Simon Rowlands

Published 15:56 31/7

Goodwood got the “glorious” weather, at last, but the backdrop to Saturday’s final day of the course’s big meeting is anything but that, with the pilot scheme to return spectators being pulled at 24 hours’ notice.  

There may be more false starts in such arrangements along the way but hopefully none in the races on Saturday themselves, with the Unibet Stewards’ Cup at 3:35 and its consolation race theStewards’ Sprint at 1:50 dominating proceedings.

It is worth noting that three-year-olds have won nearly four times as often as by chance in the main event, though their place figures and % of rivals beaten figures are far more ordinary.

That could be considered to be good news for supporters of Meraas, who has picked up a lowish stall for good measure, and who I put up elsewhere earlier in the week. He should go well, providing he does not get forced into overdoing things at or near the front, but I don’t see the need to go in again.

Attractive bets are somewhat scarce at Goodwood, to be honest. The 14f Unibet Summer Handicap at 2:25 looks priced about right, and there is little edge in the Qatar Lillie Langtry Stakes at 3:00, other than that last year’s winner Enbihaar looks a bit too short given that last year’s 5-length runner-up Manuela de Vega is an improved model since.

It should be worth hanging on until the Qatar Handicap at 4:10 in which there could be a handicap “good thing”. Or perhaps that should be handicap good things, plural, for not justSOCIETY LION butCold Front and Mister Snowdon may have quite a bit in hand of their marks.

The case for Society Lion is by some way the most convincing, however, as he put in a remarkable performance at Doncaster last time but somehow still managed not quite to win.

Dropped out in rear despite a steady pace, he quickened past the entire field to lead 1f out – putting in a lightning fast 11.32s on easy ground in the process – but found Tiger Crusade quickening also from a better starting position and just lost out. If you crunch the numbers, Society Lion comes out as a 97-rated horse with improvement still likely, and is due to go off 91 here. Mister Snowden and, especially, Cold Front have some good splits to their names, too, but not quite that good. 

Society Lion is likely to go off favourite but could easily and justifiably be shorter still. He appeals as a bet in the circumstances at 7/4 or bigger.

Newmarket is no easier but make a note there of KATARA in the 12f fillies listed race at 3:15. She will have to improve on the bare form of her novice win at Kempton last time, but, like her stable-companion Society Lion, has the hidden figures to make that seem highly feasible.

She ran about 35.5s for the final 3f that day to trounce a filly who had been fourth in listed company the time before, and she showed off a stride in excess of 25 feet in the final furlong to underline that she has the basic mechanics of a Group performer to her name.

She does not have a great deal to beat here, and that striding makes me hope that she has a reasonable amount of use made of her if nothing else really forces it. Again, she is not a huge price, but she is a value one at 6/4 or bigger.

It is also worth siding at Newmarket with FAMILLE ROSE in the Fillies’ Nursery at 2:05. She’s So Nice beat a decent sort last time (while getting the run of the race) and Basilicata looks like making into a hard-knocking Mark Johnston type, but the selection gets weight off both and has shown plenty in second at Leicester and Haydock already.

I had her just about favourite for this at 5/2.