Olympic Glory at Goodwood

Go for ‘Glory’ at Goodwood today with the current ‘Olympic’ theme about to grip this proud nation. Olympic Glory looks just about as good as it gets in the group two, £60000 Vintage Stakes over seven furlongs on 'good' ground providing the weather forecasters finally prove correct. Their record last month, especially during the Open Golf tournament, was woeful, and even Tiger Woods commented; 18 days ago Olympic Glory slogged through a deep surface to record his second  win from three starts but didn’t achieve anything like that previous time-handicap mark when runner-up in the ‘Coventry’ at Royal Ascot. One of nine rivals is Ghurair, so impressive in a Newmarket maiden at the same meeting and reckoned to way above average by the in-form John Gosden camp; he’ll need to be because Olympic Glory is considered the best of Richard Hannon's two-year-olds by his son-in-law, Richard Hughes. If White Frost is turned out again, for the concluding ‘aged’ handicap over seven furlongs, look no further for the winner; so unlucky to be nabbed close home in a similar race at York four days ago with the rest four lengths and upwards in arrears.

 

Leicester stages a six-race evening programme, kicking off with an intriguing Maiden Fillies’ Stakes over six furlongs and an opportunity for thrice-raced Rio’s Pearl, trained by Ralph Beckett and mount of champion apprentice Martin Lane.

No ‘penalty-kick’ by any means, both El Manati and Glen Ginnie are expected to improve considerably and there are a couple of potential ‘mystery’ juveniles lurking but Rio’s Pearl ticks enough boxes to be a 'professional special' each-way betting proposition. Over the same course and distance Shardaroba merits close inspection for the Maiden Stakes and with an 'aged' handicap over six to follow time-comparisons will be interesting. Shardaroba is a ‘winner-waiting-to-happen’ and it would have happened last month in a similar race had trainer Rod Millman's owner not tilted at windmills by running him in the ‘sales’ race at Newbury; eleventh, beaten less than four lengths, represented a ‘career-best’ effort, however, and what beats this consistent colt will win. A solid nap.

 

SELECTIONSR3

(1) Olympic Glory

R6 (2) Farhh

R23 (10) Rio’s Pearl (e.w)

R31 (7) Shardaroba (nap)