Glorious Goodwood / Simon Rowlands / 30 July 2008 / Leave a comment Free £25 Bet

Simon Rowlands on the ante-post punting pointers from the second day of Goodwood

Henrythenavigator versus Raven's Pass has now gone to its second rematch, and the margin between the two horses has got less each time they have met. In this afternoon's Sussex Stakes that margin was down to a head, with the former coming out on top again. But connections of the second are entitled to think it is worth having another go, such as in the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes at Ascot, for which there is already a market on Betfair.

Henrythenavigator's pacemaker was only good enough to lead for 5f and the overall time (1:38.46) was pretty poor in the circumstances. The favourite was in front nearly 2f out, edging right as he went on, while Raven's Pass closed in the final 1f but could not quite get there.

Discussions about "greatness" involve more than just the ratings that the horse in question can run to - versatility, durability and consistency also count for something - but it has to be said that Henrythenavigator has not yet posted a "great" rating. I have this effort at 125, a pound below his best at the Curragh and Ascot and at least 5 below the best milers of recent years.

Raven's Pass on 125 will surely win a good race at some stage, while connections of Winker Watson (117), who looked third-best until running out of stamina late on, are entitled to feel pleased with their colt's effort.

The Vintage Stakes, run earlier on the card, often goes to a horse with pretensions of classic success, but the latest renewal caused barely a flicker in the ante-post market for next year's 2,000 Guineas. Orizaba (112) made amends for his Royal Ascot defeat with a workmanlike success by a length and a quarter, but there was precious little between Lord Shanakill (109), Sayif, Soul City and Shaweel (all 108) in a scrap for minor places.

Orizaba is [42.0] to back for Newmarket and is several pounds behind Mastercraftsman (9.2 to back) in terms of form at this stage. Most of the principals in today's race are speedily bred and may not get an extra furlong, though Orizaba himself does shape as if he will do so.

The early times were not much different in relative terms to day one, but Love Galore's 12f success in 2:34.05 suggests that the surface was quicker, though still probably nearer "good" than "good to firm".

* Ratings are form-based assessments, expressed in pounds, and are on a scale similar to those employed by Racing Post and Timeform.

Tags: 2000 Guineas, Ascot, Henrythenavigator, Lord Shanakill, Love Galore, Mastercraftsman, Orizaba, Queen Elizabeth II Stakes, Raven's Pass, Sayif, Shaweel, Soul City, Sussex Stakes, Vintage Stakes, Winker Watson