Glorious Goodwood

Nathaniel came and won in a King George that will probably be remembered for the breaking down of Rewilding more than anything else. Some things transpired from this race.

That Nathaniel is a very good progressive racehorse that can mix it up with some of the best middle-distance horses. He validated his connections' bold move to supplement him in the race. As I was mentioning, John Gosden knows what he's doing. But Nathaniel's current 5/1 price for the Arc is way too short. The French horses won't give him such an easy race. At this price, he's a huge lay proposition in my opinion.

Workforce apparently got cut in one of his legs and drifted left-wards in the straight. How that affected his chances is up to debate. Something about the Ascot racecourse just does not go well with him. I would not discard him in the rest of his races because of this defeat. On his day, he can give the very best a run for their money; he's just proving to be a little inconsistent.

This race confirmed that St Nicholas Abbey is just not the superstar he's been billed out to be. A very good horse he is, but not a great one. He had no excuses in coming third. He should still be a threat at 12 furlong races, but on ability alone, any hope to his fans that he is the cream of the crop can be safely dismissed.

This week is all about the showdown between Frankel and Canford Cliffs in the Sussex Stakes at Goodwood on Wednesday. On the first opening day tomorrow, Strong Suit and Delegator look poised to mount a big challenge in the Group 2 Lennox Stakes at 7 furlongs. The rather softish ground looks to be in favour of Strong Suit. Since his wind operation this term, the Rahy colt from the Hannon stable seems to have found his old form back and comes into the race with a strong 3rd in the Group 1 Prix Jean Prat in France. The distance will suit and he looks sure to be among the finishers in this rather exposed field. I recommend him as an each-way punt.

Each-way: Strong Suit

Middle-distance Summer Championship

The King George, Europe's middle-distance Summer championship race, runs this Saturday regrouping a very high-class field. The French top performers are missing as they prefer sharpening their weapons for the Arc in October. Despite the field of five, this looks to be a cracking race.

Make it 4, because Debussy has no chance in it. He will act as pacemaker to ensure that the pace is hot for his stablemate Rewilding. Surprising that it's now Godolphin that is making the use of a lead horse, and not Ballydoyle...I guess the Prince of Wales stakes race taught Sheikh Mohammed's team a few things!

Despite beating So You Think fair and square at 10 furlongs, many still seem to believe that this was a one-off for Rewilding. SYT was not fully-fit, his handler said. The 12f distance is perfect for Rewilding. He will get his strong pace. The best jockey riding at Ascot will be on board. He's a classy horse that is a proven Group 1 winner. He should not be too far from the finish.

St Nicholas Abbey is by Montjeu and will be at his best distance as well. I still have one lingering doubt on whether he's as good as he's made out to be by his connections. He will be ridden by JP O'Brien which might be a negative given his relative inexperience. I firmly believe he won't win this race and is destined to finish in the Places. If he wins well, then I will categorize him as one of the best middle-distance colts in the world.

Workforce is the horse to beat. He only got beaten by SYT at 10 furlongs and would have won that race any other day the freak from Australasia wasn't there. The negative vibe about the King Best colt is that he inexplicably flopped in the same race last year, finishing miles behind Harbinger. Sir Michael Stoute is pointing the finger on himself for that off-day but there is that outside chance that the horse does not like something about Ascot. We'll know if that is the case on Saturday. My feeling is that if he horse shows true form on the day, he will be very hard to beat.

Nathaniel is a very good horse but it is still very difficult to gauge his true abilities given his past 5 races to date. He's been beaten by Frankel and Treasure Beach and is a proven winner at 12 furlongs. He's been supplemented for the race, which indicates that the connections must be confident. John Gosden, his trainer, certainly knows what he's doing. If I were to compare his form to the rest, I would say he's a notch below the 3 above-mentioned horses; but he's still progressive and there is more to come from him in his next races.

