Supplicant Should Kick Off Glorious Goodwood in Style - By Mohit Lalvani
Posted on - 30 Jul 2013
Supplicant Should Kick Off Glorious Goodwood in Style
By Mohit Lalvani
Considered to be the most beautiful race course in the world by many, Goodwood plays host to one of the most prestigious race meets in the U.K. each year. Glorious Goodwood, while a second cousin to Royal Ascot is 200 years old and has 2 of the 31 group one races that are run in the U.K. each year. In fact, this year’s renewal of the Sussex Stakes and the Nassau Stakes will generate enough interest with the likes of Dawn Approach, Toronado, Sky Lantern, The Fugue all in at declaration stage.
Day one will kick off with two group races and expected showers which will certainly soften the ground. In the first race, the Bet365.com handicap over nine furlongs, the horse that may be worth following if the rains come in time is the soft going specialist Blue Surf. Goodwood is also trainer, Mark Johnston’s favourite hunting ground and he has a nice runner in Reset City in the first. With a strong hand to follow, he may just be the trainer to watch all week long.
The group three Bet365 Molecomb Stakes for 2 year olds over five furlongs is the first group race of the meet and it’s likely that either Richard Hannon’s Anticipated or Richard Fahey’s Supplicant will run favourite. Anticipated will have Richard Hughes in the saddle and his form was suggestive till he went over to Deauville where he was a disappointing fifth in the group two Prix Robert Papin. Prior to that, he had run a good third in the Windsor Castle Stakes at Royal Ascot but was disadvantaged with Supplicant on that occasion by a shorthead. Both were having their third career starts and the run of the race or the going may just be the deciding factor between the two. Anticipated is a son of Whipper, the winner of group one Morny over six furlongs. He ran second to Dubawi in the group one Prix Jaques Le Marois after winning the mile contest the previous year. He isn’t really the best stallion in the world but did have a useful son in Wazn who won close to $ 250,000 in Australia over mile and a half races.
Supplicant’s pedigree, on the other hand, may be a bit more appealing and progressive. He is a full brother to Penitent who won the group two Joel Stakes over a mile and was second in the group one Prix De La Foret over fourteen hundred metres.
Looking beyond these two and it would be hard to ignore Reroute. The daughter of Acclamation will have William Buick and she’s had just two starts. She won on debut and then ran fifth at Royal Ascot in the group two Queen Mary Stakes. She’s quick and will be up on the lead early enough if she’s good enough. She is a sister to a class four winner over seven furlongs on good to firm ground and overall also seems to be less progressive than Supplicant.
The next race on the card is the group two Bet 365 Lennox Stakes over seven furlongs and Aljamaaheer’s 2nd behind Declaration of War in the group one Queen Anne Stakes should be good enough form to win this. Richard Hannon has three in the race and Richard Hughes has selected Producer who won the group three Bet365 Criterion Stakes last time out. He will receive four pounds from Aljamaaheer but it may not be enough based on a line through Librano who also takes his place in the line-up today.
Krypton Factor, the 2012 Golden Shaheen winner has yet to find the winner’s circle since that performance. He hasn’t been too far off though and a reproduction of his third in the Diamond Jubilee Stakes at Royal Ascot this year could bring him in as a value for money shot.
The races which will be telecast on Neo Sports from 6 PM is sponsored by Kunigal Stud, RWITC and RCTC and distributed by Delta Lifestyle and Entertainment Private Limited.
