The horse racing broadcaster makes his picks for the first day at the Qatar Goodwood Festival, including one in Tuesday’s feature race, the Al Shaqab Goodwood Cup.
The Qatar Goodwood Festival gets underway on Tuesday with ITV covering four races, the feature being the Group 1 Al Shaqab Goodwood Cup at 15:35. The first race is the 10f Coral Chesterfield Cup featuring a typically big field, and with a potentially steady pace, the likelihood of the traditional traffic issues getting a run can present. This has been mitigated in recent seasons by a cutaway rail at the one and a half furlong point for days 1 and 2, moving back to three and a half for days three before being removed for the last two days.
The key line of form looks to be the John Smith’s Cup won by ENFJAAR
11/4
(13:50 Goodwood), and he can win again here. There were a few hard luck stories in the race, notably for Dual Identity and to a lesser degree Tony Montana, but the pace had been solid, favoring the closers, and that doesn’t look like being the case here. The Johnston pair of Wadacre Gomez and Killybegs Warrior could dictate things and may outrun their odds, but Enfjaar has taken his form to a new level since being gelded, and with the Varian horses in good form, can win a final handicap before being forced into Group races due to his rising mark.
The feature 2yo race of the day is the Vintage Stakes where all eight runners have tasted success. The under-rated one at a decent price could be ARABIAN SUN
13/2
(14:25 Goodwood), who also has experience of the track, having finished 2nd here on debut in May. As I have mentioned on many occasions, Goodwood is an extremely difficult track to win at on debut because its early downhill run means any greenness and debutantes end up too far back. Arabian Sun followed up that Goodwood debut by winning at Salisbury for Stratusnine, and that form looks to have some substance to it.
The 7f Group 2 Lennox Stakes is next up, and here there is the classic choice between an improving horse who has been winning handicaps in English Oak and the ‘been there done it’ horse in KINROSS
100/30
(15:00 Goodwood). Wathnan Racing had a successful Royal Ascot, and English Oak was an impressive winner of the Buckingham Palace, and given the Qatar connection, will be very keen for their horses to acquit themselves this week. Kinross excels, however, over 7f and won this race last year, having finished 2nd the year before. With the ground likely to dry all week, there should be enough juice in it on day one for him to score again.
Last but certainly not least, the Group 1 Al Shaqab Goodwood Cup where KYPRIOS
2/5
(15:35 Goodwood) dominates the division, and I expect no difference here. Al Qareem’s presence should ensure the race is run at a decent gallop and allow things to be quite straightforward tactically for Ryan Moore, as Kyprios can go to sleep a bit in his races, so a muddling gallop would be his potential Achilles heel. He is a classy stayer though, who Ryan knows well, and has beaten the majority of this field on many occasions.
