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Squeeze the value out of Big Orange at Goodwood
Bookmakers are wounded. They could not get out of the way of the relentless support for The Gurkha in Wednesday’s Sussex Stakes.
The 15-8 rapidly contracted to 11-8 with reported five figure bets placed on Aidan O’Brien’s St James’s Palace Stakes runner-up. Some of the layers on course went 11-4 about Galileo Gold, and even out to 7-1 Awtaad!
Punters were treated to exceptional value in the early stages of day two as the wi-fi went down for the on-course bookmakers for the first two races.
Obviously the layers would have been able to call colleagues on mobiles, but even the signal on the Sussex Downs is far from reliable.
The Goodwood Stakes returned 124% for 20 runners, which is just over 1% a runner and the Gordon Stakes was 113% for 9 runners. That said, it was virtually impossible to find a bookmaker offering a quarter the odds the first four in the opening race.
There was some relief when the Molecomb Stakes went to Yalta in record time as some of my Channel 4 colleagues have backed James Doyle to be the Racing UK top jockey at the meeting and they were beginning to get worried.
He does not seem to have much of a chance in Thursday’s feature – the Qatar Goodwood Cup in which he rides Suegioo. It looks a great race, but it will have to be if it is to follow the epic battle between The Gurkha and Galileo Gold on Wednesday.
There are wonderful names lining up in this staying spectacle, including Big Orange, Pallasator, Quest For More, Curbyourenthusiasm plus Royal Ascot winners Sword Fighter, Commissioned and Kinema.
I have to go for Big Orange to repeat the win of twelve months ago - he was so brilliant at Newmarket’s July meeting so he is hard to resist.
As for the rest of the card it looks to me like it belongs in the “Too Difficult” tray but have a look at Teotonic and Muhadathat in the last for the in-form Mark Johnston.
Earlier in the day the declarations came out for Friday’s card and Franklin D has got the coveted stall one in the Betfred Mile – you beauty. Now all he has got to do is win. One of the dangers in my book has to be Celestial Path, he will have it all to do from the wilderness that is stall 17!
Just a reminder that the USPGA starts tomorrow. I’m on Jim Furyk, Brandt Snedeker and Jason Day, so fingers crossed for that trio.
Tanya Stevenson’s Glorious Goodwood day three tip:
3.10 Goodwood: Big Orange at 4-1 generally available
