MOORE BULLISH ABOUT TRAFFIC GUARD IN Bluesquarepoker.com THOROUGHBRED STAKES
*DON’T DILI DALI SET TO CONTEST BLUE SQUARE NASSAU STAKES*
Lambourn trainer Stan Moore believes that Traffic Guard is the one to beat in the £30,000 Listed Bluesquarepoker.com Thoroughbred Stakes (2.45pm) at Glorious Goodwood on Saturday, August 4, the final day of the five-day festival.
The mile contest, which last season saw the Mark Johnston-trained Prince Of Light hold Metropolitan Man in an exciting finish, has attracted a 17-strong entry.
Moore revealed today: “As long as the ground is fast, he will go to Goodwood. The horse is in fantastic form and if I do run him I think he’ll take a lot of beating. He’s a very good horse.
“There are a few other options abroad for him but if the ground is right, then there’s a 110% chance that he’ll run at Goodwood.”
Traffic Guard ran with great credit at the Dubai International Racing Carnival earlier in the year, twice taking the runner-up spot behind the highly-regarded Group One BGC Sussex Stakes hope Asiatic Boy in the Group Three UAE 2,000 Guineas in February.
The three-year-old More Than Ready colt was unplaced in the Boylesports Irish 2,000 Guineas and then took fourth behind Tariq in the Group Three Jersey Stakes at Royal Ascot in June , before running home strongly to defeat Drumfire in a mile conditions even at Newmarket on July 12.
The Uplands handler said: “He won well at Newmarket and his runs in Dubai were very good. He was second to Asiatic Boy twice and was sixth to him in the UAE Derby, with some good foreign horses behind him.
“His Newmarket win was a nice confidence booster for and there’s a possibility he could go to Hungary on September 9, for a big race there. I would say that his Goodwood run would be his last in England and then he’ll have one more run before having a break ahead of next year’s Dubai Carnival.”
The Listed Bluesquarepoker.com Thoroughbred Stakes entry also includes the Mark Johston-trained dual Listed winner Dubai’s Touch, the Godolphin duo Glen Nevis and Rallying Cry, the Barry Hills-trained French 2,000 Guineas fifth Thousand Words, French 1,000 Guineas third Rahiyah from the Jeremy Noseda yard, the Sylvester Kirk trained Group Three winner Caldra, the four-timer seeking Mutajarred, and Britannia Handicap winner Eddie Jock.
Moore is looking for an improved effort from his Listed winner Don’t Dili Dali in what is shaping up to be a fantastic renewal of the Group One Blue Square Nassau Stakes (3.20pm) on Saturday.
The four-year-old filly was a slightly unlucky third to Echelon in the Group Three Stanjamesuk.com Dahlia Stakes at Newmarket in May but has failed to fire in three subsequent outings. She is priced at 100/1 by Blue Square.
Moore reported: “Don’t Dili Dali has been slightly disappointing of late but I think she’s been a bit unlucky in running. She’s more than likely going to take her chance in the Blue Square Nassau Stakes.
“I think if things go right, she’s a class act. Whether she’s up to winning the race is another matter, but if you don’t buy a ticket you don’t get the prize.
“She’s competed at good levels and she’s a good tough filly. She just needs everything to click and she’ll put up a good performance.”
The £200,000 Blue Square Nassau Stakes (3.20pm) promises to be a thriller with English Oaks winner Light Shift (3/1) set to renew rivalry with her Irish Oaks conqueror Peeping Fawn (11/4), while French ace Mandesha is the 9/4 favourite with the sponsor.
Dual Guineas winner Finsceal Beo (5/1), Nannina (6/1), Speciosa (14/1) and Yaqeen (14/1) all add spice to the Group One contest on Saturday.
Saturday also sees the £100,000 Blue Square.com Stewards’ Cup (3.55pm) over six furlongs, which is one of the top sprint handicaps in the calendar. An amazing 111 horses have gone forward for the race, which has a 28-runner safety limit, at today’s confirmation stage.
The sponsor bets
Zidane 7/1
Knot In Wood 8/1
Something 9/1
Balthazaar's Gift 10/1
Viking Spirit 10/1
Protector 12/1
Intrepid Jack 14/1
Mutamared 14/1
Fantasy Believer 14/1
Machinist 14/1
Borderlescott 14/1
Grantley Adams 16/1
20/1 Bar
Blue Square is sponsoring each of the seven races on Blue Square raceday, Saturday, August 4.
TOP-CLASS OPENING TO GLORIOUS GOODWOOD
The opening day of Glorious Goodwood 2007, tomorrow Tuesday, July 31, has plenty of top-class racing, with the undoubted highlight being the £150,000 Group Two Betfair Cup (3.25pm) over seven furlongs.