In the end, provided there are no hard-luck stories, I see this being between Workforce and Rewilding with St Nicholas Abbey in third. If you fancy a punt, that's the trifecta that I recommend.

York Preview

Another easy Group 3 for Famous Name who dispatched Dunboyne Express over 4 lengths for a good Place recommendation. Jan Vermeer was fourth and this horse is a shadow of the one that won the Grand Criterium at 2. He's a classy mile and a half horse and it would help if Ballydoyle changed tactics and stopped letting him on the loose from the start. I tell you, if only MDK could get his hands on this horse...

On Friday, Holy Roman Warrior looks the one to beat in the 19:00 Maiden Stakes at York. He should be suited by the 7 furlong distance after going 6 furlongs in his first 2 races. The intriguing horse in the race looks to be Gulf of Alaska from the Godolphin contingent who makes his debut. His breeding suggests that he needs further, but it would not be surprising if he strikes first time out among this rather average lot. Tudor Empire from the Gosden yard should have Place claims as well. I recommend Holy Roman Warrior as a Place, and if the market moves towards Gulf of Alaska, this Sinndar colt might be worth a Place shot as well.

Place: Holy Roman Warrior

Mike de Kock should buy this one from Ballydoyle

An Ghalanta came out second for a winning recommendation. Obviously, she's still a maiden having found one better again, and justified my reluctance to advise her as a Win; there isn't any certainty about fillies (and colts) that are always at the finish but never on top.

On Thursday, Famous Name looks to add another Group 3 to his name in the 19:30 race at Leopardstown. He re-opposes Jan Vermeer whom he thrashed last time but this time the condtions are different since the Ballydoyle colt has had more time to recuperate from his last race. I expect a closer match-up. Jan Vermeer seems to be yet again one of those very talented colts that unfortunately get ruined by their handler. Think Archipenko, King's Rome, Eagle Mountain, Golden Sword... Maybe Mike de Kock should buy this one too and make him a winner. Hard to believe that Jan Vermeer was last season's Derby favourite. Having him as pacemaker for So You Think in the Prince of Wales was a travesty to his abilities.

The dark horse in the race is Dunboyne Express who's coming back from a honourable 4th in the Irish Derby. Famous Name as a Place is the safe recommendation. If some of you fancy some risk with good returns, Jan Vermeer as Place looks very good value.

Place: Famous Name

Naas preview

Jim Bolger seems to have some good chances on the Wednesday race card at Naas. His best one seems to be An Ghalanta, a Holy Roman Emperor filly which is still a maiden after 4 races, having been runner-up three times. She ran 4 days ago and was beaten a neck when headed close home in a 6 furlong race. While I think she should be in the thereabouts tomorrow, I am always wary of fillies that always seem to find one better. Good, but not good enough is my assessment of them. Still, the race is within the reach of the Jim Bolger filly and I recommend her as a Place.

Of the other Bolger runners, Teo's Sister returns to the track 13 days after her winning debut. She will be facing other colts rated around 100, so I will be keeping an eye on how she fares.

Place: An Ghalanta

A beautiful day of sports

Not a great week-end in terms of punting with only Diamondhead winning and First Bid, Pembrey and Double Pass all disappointing and finishing among the pack. In fact, while Godolphin were celebrating a narrow Irish Oaks win with Blue Bunting, all their newcomers in England failed to fire. This stable is becoming very unpredictable to follow.

But despite the disappointments on the racing track, Sunday gave rise to a great day of celebrations in sports. It started with Darren Clarke winning a Major title at last. While the names of Irishmen favoured to win the Claret Jug were Rory McIlroy and Grame McDowell, it was 42-year old Clarke that broke his Major duck at last. Gone are the slogans "among the best not to win a Major", at least not to him. I had serious doubts whether he could hold on to his slender lead going into the week-end but he kept composure and the rest is now history. A crowd favourite that deserved every bit of winning a Major. 3 Northern Irishmen are currently holding Golf's 3 Major titles. Amazing. Who knows? Maybe this win has given hope to Colin Montgomery in this quest for that elusive Major victory...

