Trainer David O’Meara loves heading down from his North Yorkshire stables to plunder some of the big summer handicaps with his best horses. At the top of his list of aims are the most valuable contests at Glorious Goodwood and he doesn’t mind running three or four of his string in the same race to increase his chances of landing a nice prize.
O’Meara has won two of the last four runnings of the Coral Golden Mile and, with a first prize of more than £77,000 this year, there is no doubt the handler will be targeting the race again in two weeks’ time.
My strong fancy for this contest on 2 August is BLUE FOR YOU who returned to form last Saturday when he won the John Smith Racing Handicap at York for the second year running. In a competitive 14-runner race, the six-year-old gelding beat Northern Express, who is a consistent and reliable yardstick.
Blue For You picked up a 3lbs penalty for that win meaning he will run off a rating of 98 at Glorious Goodwood. However, he is well capable of winning off that mark, particularly if the ground is fast, and he clearly handles the course because he was second to his stablemate Orbaan in the Golden Mile two years ago, albeit off a lower mark of 93.
Back Blue for You each way at 16-1 with Ladbrokes, Coral or Unibet, all paying four places, in the hope that he does not get a ‘car-park draw’ in a fortnight’s time. It is very difficult to win this race from a really high draw in this maximum 20-runner contest.
Looking further ahead to York’s prestigious Ebor meeting, the most likely next race for City of Troy now looks to be the Group 1 Juddmonte International Stakes on 21 August.
The opposition at York to the impressive Derby winner is likely to include the Japanese runner Durezza. However, my idea of the each-way value in the race is GHOSTWRITER because I am convinced we have still not yet seen the best of Clive Cox’s three-year-old colt.
Ghostwriter was third to City of Troy last time out, beaten just two lengths in the Group 1 Coral Eclipse at Sandown. That was on soft ground and there is no doubt that Ghostwriter is a better horse on fast ground. His previous run in France was on heavy ground and, once again, that did not show him in his best light.
A combination for the first time of a mile and a quarter and (hopefully) quicker ground will be ideal for this lightly-raced colt who was unbeaten in three starts on fast ground last season.
The Juddmonte is a race that often cuts up but, with Clive Cox saying this race is his horse’s next target, Ghostwriter looks value each way at 20-1 with Paddy Power, Betfair or Unibet, all paying three places.
This weekend’s fare does not really excite me and the horses I fancy are not the usual double-figure prices that I am looking for. Ed Bethell’s talented sprinter Regional looks the right favourite for the Grade 3 Fidelity Energy Hackwood Stakes at Newbury (3 p.m.) but, with the ground unlikely to be as quick as he likes, I wouldn’t back him at his current odds of 11/4 or less.
KYLE OF LOCHALSH is not the price I was hoping for either having been backed heavily over the past 48 hours. However, I am convinced this four-year-old colt has his best days ahead of him, having been third in the Ascot Stakes at the royal meeting last month after a slightly troubled run.
That race was over a marathon trip of two miles four furlongs but his handler Hughie Morrison clearly thinks he is even better over a shorter distance. That’s because the canny Berkshire trainer had hoped to run him in the Copper Horse Handicap at the royal meeting over one mile and six furlongs, only to see him miss the cut for that race.
Morrison has also entered Kyle Of Lochalsh in the prestigious Sky Bet Ebor Handicap at York next month, also over one mile six furlongs. Kyle Of Lochalsh races tomorrow in the Mettal UK Handicap at Newbury (2.25 p.m.) and a big run should over this trip of two miles should see him creep up the ratings enough to get a new mark high enough for him to run in the Ebor.
Back Kyle Of Lochalsh each way at 9/2 with Ladbrokes, Coral or BetVictor, all paying three places, although the 7/2 with Sky Bet paying an extra place is also worth taking for those who can’t get on at the bigger price.
I will be back next week to preview the Group 1 King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Qipco Stakes and other big races on the Ascot card in eight days’ time.
Pending:
1 point each way Kyle Of Lochalsh at 9-2 for the Mettal UK Handicap, paying 1/5th odds, 3 places.
1 point each way The Wizard of Eye at 12-1 for the International Stakes, paying 1/5th odds, 5 places.
1 point each way Blue For You at 16-1 for the Coral Golden Mile, paying 1/4 odds, 4 places.
1 point each way Ghostwriter at 20-1 for the Juddmonte Stakes, paying 1/5th odds, 3 places.
Last weekend: – 4 points.
1 point each way Northern Express at 9-1 in the John Smith’s Racing Handicap, paying 1/5th odds, 5 places. 2nd but Rule 4. + 0.5 points.
1 point each way Dual Identity at 25-1 in the John Smith’s Cup, paying 1/5th odds, 6 places. Unplaced. – 2 points.
1 point each way Paradias at 14-1 in the John Smith’s Cup, paying 1/5th odds, 6 places. Unplaced. – 2 points.
1 point each way Carrytheone at 10-1 for the Bunbury Cup, paying 1/4 odds, 4 places. 4th + 1.5 points.
1 point each way Gorak at 25-1 for the Bunbury Cup, paying 1/4 odds, 4 places. Unplaced. – 2 points.
2024 flat season running total + 12.5 points.
2023-4 jumps season: + 42.01 points on all tips.
2023 flat season: – 48.22 points on all tips.
2022-3 jumps season: + 54.3 points on all tips.
My gambling record for the past eight years: I have made a profit in 15 of the past 17 seasons to recommended bets. To a 1 point level stake over this period, the overall profit of has been 517 points. All bets are either 1 point each way or 2 points win (a ‘point’ is your chosen regular stake).
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