DARK RED

1.50 MATCHBOOK BETTING EXCHANGE HANDICAP (TUESDAY)

Dark Red has unfinished business with this race having finished first past the post a year ago only to be demoted by the stewards. He’s improved again since that performance, and the fitting of blinkers has seen him take his game to a new level, winning at York in October and putting in several solid efforts in defeat this term, most notably when the only horse to make ground from off the pace in the valuable Seaton Delaval Stakes at Newcastle won by Humbert.

That came over a mile and Dark Red did sterling late work to finish second having travelled typically well. The return to 10 furlongs will suit, and despite arriving on a career-high mark, he looks to have an excellent chance of righting last year’s wrongs.

RUMBLE INTHEJUNGLE

3.00 MARKEL INSURANCE MOLECOMB STAKES (WEDNESDAY)

In 2012, Mick Channon won this contest with the speedy Bungle Inthejungle, and six years later the freshman sire has a chance of scoring another success with his son Rumble Inthejungle. A winner on his debut at Salisbury in May before finishing an excellent fourth in the Norfolk Stakes despite being in the van the whole way, the effort of throwing down a sustained challenge to winner Shang Shang Shang perhaps took its toll in the final yards.

That speed will serve him better at Goodwood, with the track favouring those who can force it at this sort of trip, and it’s worth noting that he has had this race on his agenda since, with trainer Richard Spencer not tempted by other targets. He looks all speed, and very much in the mould of his sire and he’s also a sprinter in physique and will get better as the season goes on.

Spencer is not yet a household name, but he is gaining a deserved reputation as an excellent handler of juveniles, and he has sent out five individual two-year-old winners this month alone. He won’t have left any stone unturned in his quest to win this contest and his colt looks good value at around 9/1 at the time of writing.

PILASTER

2.25 QATAR LILLIE LANGTRY STAKES (THURSDAY)

The Lillie Langtry Stakes isn’t one of the most prestigious races of the week, but as a staying race for blacktype fillies and mares it plays an important role in the pattern and a renewed interest in breeding for stamina will help bring it more into focus in coming years. Another aspect of the programme which is beginning to shed its unfashionable image is all-weather racing, and the two meet here in the shape of the exciting Pilaster, who looked very exciting when winning a competitive fillies’ novice at Kempton over 1½m recently, slamming a filly called Galmarley by a facile six lengths.

The runner-up was an impressive winner on her handicap debut at Newbury subsequently, showing that the Kempton race had been underrated at the time.

Pilaster is by Nathaniel out of an Hernando mare, and a half-sister to St Leger fourth Windshear, so looks likely to relish the Lillie Langtry trip, and she hails from a yard which seems to be putting a fair number of horses aside for this particular meeting.

With only three career starts to date, she is almost certain to improve a fair bit beyond her current rating and could go to the very top given the impression she made at Kempton.

WHAT’S THE STORY

3.00 UNIBET GOLDEN MILE HANDICAP (FRIDAY)

Solving the Golden Mile is a complicated business, mainly as it’s hard to work out which progressive types will get a run from lenient marks, but the short answer to that is “not many” unless there are a lot of defections. If the majority of entries stand their ground, then there is a strong chance that the final field will be largely composed of fully exposed milers who need everything to drop right in order to defy stiff marks.

In that event, not that many really appeal as being well enough treated or indeed suited to the demands of the contest. One exception is Hunt Cup fourth What’s The Story, who is still lightly raced, and was having just his fourth start at a mile when running such a big race at Ascot, and while he’s run creditably over further either side of that effort, he looks to me to be ideally suited by a strongly run race at this trip.

It could hardly be argued that he failed to stay in the John Smith’s Cup at York, but he didn’t finish the race with any great gusto having travelled well, and that underlines the notion that he will prove best at shorter, whatever his pedigree may suggest.

He’s also entered for the Colm Quinn BMW Mile at Galway, and connections may be tempted there, but he’s all but guaranteed a run at Goodwood, and would be of definite interest if taking his place in the line-up.

POLYBIUS

3.40 UNIBET STEWARDS’ CUP STAKES (SATURDAY)

Polybius looks likely to get a run in the Stewards’ Cup from somewhere near the foot of the weights, and David Simcock’s charge gives the impression that there is a big effort in him, lightly raced on home soil for the past couple of seasons after all, and he was Group 3-placed earlier in his career.

Polybius was runner-up off a mark of 102 in a hugely competitive handicap at Ascot a year ago and has slipped to 97 after another fruitless trip to Meydan earlier in the year. He very much caught the eye in a five-furlong handicap at Ascot behind Spring Loaded last time, though, and looks poised for a return to his best.

A step back up in trip is what’s required and he’s often saved his best for big-field handicaps with a strong pace, which he will surely get here.