Glorious Goodwood Betting / Graham Cunningham / 28 July 2009 / Leave a comment

Four times he has ventured into Group 1 company and four times he has been beaten. If Rip Van Winkle really is as good as the gallop reports from Ballydoyle suggest then it's time for him to win a big one. Can he do it in the Sussex Stakes? Racing UK analyst Graham Cunningham runs the rule over "the Ripper" and the rest of the stars on day two of Glorious Goodwood.

"He’s a danger to all, make no mistake, but after much deliberation I suspect this will be
Rip Van Winkle’s day."

2.10

The first point to make is that the bulk of Goodwood's fiercely competitive handicaps leave me fairly cold.

But this one looks to have a better shape than some of them and Tyrells Wood looks a very solid win and place candidate purely because he stays forever and is thriving on racing. His Pontefract romp was a clear career best, while his second in the Ascot Stakes fully warranted a hike to a mark of 90. In short, he's a leading player.

Som Tala is bound to corner a chunk of the market following his Northumberland Plate win, but a great deal dropped in his favour that day and it's also worth noting that he has been beaten in this race twice before.

Swingkeel is the other worth a close look. Granted, his stamina for this marathon has to be taken on trust, but he bolted up over two miles at Kempton and is far less exposed than the vast majority of these grizzled old sloggers.

2.45

I've looked at this race from all sorts of angles and two things occur. First, it may not be all that strong by Group 2 standards. And second, if there's a really good bet to be found then I haven't chiselled it out.

Roi de Vitesse is a useful and progressive youngster, but the Newmarket race he finished second in was messy and Big Audio didn't get any room to operate when he needed it.

Xtension looked well worth a try over seven furlongs when chasing home the runaway winner Canford Cliffs at Ascot, while Dreamspeed has bags of potential, but sometimes the best policy is to leave well alone. And that's what I will be doing here.

3.25

It looks like a case of 20-1 bar three in the Betfair market for one of Europe's richest mile contests. And that's something of an insult to Lord Shanakill, who is in the form of his life after two cracking performances at Ascot and Chantilly.

The fact that his trainer Karl Burke faces a twelve-month ban for breaching the inside information rules adds a fascinating twist to his story and, although he will probably come up just short at this level, anyone who backs him at 20 plus with a view to laying off at around 10 in running could be on the right end of an interesting trade.

Now to the big three. Ghanaati has been dominant among her own sex and bolted up in the Coronation Stakes at Royal Ascot, but I suspect this represents a much tougher test and I'm happy to let her run without the burden of my money at a shade over 2-1.

Paco Boy did me a great turn in the Queen Anne at Royal Ascot before doing more than enough to suggest he remains in fine fettle in the July Cup and the fact that he is a proven Goodwood performer is another feather in his cap on his return to a mile.

He's a danger to all, make no mistake, but after much deliberation I suspect this will be Rip Van Winkle's day. Aidan O'Brien's colt has seen the impressive backside of Sea The Stars three times over different distances this season, but he's improved with racing and the form he showed to finish clear of Saturday's King George hero Conduit in the Eclipse at Sandown looks the best on offer here.

Am I worried about the fact that the Ripper wavered off the bridle both left and right when shown the whip at Sandown? I have to admit that it is a concern, but the ability if definitely there and - like his former stablemate Henrythenavigator in this race last year - I suspect that this is the ideal stage for him to blossom to the full.

4.00

Another desperately difficult handicap, but Braveheart Move went down firmly as a horse to follow at Chester in May and it will come as a big disappointment if he doesn't go very well here.

Sir Mark Prescott's colt was the subject of sustained support at Chester and justified it narrowly yet decisively while giving the impression there was much more to come. He has the pedigree and the physique of a pretty good horse. And, from a mark of 86, it could be that he remains on a very handy mark indeed.

Tags: Glorious Goodwood betting, Goodwood races, Graham Cunningham, Horseracing betting, Rip van Winkle, the Sussex Stakes