The day continued with the Women World Cup final where Japan were taking on heavily-favoured USA. I didn't take much notice of Japan until they started beating Mexico, then England. They continued on their stunning winning ways by ousting holders and hosts Germany, and Sweden. All teams with pedigree. And for the final, they were taking on world beaters USA whom they'd never beaten in 25 past occasions! As destiny would have it, they won the final on penalty kicks, after 2 stunning comebacks in regulation and extra time.What an impressive never-say-die spirit, not just in the final but throughout the tournament. A few months after Victoire Pisa's win in the Dubai World Cup, it's another momentous win for Japan on the world stage. They won with class and are the world's best again. Extremely happy for a nation that is still trying to rebuild from the effects of the tsunami. Awesome Japan!

A beautiful day of sports yesterday was indeed.

Into the Week-end

On a roll right now as Secrecy won. Hoping that the momentum continues during the week-end.

It's been more miss than hit for Godolphin since the start of the season, but their horses seem to have picked up in the last couple of days. On Saturday, quite a few of their well-breds will make their debut and it will be important to check the money movers, or on which of their horses money is pouring in.

In the 19:10 race at Haydock, they are doubly-represented by Pembrey and Double Pass, who were multi-million dollar yearling purchases. If these nicely-bred colts are fully fit, they should be at the finish. If market vibes are strong, I would recommend going for both each-way as long as the returns are positive if one of them wins.

The first race at Newmarket sees the market favouring Diamonhead, a colt from the Brian Meehan stable that was unlucky on his debut when denied a clear path at the finish to finish third. He's the horse to beat in this race and Grizzly, a Shamardal newcomer from Godolphin should be his main rival. While Diamondhead should probably win this race, the question mark regarding the abilities of Grizzly makes me recommend Diamondhead as a Place.

The first race at Ripon is an opportunity for First Bid to re-visit the winner's circle. This is a sellers' race, so all the horses are exposed. First Bid is the only one to have ever won, and with a 72-rating and 32 days of rest from his last race, he seems ripe to be in the first 3. I recommend him as a Place.

A few more ramblings in the world of football where Barcelona are yet again clamoring for the return of Fabregas through the press. Wenger is right to ask for Respect. Barcelona are a great team full of great players, but for the past 3 years, they have been utterly class-less in the pursuit of the Arsenal captain. Xavi, Messi, Iniesta, Pique are all super players, but they stoop low, along with their current President, when they keep on with their customary tune of "Cesc wants back". Let him go back and destroy the team spirit and system over there, now that would be ironic. Not that this is likely to happen, but their incessant mutterings are just class-less. I wonder how real Arsenal fans think about this. I admire Barcelona, but enough is enough.

The other irony is the only Barcelona player that has not been savagely calling for Fabregas is Sergio Busquets, Mr Class-less (on the field) himself. Because, you see, Cesc will probably end up taking his spot!

The British Open looks to be a close contest. Looks like Sunday will be witness to a thrilling finish.


Each-way: Pembrey/Double Pass
Place: Diamondhead, First Bid

Major start

Hooray! The first 3 placings went to the 3 horses mentioned; El Muqbil beat Burj Hatta into second for 2 winning Place recommendations, and longshot Lupa Montana sealed the third spot for an exquisite Place for those who did not mind taking some risk.

On Thursday, Godolphin are in full force in the 20:05 Conditions Stakes race at Doncaster by fielding 3 of the 5 runners. This race should go between the stablemates Secrecy and Invisible Man. The former looks to be the stable's first string, being ridden by Dettori, and makes his seasonal debut. Godolphin runners do very well after a long layoff and I recommend this son of King's Best as an each-way. He should be at the finish.

