Frankie Dettori delivered for the punters on the first day of Glorious Goodwood and he is aboard another short-priced favourite in Too Darn Hot in the Group One Sussex Stakes on Wednesday.
It took four races and a drop back to seven furlongs for Too Darn Hot to get off the mark as a three-year-old in the Prix Jean Prat last time out. With that win in the book and Dettori in such irrepressible form, however, backers seem ready to overlook his less promising start to the season when he steps back up to a mile this time.
Goodwood’s easy mile should be more to Too Darn Hot’s liking than the stiffer tests at Ascot and The Curragh, but he still looks too short on the form of the Irish 2,000 Guineas, where he was three lengths behind Phoenix Of Spain (3.35). Charlie Hills’s three-year-old was disappointing behind the well-ridden Circus Maximus at Royal Ascot next time but has had a six-week break since is a big price at around 6-1.
Goodwood 1.50 This is one of the more extreme and unusual tests on the Flat racing circuit as the runners start from behind a tape, then gallop away from the stands and around Goodwood’s looping circuit before returning no less than two-and-a-half miles later. It proved ideal for Lil Rockerfeller 12 months ago, however, not least because Neil King’s gelding has an aversion to starting stalls, and while his handicap mark is now 99, up from 82 last year, he spread-eagled his field by 15 lengths. It should be closer today but this will have been a target for a long time and few of his rivals look equipped to stop him.
Goodwood 2.25 This is always one of the trickiest handicaps of the meeting to unravel and has its usual cohort of lightly-raced three-year-olds that could be well ahead of their marks. John Gosden’s Kosciuszko will be popular with Frankie Dettori aboard while Durlston is unbeaten in two handicap starts, but Dubai Tradition has done nothing wrong this year and has also been putting up solid times in victory.
Goodwood 3.00 John Quinn had a two-year-old winner at Goodwood on Tuesday and the current star of his juvenile team, Liberty Beach, has outstanding claims in the Group Three Molecomb Stakes. Her only defeat in four starts came at Royal Ascot, where she was first home on the wrong side of the track in the Queen Mary Stakes, and she has progressed with every start culminating in an emphatic success at Listed level at Sandown last time. Wesley Ward’s American raider Maven is the obvious threat but he will need to be special to give 6lb to Liberty Beach.
Goodwood 1.50 Lil Rockerfeller 2.25 Dubai Tradition 3.00 Liberty Beach (nap) 3.35 Phoenix Of Spain 4.10 Flippa The Strippa 4.45 Nearooz 5.55 Lyndon B (nb)
Perth 2.00 Braid Blue 2.35 Prettylittlething 3.10 Placedela Concorde 3.45 Amalfi Doug 4.20 King’s Wharf 4.55 Angel’s Envy 5.25 Saint Or Sinner
Redcar 2.10 Dutch Decoy 2.45 Sorbonne 3.20 First Flight 3.55 Mina Vagante 4.30 Salam Zayed 5.00 Searanger 5.30 Fox Hill 6.00 Firby
Sandown Park 5.35 Diviner 6.05 Beignet 6.35 Wild Thunder 7.10 Muraad 7.45 New Jazz 8.20 Buckman Tavern
Leicester 5.45 Barbarella 6.20 Beechwood James 6.55 Teodora De Vega 7.30 Always Fearless 8.05 Fair Alibi 8.40 Kermouster