A superb 13-strong line-up features exciting three-year-olds Tariq and Arabian Gleam, first and third in the Group Three Jersey Stakes at Royal Ascot on June 20, impressive Royal Hunt Cup victor Royal Oath, runner-up in the Group Two Summer Mile at Ascot earlier this month, Asset, sixth in the Group One Darley July Cup on July 13, and last year’s third Assertive.
The £50,000 Group Three Gordon Stakes (2.50pm), run over 12 furlongs, has attracted a cracking entry of 10, including Epsom Derby third Aqaleem, Yellowstone and Lion Sands, third and fourth in the Group Two King Edward VII Stakes at Royal Ascot on June 22, and King George V Handicap scorer Heron Bay, who will all be out to enhance their St Leger claims.
Starlit Sands lost her unbeaten record when touched off by Elletelle in the Group Two Queen Mary Stakes at Royal Ascot on June 20. Sir Mark Prescott’s filly bids to get back on the winning trail against 15 rivals in the £50,000 Group Three Betfair Molecomb Stakes (4.00pm), run over five furlongs.
The terrific racing continues on Wednesday, August 1, when the £300,000 Group One BGC Sussex Stakes is the highlight.
Excellent Art, Ramonti and Asiatic Boy all feature among the eight declared runners for the mile championship event.
Excellent Art, trained by champion Aidan O’Brien in Ireland, won the Group One St James’s Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot last time out and stable companions Archipenko and Trinity College also line up.
Godolphin’s Ramonti gamely captured the Group One Queen Anne Stakes at Royal Ascot, while the South African-trained star Asiatic Boy runs in Britain for the first time.
Sir Michael Stoute has Jeremy, narrowly defeated by Ramonti last month, while Ed Dunlop saddles Munaddam as he bids to secure back-to-back victories in the race following Court Masterpiece’s success last year. The excellent field is completed by a fourth Irish raider, the Kevin Prendergast-trained Decado.
GOOD GOING NOW AT GOODWOOD
After walking the course this afternoon (Monday, July 30), Seamus Buckley, the Goodwood clerk of the course, is now describing the going as GOOD for the start of the five-day Glorious Goodwood Festival tomorrow, with a GoingStick reading of 8.0.
He said: “We are delighted with the way the course has dried out - this is the second consecutive dry day we have had.
“I predict the ground will ride just on the slower side of good for the first day (Tuesday, July 31). The forecast is for the weather to remain settled well into this week.”
There is temporary rail on the far side of the course, dolled out to a width of six metres, from the six-furlong pole to the winning post on the round course. There is also two furlongs of temporary rail on the top bend, dolled out three metres wide.
Buckley added: “We will remove the temporary rail for the last three furlongs (from the three-furlong marker to the winning post) of the round course on Wednesday evening, giving fresh ground up the straight on Thursday.
“The other three furlongs of the temporary rail on the round course will be taken down after racing on Thursday to give fresh ground on the lower bend for Friday.
“The temporary rail on the top bend will be removed at the end of racing on Friday to give fresh ground for the Blue Square Nassau Stakes on Saturday.”
BLUE SQUARE NASSAU STAKES
Class 1, Group One, £200,000 total prize fund, 1m 1f 192 yds, 3.20pm, Saturday, August 4, 2007, for three-year-olds and upwards, fillies and mares only Weights: three-year-old 8st 10lb, four-year-old and upwards 9st 5lb. Entries announced Tuesday, July 17, 2007 (26 entries). Final declaration stage 10.00am Thursday, August 2, 2007 Form supplied by Weatherbys and is correct up to and including the racing of Sunday, July 29. May not include some overseas form.
Form Horse Age/wt Owner Trainer
36(2)3000 DON’T DILI DALI 4-9-05 Peter Webb & Peter Lay Stan Moore
D111-12 MANDESHA (FR) 4-9-05 Princess Zara Aga Khan Alain de Royer Dupre FR
345-314 NANNINA 4-9-05 Cheveley Park Stud John Gosden
406-202 SPECIOSA (IRE) 4-9-05 Michael Sly, Dr Tom Davies, Pam Sly Pam Sly
11-1210 FINSCEAL BEO (IRE) 3-9-05 Michael Ryan Jim Bolger IRE
231-1112 LIGHT SHIFT (USA) 3-8-10 Niarchos Family Henry Cecil
3213211 PEEPING FAWN (USA) 3-8-10 Michael Tabor & Sue Magnier Aidan O'Brien IRE
41-0205 SWEET LILLY 3-8-10 Jaber Abdullah MickChannon
3-1601 YAQEEN 3-8-10 Hamdan Al Maktoum Michael Jarvis
9 entries remain at five-day confirmation stage today, Monday, July 30, 2007
2 Irish-trained
1 French-trained
