/ Simon Rowlands / 01 August 2008 /

Simon Rowlands views form with suspicion and looks back at today's racing.

As a follow-up from yesterday's blog, news reaches me that Timeform have left the Goodwood Cup winner Yeats on 127, behind the likes of Kayf Tara, Westerner, Septimus, Milan and Vinnie Roe among latter-day stayers on their ratings. Timeform can point to the modest time of yesterday's race and the unexceptional recent form of the second Tungsten Strike, but even so.....Still, I have already had my say on that matter: why not post your own views below?

One horse who might have been a significant rival for Yeats at his best is Sixties Icon, the 2006 St Leger winner. But Sixties Icon (114.00) is neither as good nor as consistent as he was. He gained his second win of the year in Friday's opener, the Glorious Stakes, but wandered and idled in front before scoring by a length, with under half a length between second and sixth. The proximity of Dansant (112) - previously unexceptional on turf - in fourth in a messy affair is just one reason to view the form with suspicion.

Matters of the draw really came to a head in the big mile handicap, in which, remarkably, horses running from the five highest stalls filled the first five positions. Horses drawn wide (in lower-numbered stalls) have to get to the rail or cover further on the round course, so some sort of bias is to be expected in big fields.

But the effect of the draw is much less clear on the straight course. The sprint handicap on Thursday was dominated by horses that raced nearest to the stand rail, while the Stewards' Cup consolation race on Friday was won by Pearly Wey, racing up the centre, from Baby Strange, drawn furthest towards the far side in 21.

An even bigger field of 28 in the Stewards' Cup itself on Saturday will mean that high-drawn runners can get across to the far rail without forfeiting ground, but the impression is that any pace bias - essentially where the fairest pace is - is likely to count for more than a draw bias. The favourite Prime Defender (drawn 19) is [9.8] to back for the big race at the time of writing.

Another bunch finish occurred on Friday in the Richmond Stakes, in which Prolific (107) pipped Gallagher (106) and Reve de Soleil (105), all three finishing down the centre of the track. It is a long time since the Richmond was won by a good youngster, and this year's winner, who had been third in the Norfolk Stakes at Royal Ascot and July Stakes at Newmarket on his previous two starts, is unlikely to change that. He can be backed at [75.0] for next year's 2000 Guineas on Betfair.

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

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