Racing got underway at Glorious Goodwood yesterday (Tuesday 29th) and will run through to Saturday when the big betting race of the week, which is the Stewards Cup, will be run. There are two Group 1 races at the meeting the first being today the Sussex Stakes a race for 3yo+ over 1 mile. Henrythenavigator (pictured beating New Approach in our 2000 Guineas) is a hot favourite for this. Everything points to him winning but Ravens Pass takes him on again and will make him pull out all the stops. The other Group 1 is the Nassau Stakes run on Saturday over one mile one furlong for 3yo+ fillies and mares. Lush Lashes is fancied for this. My favourite race of the meeting is the Goodwood Cup run over two miles for 3yo's+ on Thursday. Yeats will be a warm order for this but he has to give 5lbs to his stable companion Honolulu. He and Distinction might represent better value for the eachway punter. For all the runners and riders together with the jockeys' colours click on the sporting life. For all the runners and riders with the jockey's colours go to Paddy Power and click on "Horse Racing".

The King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes was first run in 1951. It was a race designed for the finest horses from different generations and different countries to compete over one and a half miles. The winner would be reconized as a true champion. My blog in July 2007 itemised past winners of the race and like last year, the race this year has lost some of its appeal as there are no visitors from overseas and no three year olds running. This years race looks as though it is between Duke of Marmalade (pictured) and Youmzain. If the field remains at eight runners then there might be some each way value come tomorrow. Lucarno won well at Newmarket having received a brillant ride from Jimmy Fortune. Papul Bull should have finished closer to him but is now 5lb worse off at the weights. In last years St Leger Stakes which Lucarno won, Macarthur finished sixth but was only just over a lengh behind and would have gone close to winning had he not have been short of room for much of the final 2 furlongs. He very nearly caused an upset in the Coronation Cup over one and a half miles at Epsom at the beginning of June when taking up the running five furlongs out. He was eventually caught by his stable companion Soldier of Fortune and then Youmzain. He won the Hardwicke Stakes over course and distance at Royal Ascot later that month and could be the each way value provided there is a full field. Although he has not run over the distance before Duke of Marmalade is expected to win again. For all the runners and riders with jockey's colours click on sporting life. For all the runners and riders with the jockey's colours go to Paddy Power and click on "Horse Racing".

This meeting is my favourite of the Flat racing calendar and this years meeting was exceptionally enjoyable. Wednesday's Group 1 Falmouth Stakes, run in the pouring rain, showed how unlucky Nahoodh (pictured) was in the 1000 Guineas. She was given a great ride by Frankie Dettori and clearly relished the softer ground. Majestic Roi appeared not to act on the ground. On Thursday Jimmy Fortune stole the riding honours on Lucarno in winning the Princess of Wales's Stakes. Papul Bull was catching Lucarno fast but Ryan Moore had been out ridden by Jimmy Fortune. On Friday we were joined by my old school chum Pete and the proceedings started well with Duntulm from the Henry Candy yard winning the first race by a short head. This gave me my stake for a punt on Marchand D'Or in the July Cup. He won in the last stride but I had to suffer another photo finish. In the Bunbury Cup Handicap, run before the July Cup, Lovelace looked a very unlucky loser. Ryan Moore again appeared to give his mount too much to do. The Henry Candy stable very nearly won the last race with Candle in the Egerton House Stables Handicap over one and a half miles. Candle went down by 1/2 a length in a driving finish. So finished a terrific days racing. We then moved on to one of our favourite watering holes, The White Hart at Great Yeldham, where our dear friends Steve and Julie joined us. They had not seen Pete for 30 odd years so there was a lot of catching up to do with plenty of reminising. With the Candy stable horses in great form I started to reminisce of the early eighties and that great filly Henry Candy trained, Time Charter. After seeing her run second in the 1000 Guineas of 1982 I decided to follow her. She did not let me down, winning the Oaks at 12/1 and then the Sun Chariot Stakes followed by the Champion Stakes when she fairly slaughted the field and won by seven lengths. She was kept in training for a four year old campaign and her first run of the 1983 season was to be in the Jockey Club Stakes at Newmarket. I went along to Newmarket in order to have a right punt on her. I managed to get 4/1 about her and thought I was going to collect when she came through to lead halfway through the final furlong. Billy Newnes did not touch her with the whip and she was collared by Electric ridden by Walter Swinburn, going down by a head. I am sure to this day that if maximum pressure had been applied she would have won. Still I am talking through my pocket as I still have the losing betting ticket! How sad is that. Time Charter repaid my faith and won the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Ascot in the July. She won the Coronation Cup at Epsom as a five year old when ridden by Steve Cauthan, but that was her only victory that season. In her career she won nine of her twenty races and ran some cracking races in defeat. She was very well handled by Henry Candy who obviously learnt his craft from his father Derrick Candy. He too was a trainer I followed in the early sixties. He trained a mile and half handicapper called Dear Gazelle who did me a few favours back then. He won eight races over 1959, 1960 and 1961. He was a thoroughly game, genuine and consistent horse. Happy memories. For all your runners and riders and jockeys' colours click on the sporting life and go to racecards. For all the runners and riders with the jockey's colours go to Paddy Power and click on "Horse Racing".

