Glorious Goodwood Betting Preview Part Two

Glorious Goodwood's five days of top-class racing comes to a thrilling conclusion on Saturday July 31 with the latest renewal of the fillies' classic, the Group1 Nassau Stakes and the staging of one of the season's most competitive handicaps in the Stewards' Cup.

The former race has always been one of the meeting's main attractions and this year the bookmakers have wasted little time in pricing up the mile and a quarter fillies' contest. It comes as no surprise to see that Midday, last year's winner of the Nassau, heads an open market at a best-priced 3-1. Henry Cecil's star filly was a brilliant winner of last season's race and a repeat success has been her aim ever since she returned to action behind Sariska in the Yorkshire Cup in May.

Midday was no match, however, for Shalanaya in last season's Prix de l'Opera and for all her undoubted talent she seems a very skinny price in a race that could field all manner of dangerous opponents including the French duo, Stacelita and Rosanara. The former has also been aimed at this valuable prize for some time now and connections are hopeful that some rain will fall and ease the famous Sussex turf.

If the rain fails to fall then Stacelita is a likely non-runner and for ante-post betting purposes she has to remain a no-go area at 4-1. Rosanara would have to be supplemented into the Nassau and until that happens bookmakers are rightly reluctant to quote a price on the Aga Khan's smart operator. She has suffered twice from trouble in running this season and I suspect that once she enjoys the rub of the green in a race Rosanara will show her true worth.

Elsewhere in the betting market Lillie Langtry and Music Show also figure at around the 7-1 mark but once again running plans concerning these two horses seem uncertain and punters are best advised to hold their bets. The same is also true of Aviate, who currently rates as a tempting 14-1 shot but she is in the same ownership as Midday and there might well be a conflict of interest here when it comes to the stable's representative in the race.

Marcus Tregoning has made it plain that his star filly Rumoush will tackle the Nassau's mile and a quarter trip and this race gives Tregoning's filly a chance to make up for her Oaks and 1,000 Guineas disappointments. The bookmakers currently quote Rumoush at the 12-1 mark and that seems about right for a filly who hasn't been able to cut it at the top level and I think she has plenty to prove if she is going to come out on top at Glorious Goodwood.

On the same day as the Nassau Stakes, punters face the puzzling prospect of trying to solve the Stewards' Cup and here we find a much more mature betting market than the one currently on offer for the Nassau. The weights for the six-furlong dash come out well in advance and the bookmakers have been given plenty of time to assess the prospects of the leading players.

It is no surprise to find that Genki, last year's winner of the race, heads the market at 8-1 along with Palace Moon, the Bunbury Cup runner-up and both horses are stalwarts of the sprinting scene. Of the two I narrowly prefer Genki who has shown improved form for Roger Charlton and though he is higher in the weights than a year ago he should go close again granted a decent draw.

The draw will of course be of vital importance in deciding the outcome of the Totesport Mile, the week's other big betting race that takes place on Friday July 30. A word of warning must be issued to punters because this is not a race to place a bet on until the draw has been made on Wednesday morning at the final declaration stage.

The Totesport Mile will nearly always be won by a horse drawn in one of the four highest stalls and it is something of an under-statement to suggest that high drawn horses hold a decided edge in handicaps up to a mile on the round course. A high berth is imperative to a successful punt on the Totesport Mile.

At the moment Ralph Beckett's Oasis Dancer looks an ideal type for the 'Mile' after a good victory on his latest start and if he pulls a plum draw in a high stall then he could be well worth a bet. Mark Johnston's St Moritz and Sea Lord are likely types too and both horses have sidestepped a tilt at the International Stakesat Ascot on King George day in order to wait for a crack at the Totesport Mile at Glorious Goodwood.