Who To Follow On Day Two At Glorious Goodwood

The Sussex Stakes looks like it might be the race of the year, the market attention is being held towards the top of the betting with the Irish and English Guineas winners lining up.

At an each way price Aidan O’Brien sends over Vatican City off the back of a respectable run in the Derby. The trip maybe taxed him too much but his run before saw him come second to Siskin in the Irish 2000 Guineas.

He didn’t get much luck in running but when he got the daylight to run into he finished powerfully into a never troubling second.

Double digit odds underestimates his chances with that line of form in the books with a clearer run.

Roger Varian loves having winners at the big festivals having had a stunning Royal Ascot and yesterday kickstarted his Glorious Goodwood in the lucky last with Believe In Love at 11/1.

Today again he has some smart chances and has to be followed from the outset with the 11/8 favourite Waliyak in the first race of the day.

The eye is immediately drawn to this filly, who’s second at Royal Ascot in the Sandringham stakes is a stand out piece of form.

The winner Onassis has since followed up by winning a Listed race over in France so the form looks rock solid.

Only up 3lbs in the handicap for that effort, the slight move up in trip is likely to draw out the improvement necessary to notch a win for Roger Varian and David Egan.

Varian has had 10 winners from his las 56 runners over the last fortnight with sees him running at a strike rate of 17.86%.

The champion jockey Oisin Murphy is yet to get going at the Goodwood festival after drawing a blank on the first day but the young irishman looks to have some nice mounts today.

Looking to land another Group One on Kameko in the Sussex Stakes he also has some nice rides later on in the day, especially in the last race on board Toro Strike.

As a two year old the Richard Fahey trained colt came 3rd in a course and distance race at last year’s festival. Making Reappearance at Royal Ascot in the Britannia Stakes he ran creditably to come 5th in the big field.

The soft ground and one mile trip was probably not his ideal conditions so coming back down to 7 furlongs on firmer ground gives him a much better chance.

With the run under his belt to open the pipes up, he looks progressive enough to out run a mark of 94, especially with Murphy always getting the best out of his horses in running.