One of my favourite sprint races each year is the Stewards’ Cup which takes centre stage on the final day of Glorious Goodwood. 28 runners running flat to the boards with loads of hard luck stories in running make these handicaps very exciting and especially if you bag a winner. Bet Alchemist members have had a stonking good week so far at Galway & Goodwood and hopefully today we can bag another winner having seen Red Avenger and Heavy Metal finish 1st and 2nd in the Betfred Mile yesterday.
There are some showers forecast overnight and into the morning at Goodwood and that will be welcome news to connections of both our selections Alben Star & Ashpan Sam. It’s not that they need soft ground certainly not Alben Star but good ground would be fine for both with no firm mentioned.
Alben Star has been in cracking form of late when finishing 4th at Royal Ascot behind stable mate Baccarat and then most unlucky when a very fast finishing 4th in the Scurry at the Curragh. Joseph O’Brien endured a nightmare trip that day at the Curragh but still almost snatched victory when finally seeing daylight with the horses that finished ahead of him that day Line of Reason, Zalty & Discussiontofollow franking that form by winning since or going close. Surely, Alben Star will get a clear run today and I believe the pace lies around him with the high drawn horses maybe even getting a toe off Ashpan Sam. Richard Fahey is a master of winning these valuable handicaps and jocks up excellent claimer George Challoner to take 3lbs off Alben Star’s back as if he will need it!
Ashpan Sam likes some cut in the ground so we are taking a chance that the rain will arrive but if it does then he is way overpriced for this race at 25/1. When you consider that he was just beaten on the line off a similar weight differential as today by Intrinsic over course and distance back in May, yet Intrinsic is 8/1 today! Ashpan Sam has won and finished second over this course and ran a cracker when winning from the front at Epsom on Derby day. He ran flat according to his trainer last time at Windsor but we can forgive him a poor run and Jimmy Fortune who won yesterday on Red Avenger takes over today. Expect to see him fly out of the stalls and take some catching.
Selection: 1 Point *EW Alben Star Goodwood 15:50 at 12/1 Ladbrokes else 11/1 PaddyPower with most bookies 5 places
Selection: 1 Point *EW Ashpan Sam Goodwood 15:50 at 33/1 Betvictor & 28/1 Coral & Sportingbet with most bookies 5 places
Best of luck,
Nicky
