listed race at Goodwood

Today´s Redcar meeting has been abandoned after all the rain, but there is still some good racing today, notably at Goodwood, where there is a listed race over 10 furlongs at 16.40 CET. Ektihaam (Roger Varian/ Paul Hanagan), one of two 3yo´s in the line-up of 6, is the likely favourite here; he last ran in the French Derby, a very rough race in which he was well beaten, but his second place in the Dante before that is good form.

Of the older horses, we like Pisco Sour (Saeed bin Suroor/ Frankie Dettori) and Questioning (John Gosden/ William Buick) best. Voodoo Prince (Ed Dunlop/ Kieren Fallon) has a great pedigree, being by Kingmambo out of Ouija Board, but we are not sure that he is up to this class. We do however like his younger half-brother by Monsun, Aegaeus (Dunlop/ Dettori) in the second division of the 3yo handicap at 16.10; he ran 3 times without showing much in the spring, but now reappears with a very favourable rating. The first division at 15.35 can go to Ed´s father John Dunlop, who saddles Man of Plenty (Dane O´Neill). Dunlop, due to retire at the end of the season, always does well at this track, and so does Amanda Perrett, and we cannot resist a little each-way bet on her Classic Vintage (Tom Queally) in the 1 1/2 mile handicap at 17.15; his recent form is awful, but he runs his best races here.

Many of the jockeys riding here will also be in action at this evening´s Kempton meeting, where we hope that Kieren Fallon can land a double for Mark Johnston with Henry Clay at 19.20 and The Bells of Peover two hours later.

There is jumps racing today at Perth in Scotland and Downpatrick in N.Ireland. The card at Perth ends with two decent handicap over 3 miles - a chase at 17.30 and over hurdles at 18.05. Both look very tricky, but we go for the likely improver Blazin White Face (Lucinda Russell/ Peter Buchanan) in the former, despite the fact that she has never yet run beyond 2 1/2 miles, and in the latter the German-bred Soprano (Jim Goldie/ Henry Brooke), who is fit from the flat. At Downpatrick, Willie Mullins and Ruby Walsh can continue their good run with Zadarska in the maiden hurdle at 17.35.