3 minute read
Clive Cox’s Eminency can defy top-weight in the Castlelake Irish Stallion Farms EBF Nursery Handicap at Goodwood.
It has been a relatively quiet season for Cox, with no standout performer, but he is ending the campaign among the winners.
Eminency has already added one to his tally, winning at the second time of asking at Windsor in July.
He was then off the track until the St Leger meeting, when he reappeared in a £300,000 sales races for juveniles and acquitted himself very well finishing fifth of 15, just over four lengths behind the winner, Karl Burke's Cold Case.
That form already looks strong as the winner has subsequently followed up in Redcar's Listed Two Year Old Trophy in clear-cut fashion while the fourth, the Charlie Hills-trained Galeron, went to Ireland to win the Goffs Million.
Galeron is now rated 97, beating Eminency by two lengths at Doncaster yet Cox's youngster gets to run here off just 87 so he looks well treated.
The Inkerman London Handicap sees three very capable hurdlers clashing on the Flat in the form of Goshen, Tritonic and Ajero. But the latter is taken to come out on top.
After three quick wins on the level in 2019 before going juvenile hurdling, Goshen has never really convinced back on the Flat and has been beaten at even money, 2-5 and 10-11, despite being rated 70lb lower than he is over hurdles.
Tritonic won a huge pot at Ascot last winter yet is without a win on the Flat since his success in the Haynes, Hanson & Clark as a two-year-old.
Ajero, on the other hand, has made great strides this summer, his first season on the level, chasing home a couple of quality performers before finishing second in the Duke of Edinburgh at Ascot.
He gained a good win at Glorious Goodwood and last time out was scuppered by a slow start. He can regain the winning thread.
Sylvester Kirk's Many Rivers defied market expectations to finish fourth on his debut at Newbury and should go close in the William Hill/British EBF Restricted Novice Stakes.
Sent off at 100-1, he was beaten less than two lengths by the odds-on favourite Lajooje and given Kirk is not known for first-time-out winners, the fact he got so close can only be viewed in a positive light.
John and Thady Gosden are doing their best to ensure Benoit De La Sayette is crowned champion apprentice.
They have put him up on Fortis Regina in Southwell's At The Races App Market Movers EBF Maiden Fillies' Stakes and the hint should be taken.
A promising third on debut, she was then sent off favourite at Newmarket but her run was too bad to be true. This represents a significant drop in class.
Kerry Lee's Black Poppy was finally delivering on his promise at the end of last season.
He reappears in the dragonbet.co.uk Norton's Coin Trophy Novices' Limited Handicap Chase and while it is a tasty little race, he looks the type to take his form to a new level over fences.
Ben Pauling has been banging in the winners of late and his Severance can land the DragonBet Welsh Champion Hurdle off just 1lb higher than when second in the Swinton at Haydock.
SELECTIONS:
GOODWOOD: 1.50 Blame It On Sally, 2.25 Many Rivers, 3.00 Lovely Breeze, 3.35 EMINENCY (NAP), 4.10 Torre Del Oro, 4.45 Ajero, 5.20 Warning Sign.
FFOS LAS: 1.25 Runasimi River, 2.00 Tintintin, 2.35 Black Poppy, 3.10 Severance, 3.45 Loved Out, 4.20 Obey The Rules 4.55 Benny Silver.
SOUTHWELL: 1.40 Lady Lou, 2.15 Fortis Regina, 2.50 Libertus, 3.25 Lumacho, 4.00 Night Bear, 4.35 Jackamundo, 5.10 Another Odyssey.
DOUBLE: Eminency and Many Rivers.