The Newmarket July Meeting gets underway tomorrow 9th July and my blog is much the same as a year ago. The weather forecast is for rain for the three days so I am sure there will be quite a few non runners. There are two Group 1's this year. The Falmouth Stakes for 3yo+ fillies and mares will be run over 1 mile tomorrow. Darjina, if she runs, is the favourite and has every chance after her excellent run at Ascot. I will have an interest in Majestic Roi trained by Mick Channon who also ran an excellent race at Ascot. She should represent some each way value. The other Group 1 is of course the race of the week, the July Cup, run over 6 furlongs on Friday for 3yo+. I guess by Friday we will be searching for those horses that act on soft ground. Marchand d'Or and Utmost Respect might be the ones to topple the favourite Kingsgate Native. For all the runners and riders click on the sporting life. Be lucky. For all the runners and riders with the jockey's colours go to Paddy Power and click on "Horse Racing".

What a fabulous months Flat Racing June provided. It all started at Epsom for the Derby meeting when Johnny Murtagh gave Soldier of Fortune an excellent ride to win the Coronation Cup. On the same day Look Here was a very good winner of the Oaks for Ralph Beckett and Seb Sanders. In the Derby New Approach's chance looked to have gone after about three furlongs by the way he was pulling for his head but he fairly flew up the Epsom straight under a powerful ride from Kevin Manning. A tremendous performance and lets hope we see him on the racecourse again. Royal Ascot belonged to Aidan O'Brien and Johnny Murtagh with six winners which included Haradasun, Henrythenavigator, Duke of Marmalade and Yeats. Yeats looked stronger than ever in winning his third Ascot Gold Cup. His natural replacement looks to be Septimus who reappeared at the Curragh last Saturday in the Attheraces Curragh Cup. However Honolulu showed that he could also go for the top staying honours when putting up a great staying performance in the Queen Alexandra Stakes. He clearly demonstrated that the step up in trip was exactly what he has been crying out for. Lush Lashes was an easy winner of the Coronation Stakes over one mile. She seems another classy inmate of the Jim Bolger yard. Her next race could be in the Irish Oaks over one and a half miles. Majestic Roi ran a nice race in finishing fourth carrying a Group 1 penalty in the Windsor Forest Stakes. She could now be going for the Falmouth Stakes at Newmarket next week. Sakhee's Secret ran a stinker in the Golden Jubilee Stakes and was clearly not suited by the over watered ground. This was reminiscent of his performance at Haydock last autumn on similar ground. Difficult to understand why connections bothered to run him. Kingsgate Native was a good winner of this race and will now go for the July Cup at Newmarket where he will have every chance. Ravens Pass would be an interesting runner in this race if allowed to take his chance. As good as Aidan O'Brien's feat of training six winners at Royal Ascot was, it still does not beat Vincent O'Briens seven winners (from eight runners) at Royal Ascot in 1975. Another brilliant trainer from Ireland is Tony Martin. His Arc Bleu won the Northumberland Plate at Newcastle. In a rough race he was well ridden by Adrian Nicholls. Arc Bleu was initially only a reserve for this race and did not get his chance until Friday. He was promptly made antepost favourite for the race. I bet those who took a short price were a bit sick of the starting return of 14/1 ! On Sunday in France Youmzain beat a high class field in the Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud. The strong early pace set for Soldier of Fortune suited him better. He was intelligently ridden by Richard Hughes who got first run on the field, thereby reversing Coronation Cup places with Soldier of Fortune. The Irish Derby also run on Sunday was a muddling affair. Alessandro Volta caused all manner of problems by swerving away from the whip in the straight. The winner, Frozen Fire, who was affected along with Curtain Call, Casual Conquest and Tartan Bearer clearly had the best turn of foot to get him home. At Epsom Frozen Fire and Curtain Call were both looked after by their jockeys Mick Kinane and Jamie Spencer when their chances had gone through not acting on the course. This obviously helped their chances on Sunday. Tartan Bearer looked as though he had not completely recovered from his hard race at Epsom. After all he had only just beaten Frozen Fire in the Dante at York. On Sunday evening Spain deservedly won the European Championship. They played the game as it should be played. It was thoroughly entertaining and the score line of 1-0 could so easily have been 5-0. It was a bit like watching Ipswich at Portman Road last season ! The month ended on Monday evening with a superb performance by Andy Murray at Wimbledon. He looked as though he was going out in three straight sets but fought back for a memorable victory which sees him into the quarter finals on Wednesday against Nadal. For all your runners and riders and jockey's colours click on sporting life. For all the runners and riders with the jockey's colours go to Paddy Power and click on "Horse Racing".