The British Open starts tomorrow and all eyes will be on Rory McIlroy. The fact that the Irishman hasn't played competitive golf since his win in the US Open has the naysayers thinking he is going in without the best preparation. That might be true. He usually gets out of the gates fast, so the first 2 days will give an indication whether he's genuinely in the running or not. There are too many unknowns going in this tournament for there to be a clear-cut favourite. If McIlroy is on-song and tames the course, he should be in the thereabouts. At the end, it might very well give someone the chance to win a Major. You bet all of them are relishing the opportunity to win a Major one while Tiger remains in convalescence.


Each-way: Secrecy

Lingfield Mixed Card

Paladin was withdrawn while Grand Rapids came up only 5th. The latter shows encouraging signs in the end by keeping on and with this debut race behind him, I think he looks to be a nice horse over further. Certainly one to watch in his next races, although a 5th today is disappointing given the withdrawal of his stablemate and the fact that this race had a lot of exposed hoses. He needed the run, as they say.

On Wednesday, the 15:30 race at Lingfield should go between El Muqbil from the Meehan stable, and Godolphin's Burj Hatta. I give a slight edge to Dettori's mount but it can go either way. I recommend both as Place. The one that could spoil the party is Lupa Montana, a Giant's Causeway filly that finished well in 7th place on her debut after having dwelt at the start. For those willing to take on some risk, Lupa Montana might be good value to follow at current odds of over 10/1.

Place: El Muqbil, Burj Hatta

Yarmouth preview

Zarabajad broke his maiden by winning by the bob of a head over President Lincoln for a nice winning recommendation. The finish was much closer than anticipated particularly for 2 horses officially rated around 30 pounds apart.

Staying in racing, on Tuesday, Godolphin are running a pair in the first race at Yarmouth. Paladin is the choice of first jockey Dettori after an encouraging debut where he was a staying-on 5th at the same 7-furlong distance at Newmarket 17 days ago. His stablemate Grand Rapids is a newcomer with a good US pedigree being by Bernardini and his dam being related to a Champion sprinter stateside. The Bernardini's have a surprisingly very good strike rate on the turf in England and it would not be a surprise if this one fired on his debut. Godolphin have the knack of sending quite a few of their good juveniles at Yarmouth, the most memorable one being Dubai Millenium who made his explosive debut at the coastal racecourse. At their current odds, both Paladin and Grand Rapids are recommended as Each-way for an overall positive return.

The racing news this week is all about the upcoming showdown between Frankel and Canford Cliffs. I'm still undecided about that one and awaiting how things unfold before the race. Also, the other anticipation is the British Open where all eyes will be on Rory McIlroy to see whether he can confirm his thrashing of the field at the US Open. Enjoy the week!

Each-way: Paladin, Grand Rapids

Maiden no more

Teo's Sister confirmed all the confidence in her by striking on her debut, for a winning recommendation.

Still in Ireland, at Gowran Park on Friday, the first race sees the return to action of Zarabajad. It's amazing this colt who was well fancied in the Irish Guineas, is still a maiden. He was turned over by 33/1 Alnashmy when heavy favourite on his last apperance over a month ago. He should be able to break his duck against an average field and his main opponent looks to be President Lincoln, another maiden with a nice pedigree, from the Ballydoyle camp. Zabarajad is recommended as a Win.

Win: Zabarajad

Teo's sister

The Amistress/Undulent Way exacta was correct. If only it was Undulent Way who had won, then the Win recommendation would have been perfect.

The first race on the Thursday card at Leopardstown sees the debut of Teo's sister, an aptly-named daughter of Galileo since she's the full sister to Teofilo, the 2-year old champion of 2006. Teofilo was a remarkable race-horse who was unbeaten in 5 races and for whom his trainer, Jim Bolger, had ear-marked the evasive English Triple Crown as goal; Guineas, Derby and St Leger. Unfortunately, an injury before the start of his 3-year old debut ended the colt's career and raised questions of what might have been. The "best he's trained" were the words from the legendary trainer himself.

