It's fair to say that both of Thursday's selections were dreadful.
Both selections shortened up in the market, especially Call Margot, but one finished last, and the other was second-to-last.
Get Outta Here took a different approach this time from his York run. Spencer was booked, so I expected a ride from the rear, but he went from the front. Just like York, his gas tank emptied, but this time he went backwards and did it quickly.
Call Margot has had a few close encounters with Naana's Sparkle, but it seems that the latter horse has continued her progression, whereas Call Margot hasn't. Based on the weight difference between the two and how close they were when they last met, when the weight difference was 2lbs, you'd expect Call Margot to be going close if the favourite was going to. For whatever reason, she didn't give her showing and was awful.
Beagle Bay 5/1 (1pt) – Goodwood 3.00
It does make me a little ill the fact that I'm backing a 9/2 favourite for a big field handicap at one of the biggest festivals this summer, but he fits the bill.
Apart from a couple of occasions, being drawn inside the first five stalls is where you want to be for this race. It's high risk; if the horse breaks slowly out of the gates, you're going to have a very tough passage through a wall of horses. However, the facts speak for themselves. Since 2014, there have been only two horses that have won from outside of the 1-5 stalls.
Beagle Bay is a horse you'd like to back in a handicap, but you'd hope that the odds were slightly better. He is a very lightly raced horse who clearly is improving at a fast rate. He won a Class 2 race at Sandown last time out in June, and has only gone up 5lbs for the win. The form looks very strong, and with more improvement likely, there's not much to dislike.
He is trained by a very good trainer in Ralph Beckett, and I think he could be tough to beat if he gets a nice position from the gates.
Jakajaro 6/1 (1pt EW, 4pl) – Goodwood 3.35
The sprint races in the UK are always interesting from a betting standpoint. With how the results constantly flip-flop, and we have no outstanding sprinter who can clear up all the big races, there are plenty of reasons why punters should get stuck in.
I tried to look for one at a big price, but the more I looked, the more I thought Jakajaro could be the angle.
Since they've let him loose and allowed him to stride on from the front, he has improved plenty. They tried to hold him up in his races, and it wasn't suiting him. He is a speedball, and over five furlongs at other tracks his stamina gets him beaten inside the final half furlong. However, Goodwood should allow him to keep some of the gas left in the tank for a final kick inside the final furlong due to the downhill nature of the track.
Wisper 16/1 (0.5pt EW, 3pl) – Goodwood 5.55
When the younger horses take on the older horses, I think we overlook the older horses and their prices can be far too big. I think this could be the case for Wisper, a horse I've followed quite a lot in her career, and she's done me no favours, but should have won plenty of times for us.
She is a frustrating horse, and that's due to the way she is ridden. She likes to come from the rear of the field and be produced late. She is a very strong traveller, and I tipped her up in this race a couple of years ago, where I think she should have won. This year, there are not as many runners, which should make her life much easier if they go a strong gallop.
There is every possibility that one or two will be too good for her, but she is not a 16/1 shot, and I think that price is major value. She has already won this year, and her numbers suggest that she isn't far off her best, which is some doing at the age of eight. Three places are on offer, so I felt like this was a no-brainer against the younger, unexposed horses.
GambleAware