It's up to you: Not York, Not York

FIRST FLIGHT CAME LAST AS A RE
SULT OF LACK OF PACE WHEN DE
FENDING HIS PREVIOUS UNBEATEN
RECORD OF ONE IN ACOMB STAKES...  

Mary's mother has four children: April, May, June and...?

How many times does the letter 'F' appear in the first paragraph, and what's the answer to the names question? 

The second Saturday in July, when the Group 1 July Cup has to stand on its tiptoes to be seen, is entrenched as National Superabundant Day amongst the why-oh-why racing killjoys, but the Saturday upcoming is equally oversubscribed. 

York has been front and centre all week, lulling us into believing it's the only place to be and bet on this Saturday, but the mind, which craves patterns, can be tricked, just as the non-geniuses might have been tricked into thinking there were three F's rather than six (the word 'of' tends not to register in text) or that the fourth child was named July rather than Mary as told at the outset.

The Melrose, the Gimcrack and the Ebor are all 'Saturday' races, but lest our muddled minds overlook that, away from York, we've got a Group 2, a pair of Group 3s, a trio of listed races and a £100k handicap.

The Group 2:
(15:50 Goodwood)
Was Afsare transformed by dropping to this trip at Salisbury or was it a trick of the mind in that the rest collectively underperformed? As with most things racing, the truth probably lies somewhere in between, but I'd rather trust his latest rating (top on Timeform) than either Thistle Bird's or Premio Loco's, which are all the more whiffy.

The Group 3s:
(14:20 Goodwood, 18:45 Windsor)
The busy Midnite Angel is drawn widest on a very different track to Newmarket where her form has taken off, while Amazing Maria's course-and-distance win came in a maiden which hasn't yet worked out, and both those issues potentially paves a winning way for Qawaasem. Improving by the race, Qawaasem looked a better horse than Majeyda in a Sandown listed race until the uphill stretch to the line, but as a keen, prominent-racer, she should find Goodwood to be right up her street, and stall 1 is an added bonus. 

Placed in Group 1s on his last two starts, namely third in the Dubai World Cup and second in the Prix d'Ispahan, Planteur is a class above the opposition in the Winter Hill Stakes and will win by a cosy 1¾ lengths on his way to the Breeders' Cup. 

The listed races:
(15:55 Newmarket, 16:40 Goodwood, 19:15 Windsor)
Plenty going on in the Hopeful Stakes at Newmarket, not least the looming presence of Kavanagh who's taking a big class drop from Group 1s. However, the very fact he's taking a big class drop from Group 1s could be construed as off-putting, more so given that he took a few runs to warm up in Dubai earlier in the year and that stablemate Soft Falling Rain needed his recent comeback off a similar absence.

There's little between the rest on form, headed by the unfashionably fashionable Tropics, but this could be the day when the Mince is boiling again. In blinkers, the signs were better at Sandown, since when she's been given more rehabilitation time, and I quite like that she's drawn away from the other front runners as doing her own thing might just suit her nowadays. On her 2012 form, she's the best horse in the race, Kavanagh included. 

The March Stakes at Goodwood is more like a Lost & Found noticeboard...

LOST - wheels, one came off near Ascot, the other at Goodwood. If found please return to Mount Athos. Reward of an engraved Chester Cup and a Rugby League team for safe return. 

FOUND - consistency. Will swap for more ability to combat penalty. Contact Songcraft.

LOST - love, both of the game and from the public. Must try harder. Camborne.

FOUND - a big engine, firing on all cylinders at Goodwood Festival of Speed three weeks ago. Old model, though, with wear and tear. Make payment to H. Tweed, up front.

LOST - way. Was once a Model Pupil.

LOST - me, just lost. One minute I was in France, then Australia, now this. Any info appreciated. Tac de Boistron.
    
LOST - plot. Jehanne in the dark. 

After the uncertainty of the March Stakes, we come to the certainty of the August Stakes. A simple equation: Drop in grade + Hughes up + track to keep her occupied = a winning formula at last for Shirocco Star. Evens or above is a gift. 

The £100k Handicap:
(15:30 Goodwood)
The improvement well is surely running dry by now for recent winners Magic City and Glen Moss, but the hunch is that Pythagorean still has it all ahead of him, judged on the way he finished off to force a photo with the similarly-thriving Majestic Moon at the Glorious meeting. He has the worst of the draw, but Magic City showed the way as far as that goes over course and distance, and Pythagorean definitely has the tools - of a high cruising speed and sharp turn of foot - to overcome stall 18. All he has to do is put his mind to it, but, as we know, the mind does play tricks.

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