The tenacity of Tenabilty rescued the day on Saturday after a below par performance from Bulletsnap another extremely well fancied 2yo after Pure Majesty and Lady Rosalind to go backwards from a promising previous outing.
I cannot recall this happening more than once previously, of course plenty get beat but not with performances so far below their previous run. It highlights the difficulties faced with backing horses from the yard this summer. Like the previous two he looked unsettled by the preliminaries and was a drifter approaching the off.
High Degree ran well only beaten by a mud lover at Goodwood where although the forecast predicted they would miss the worst of the rain the track rode by the softest of the meetings in the south.
Don’t ask me why – but in recent years each August Bank Holiday Sunday William Haggas targets the 11f Seller at Goodwood. The prize money on offer of 13,000 is surely only part of the reason. His record over the past 4 years reads 3 runners 2 winners 1 second. Somewhat audaciously he aims to bring up the hat trick up this year with Lorna’s Waltz owned by the King and Queen !!
At face value his 2026 bid will require a huge slice of luck to be successful. Lorna’s Waltz ran dismally last time out at Ayr and the Jamie Osborne trained Gloryous is sent out again after a gutsy win on the AW on Wednesday. The market has seen money for Gloryus and a drift for Lorna’s Waltz which is realistic.
Bet ? No
In the Class 2 1 mile handicap at 2.00pm Masked Warrior tries to repeat the victory of the then Haggas trained Godwinson in this race in 2024.
Now trained by Jack Channon, Godwinson runs again on Sunday off top weight but this is ultra competitive featuring horses in top form and others returning to form off reduced marks.
There remains a doubt about the going at Goodwood on Sunday but whatever it is I still think Masked Warrior is poorly handicapped. His rating of 88 was inflated when he won a maiden at Kempton after being gifted a soft lead. His chance on Sunday is further compromised by being widest of all in stall 11.
I think Haggas will do very well to win another race with him whilst his mark is in the high 80’s.
Bet ? No
Al Aasy and Tom Marquand head to France for the Prix de Deauville hoping to fare better than More Thunder, Santorini Star, Tenability, Division and Elmonjed on the final day of racing this season at the Normandy based track.
I’ve never ben a fan of Deauville which although flat and sharp seems to produce races that are run very slowly- and or on ground that is highly unpredictable. The track has bought little joy to Somerville Lodge this summer and the expensive defeat of More Thunder sealed the deal and my opinion that it is not a place to bet.
That stance wasn’t an issue on Sunday because over two years ago I decided after numerous occasions where if I backed Al Aasy he lost and if I didn’t he won not to back him again.
I have been able to enjoy his career and will be cheering him on – in the hope he can be the first Deauville winner for Somerville Lodge since Klondike won the Group 3 Prix de Reux in August 2024.
Bet ? No
The Yarmouth card features a couple of runners both ridden by Harry Davies.
Kinswoman is of some interest in the Class 3 handicap over 5f at 2.55. This is her grade having been pitched into Class 1 and 2 company for much of the season.
On her last run at Newbury in a better race than this, albeit the same class 3 grade, she was 4th beaten just over 2L behind two proven Class 2 performers in the winner Rhythm N Hooves and third place Hucklesbrook who were both returning to form having been dropped in the weights.
The runner up was Hypnotised who reopposes on Sunday on 5lb worse terms. Which will make it very close between the pair. However I thought Hyponitised ran like the best horse in the race at Newbury and with the Roger Charlton stable in their best form of the season I think the improving 3yo who was pulled out a race on Saturday to run here will once again get the better of Kinswoman.
Bet ? No
In the 2yo Novice that opens the card at 2.20, Extragalactic makes his racecourse debut. I stand to be corrected but I think he will be the first Somerville Lodge runner for Old Gold Racing, whose chairman is Tom Waud the owner of Maltese Cross.
By Space Traveller he is bred to be a lot sharper as a 2yo than most of the Somerville Lodge juveniles. He is well drawn in stall 6 for a debutant and this race should be watched closely with the rest of his 2yo season in mind.
Bet ? No
No Bet Sunday but there looks a good opportunity on Monday.
Chrysalis Consortium 
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