Nick Luck
Nick Luck’s William Hill blog: Seagulls cause for Celebration at Goodwood
William Hill ambassador Nick Luck casts his expert eye over Saturday’s racing from Goodwood and Sandown.
Saturday, Goodwood
ROKU NANA is a token suggestion to take the TV opener at Goodwood on Saturday (1.25). Lily Pink sets a nice enough standard, but her debut form has yet to be tested, so it’s hard to get a handle on. The selection is related to multiple winners of well above average ability (including in stakes company), is by the hottest young sire around who was handled by this very much in-form trainer.
GHOST MODE is taken to follow up his Festival win here last month (2.00). He’s not the easiest, but this rider has done a good job with him, and the step up to this distance did the trick last time. He was all over the shop late, but was probably more a disservice to himself than others, and could easily be value for more than the four pounds that he rose in the handicap.
CLASSICAL ALLUSION remains interesting (2.35) By far the least exposed of these, his career hasn’t exactly moved forward as expected after his good second at Kempton earlier in the year. That said, he has one go over too far, followed by one where clearly something was amiss. The comeback was much more encouraging and – if that has knocked the freshness out of him – he can start rebuilding off what now looks a favourable mark.
SEAGULLS ELEVEN is the percentage call in the Celebration Mile (3.10). There’s not much juice in his price, but he has the most reliable profile this season, loves this track, and will absolutely appreciate any rain that falls. I’m not wild about Zavateri off the back of his York run, for all that his Sussex effort augured well.
QUEEN OF SCOTLAND could be good enough to make a winning debut in the Fillies’ Maiden (3.45). She is out of a useful mare, herself the daughter of a strong staying Group One winner, and connections have been quite patient with her. The form standard set is by no means insurmountable and she represents a yard that can have one ready.
Saturday, Sandown
TALL TREES looks a biggish price to get off the mark in the high value maiden at Sandown (1.40). Admittedly she’s been beaten four times, but she’s faced some very tough tasks, and has kept improving, arguably unlucky not to win a Listed here last time. For all the newcomers look appealing, she sets a pretty high standard with the stable among the winners.
STEM looks wildly overpriced in the ten-furlong handicap (2.15). There are some attractive-looking improvers from top stables here, but he finally got it all together here quite impressively two runs back, and the handicapper has barely noticed. He can go well again with his last run (saddle slipped) a complete throughout.
PACIFIC MISSION is another who looks too big in the Atalanta (2.50). This looks a warm edition of this Group 3, but she has had limited opportunity to shine this season, and ran most encouragingly behind Calendar Girl in a similarly hot race for the grade at Haydock. She might not to be four times the price of that rival.
BREACHER might just be as good as his trainer thinks in the Solario (3.30). Albeit a few in here look generously priced with stakes form under their belts, the selection did impress at Salisbury, powering through the line in a respectable time, with a subsequent Goodwood Festival winner well in arrears. He might not want too much rain to fall, but otherwise a big run can be expected.