Getting back to the race tomorrow, if Teo's sister has the same potent genes as her brother, she will be tough to beat in this fillies' Maiden race. Her main opponent looks to be Shiramiyna from the Oxx stable, who had an encouraging debut a little more than 3 weeks ago when a keeping-on fourth on her debut. Teo's sister should win this if she's fit and ready to race, but for a debut, an each-way recommendation on her looks the safer punt.

Each-way: Teo's sister

No other way

I like Undulant Way in the 15:30 race at Lingfield on Wednesday. She easily won her last race 9 days ago at Windsor and looks set for another win. Amistress is the only other filly in the race that could challenge her. The distance should suit both of them. I recommend Undulant Way as a Win, as well as an Exacta Undulant Way/Amistress in any order.

Win: Undulant Way

Exacta: Undulant Way/Amistress

Transfer saga

Lonrach seemed to need the run after being one-paced to finish a disappointing fifth. I expect improvement from her in her next race and would not discount her despite this poor run.

The Summer football transfers are gathering pace and so far Man Utd have shown the greatest activity with the comings of Phil Jones, Ashley Young and goalkeeper de Gea. Ashley Young is a winger that I like a lot and I think the Red Devils have done a great piece of business acquiring him. Being the most active does not always transcend into immediate success however. Chelsea is embarking on a major managerial revolution with the coming of Villas-Boa. He seems polished and keen to stay away from mind games and confrontation with other peers. A Mourinho without the bad bits, a gentleman. I respect that a lot. I always thought Guus Hiddink was the front-runner for the job, but the upcoming Portuguese coach certainly seems to have a longer-term appeal. It will be interesting to see how quickly success will come for him, given an aging Chelsea squad that needs serious overhaul.

One transfer I do not quite understand is Man City's acquisition of Gael Clichy today. When I first saw him during his first season at Arsenal about 5 years ago, I was impressed by his athleticism. However, his development at left-back has been somewhat lackluster and he hasn't made the breakthrough that was expected of him. In fact, he's been making high-profile mistakes that haven't added to his stock. His problem seems to be maintaining focus during the entire game. City have been making the habit of acquiring world-class players lately, and the Frenchman is certainly not one of them. It's very likely Arsene Wenger is more relieved of having an extra left spot to fill than losing his first-team left back. Bad piece of business for the Citizens in my opinion.

Victors arise

The titans clashed and now it's time to acclaim the victors.

So You Think emerged victorious against Workforce, the "other" giant of a horse. The fact that SYT won after only 17 days rest from a hard Prince of Wales Stakes race is quite remarkable but not surprising. This time, his handler did not screw things up. This time he was ready, and I think even if he is to meet Workforce in a 12 furlong race like an Arc or King George, he will prevail if at his best. Workforce did not demerit; he ran his race and would have won against any other horse in Europe. How the "lads" at Coolmore will map the future paths of St Nicholas Abbey and SYT will be interesting to see. There was talk of SYT going to a third Cox Plate, but I personally hope he goes for the Arc, then the Breeders Cup Classic...on dirt! That would be something...

The other titan to emerge is Novak Djokovic, who beat the "other" champion in Nadal. What a dream final between the 2 best in the world. It's been a while that Nadal had gotten beaten in a Grand Slam final, and the Serb has definitely confirmed his mental edge over the Spaniard. The US Open seems destined to be a resumption of hostilities between these 2 again, but there's still some way to go before we get there.

This coming week is much about racing and also the Copa America. Already Brazil and Argentina have failed to win against supposed minnows, so caution is warranted. On Monday, I like Lonrach in the first race at Roscommon. This filly from the Bolger yard has hit the board on her first 2 starts and I cannot see her out of the placings again. The good/firm ground and the 7 furlong distance will suit. The field does not look anything spectacular. Lonrach is recommended as each-way.


Each-way: Lonrach