Gm, Equinauts

Brilliant racing on display today for a Thursday. We have another day of Tony Carroll’s… sorry, Brighton’s summer festival. Sandown, meanwhile, hosts a really nice card, and the 18.13 sees two of racing’s most iconic colours at the top of the market.

There’s just something about seeing Juddmonte and Godolphin at the head of the betting. It gets the hairs standing up a little. And then you click on their pages…

Woof.

Juddmonte’s FLIGHT TRACKER is by super sire SEA THE STARS and is a full bro to MACDUFF. The Godolphin horse is by TOO DARN HOT and out of a mare who is an absolute rocket factory. SKITTER SKATTER, KINGS CHARTER, SKELLET and VICTORY DANCE have all come from her.

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Let’s dive in.

HEADLINE ROUNDUP

2️⃣1️⃣💥HOW GOOD IS HE?

Good Godolphin horses go off odds on. That’s just straight up facts.

So when the books pushed FORTITUDINE out to 7/2 from even money, pricing him up as if he'd lost a leg... and then another, it was clear there was ZERO confidence behind him.

But then this happened:

21 lengths was the winning margin and we're struggling to find a Flat horse that's ever won further on debut.

We were told he wasn't a bet. We posted it. And, as a result, became the laughing stock of Racing X... and the first victim of a new account called Freezing Cold Racing Takes. Fair play, that’s good banter.

(We imagine that’s going to be an amusing account to follow and we absolutely will NOT bet that we won’t be on it again).

Back to the FORTITUDINE.

In racing, there's a well-known saying: "It's a game of opinions."

It's true... to a point. Everyone has an opinion, but some are worth a lot more than others.

But last nights opinion wasn’t ours, it was the yards. Even the Doyler backed up what we were told:

His work at home is TERRIBLE. He never picks up the bridle (the reason why he’s been gelded). All the boys in blue abandoned him. Hence the drift.

So how does a horse who can barely go a gallop at home end up doing that?

A couple of things come to mind. Either the horse is the complete opposite to a morning glory horse (morning glory being they look smart at home and do nothing on track)

or the race was shockingly bad.

Let's go through what he beat (by 21 lengths), whether they were trying or not.

DIALSTONE will probably go over hurdles in a few years. TREBLE BASS might be the slowest horse Varian has. PURPLE MOON is by RIBCHESTER, who isn't exactly the most fashionable sire (and he too might end up over hurdles one day). BARACHIEL is so slow they ran him in bumpers first. Menuisier's pair are bred okay but looked to be out for marks, finishing well beaten in the rear. And in 9th it looks like Eve's ARKLAN needs another 237 miles.

In short, the race was shocking.

Looking back at the field, Godolphin's horse probably should have been a blind bet.

But hindsight is a wonderful thing.

Those 21 lengths looked bloody brilliant last night, but we're not convinced he's one to follow... for now, anyway. At least until he's beaten something of note.

🏇SHERGAR CUP WEEKEND

It’s the Shergar Cup this weekend and Saffie Osborne will wear captains armband for Team GB and Ireland, teaming up with Ryan Moore and Dylan Browne McMonagle as she looks to add another highlight to a standout season.

She’s been riding out of her skin this season. May was a career-best month, landing 19 winners from 101 rides. She won the Weatherby’s Super Sprint with ZIGZAG AH for Richard Spencer. Smashed in a treble on King George Day at Ascot. Bagged two big wins on the Glorious Goodwood stage.

In short, she’s flying.

Saffie, Ryan and Dylan will be up against three other teams: Hong Kong, making their Shergar Cup debut with Vincent Ho as captain; the Rest of the World, the competition’s most successful team with seven wins; and Europe, led by Japanese superstar Christophe Lemaire.

This meeting joins the World Pool for the first time. That’s a big deal.

The pools could be absolutely enormous, with Asian punters getting stuck in and potentially adding a completely different dynamic to the markets.

Will they be piling into Japanese icon Yutaka Take regardless of the horse underneath him? Or does the money come for their beloved Ryan Moore, who is treated like royalty across Asia?

There could be some value to be had.

More:

💚💛THE JUMPS

JP has added yet another proper prospect to his unbelievably powerful team after €500,000 point-to-point winner WALKONSEAS joined Dan Skelton’s yard.

The son of WALK IN THE PARK was the top lot at this year’s Goffs Punchestown Sale and joins Skelton’s growing team of McManus horses, including THE NEW LION.

Skelton also picked up €260,000 purchase ILIANS WAY from the same sale.

Several other six-figure purchases have also found new yards, with GARDEN MASTER joining Paul Nicholls for €275,000, MONJEU DE CHAILLAC heading to Olly Murphy after selling for €220,000, and PRIME CONTENDER joining Gordon Elliott after a €200,000 purchase.

Other notable recruits include VERNEY FOX and MUSIC MAKER (both €145,000), MIKEL ANGE SPIGAO (€125,000) and MAGIMAX (€125,000), who has joined Emma Lavelle.

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