agenda.
3.00 Goodwood – River Of Stars EW / Oxford Comma EW
I think Ralph Beckett might hold the keys to this race, and I’m going to be siding with both of his runners. His number one contender looks to be River Of Stars, who just scrambled home to win a Listed race at Pontefract last time out. Having said that, I think she needs further than 1 m4f, and these extra couple of furlongs of 1 m6f should be right up her street. I think we’ll see a better performance this time around.
His other runner, Oxford Comma, is also very interesting. She’s not faced Group company before, but she won impressively on her last two starts over 1m4f, and the form has worked out. Each time she’s won, she’s looked like a horse who’s going to be a true stayer, and this longer trip looks sure to suit. With her getting the three-year-old allowance, I wouldn’t be surprised if she were to feature in the finish.
3.35 Goodwood – Mostabshir EW / The X O EW
The Stewards Cup is one of the toughest sprint handicaps of the season to try and find the winner, so it’s best to keep a few on side. My main fancy for the race is Mostabshir, for John and Thady Gosden. He’s interesting as he’ll be tackling 6f for the first time, which I don’t think is a bad move. His for this season has been over 7f, and he’s shaped well for a long way, which included a decent fourth in the Buckingham Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot, where he just faded close home. The four-year-old gelding has a good draw in Stall 24, and he’s going to have a lot of pace around him with Get It and Apollo One, which should give him a good toe into the race. He might drift on the day, but he shouldn’t be underestimated.
The other horse I think is going to pop up sometime, and this could be the race is The X O for John Ryan. He’s been running over 7f on his last couple of starts and has just faded close home each time. This trip of 6f should suit him, and I think the track will be ok as he handled the downhill nature at Epsom back in June when he finished third. He hasn’t won for a long time, but he is lurking on a good mark, and I think he has a lot going for him here.
4.10 Goodwood – Qirat (Win)
The drop back to 7f for Qirat looks to be the correct decision by Ralph Beckett. He’s just not quite been as effective over the mile on his last two starts at Ascot and Newmarket without running badly. On his seasonal reappearance, he won here at Goodwood really well, so returning to this track is a massive positive. Off a mark of 92, I do think he still has a lot to give, and I think he’ll make a winning return to the winner’s enclosure.
4.45 Goodwood – Consolidation (Win)
Consolidation ran in what looked like a hot two-year-old race at Doncaster last month, and he did well to finish second. I think that’s up there with some of the best for on offer, and I think his experience could be invaluable. A lot of these runners are making their racecourse debuts, so they could be anything; however, by looking at their pedigrees, there wasn’t anything jumping off the page. Therefore, I’m happy to stick with experience.
5.20 Goodwood – Pariadias EW
I think you can forgive Paradias his effort in the John Smith’s Cup at York last month. The ground was probably just a bit too quick for him that day, and coming back on to a sounder surface should suit. He also likes Goodwood and has finished fourth and second at the Glorious meeting the last two years. The five-year-old gelding is on a mark of 94, which is 1lb below his last winning mark. With a good draw in Stall 4 and Rossa Ryan booked for the ride, he surely has to go well.