Glorious Goodwood Festival Day 2
1:50pm 1m4f Coral Rewards Shaker Handicap (Class 2) (3yo 0-105)
Infraad looks the type who’s only just getting started, and there’s plenty to like about him going into his next run. He burst onto the scene when bolting up in a Pontefract maiden over 1m2f, travelling like a proper horse and putting the race to bed with ease. That performance marked him out as a colt with serious potential, and nothing he’s done since has suggested otherwise. His handicap debut at Chester didn’t go smoothly, slowly away, keen early, no clear run, then flying home late, yet he was still beaten only 1¼ lengths off this mark. In truth, he should have finished much closer. That effort told you two things, he’s learning, and he’s improving. Now stepping up to 1m4f, he looks ready to show what he can really do.
He’s a big, strong, good‑moving colt, a close relation to Group 1 winner Nezwaah, and he already holds a Great Voltigeur entry, which says plenty about how highly he’s regarded. With the top jockey back on board and conditions that suit, he handles good and soft, effective from 8 to 10f and everything points towards a sharper, more polished performance this time. In short, Infraad is unexposed, progressive, and better than his Chester run. With a cleaner trip and the extra distance, he’s primed to step forward and gain compensation before climbing to bigger targets.
Selection: Infraad 10/3 with BetMGM
2:25pm 5f British Stallion Studs EBF Alice Keppel Fillies' Conditions Stakes (Class 2)
Hidden Gift has shaped like a filly with plenty of natural pace and the promise of more to come. She first made a big impression at Ripon, finishing second on debut over 5f, travelling smoothly and showing the kind of early speed you can’t teach. That run alone hinted she’d be winning races soon enough. Connections didn’t hang about, sending her straight into the Group 3 Albany at Royal Ascot. Up to 6f, she was asked to do plenty from the front and showed bags of zest before understandably tiring late on, beaten 5½ lengths. It was still a very smart effort for a filly having just her second start, and it confirmed that the extra furlong stretched her at this stage.
Today’s drop back to 5f looks absolutely the right call. She’s a £150,000 breeze‑up purchase with scope, she handles a sound surface, and she’s already proven she’s sharp enough for this trip. With that Albany experience behind her, she should be more settled, more polished, and able to use her natural speed to better effect. Wild Blossom, Fast Track and Zigazig Ah all have claims, but Hidden Gift’s blend of pace, professionalism and untapped improvement makes her the one to side with.
Selection: Hidden Gift 4/1 with BetMGM
3:00pm 7f Rolls-Royce Oak Tree Stakes (Group 3) (Fillies & Mares) (Class 1)
Zanthos has plenty more to offer than her bare form this season suggests. She was a very classy 2yo, winning twice over 7f on fast ground and producing her standout performance when making virtually all to land the Group 2 Rockfel Stakes at Newmarket. That run showed her ideal conditions clearly, 7f, quick ground, and the chance to use her stride. This year hasn’t gone to plan, but the excuses are solid. She was bogged down in the French 1,000 Guineas on heavy ground over a mile, a trip that stretched her and a surface she couldn’t act on. Then she was dropped to 6f for the Commonwealth Cup, where she simply got run off her feet against top‑class sprinters. Even so, she wasn’t disgraced finishing midfield, beaten 10 lengths, and that run at least confirmed she retains her speed.
Today’s setup looks far more suitable. Back to her proper trip of 7f, on a sound surface, with a first‑time tongue‑tie to help her finish off, she has every chance of bouncing back. Oisin Murphy keeps the ride is another positive, he knows the track and gets high‑cruising fillies into rhythm. If she rediscovers anything close to her Rockfel form, Zanthos can play a major role.
Selection: Zanthos 4/1 with BetMGM
3:35pm.5f Veuve Clicquot Molecomb Stakes (Group 3) (Class 1)
Adonius comes here as an unbeaten, sharp, straightforward 2yo who keeps improving with every run. He’s already 3‑from‑3, and each win has shown a different layer of his ability. He began by proving he handles soft ground, then followed up by making all at Chester, showing blistering early speed and plenty of determination. His latest success, defying top weight in the Lily Agnes and beating Hickory Lad, who has since franked the form, was his most polished performance yet. He’s had a short break since that busy early campaign, and that freshening‑up looks ideal.
A strong, speedy gelding who thrives over 5f, he’s effective on both soft and good ground and has already shown he’s comfortable making the running or absorbing pressure. This step up to Group 3 level asks a new question, but everything about his profile suggests he’s ready for it. Rebecca Menzies has handled him brilliantly, and his progression in such a short space of time has been impressive. With his natural pace, toughness, and the promise of more to come, Adonius looks primed to run a big race and could easily prove the next one to take a step forward.
Selection: Adonius 9/2 with BetMGM
4:10pm 1m Visit Qatar Sussex Stakes (Group 1) (Class 1)
Bow Echo has passed every test put in front of him so far, and he arrives here unbeaten, battle‑hardened, and still climbing. His 2,000 Guineas win at Newmarket was sensational, travelling powerfully, quickening decisively, and stamping himself as a top‑class miler. That alone marked him out as something special, but he backed it up at Royal Ascot in the St James’s Palace Stakes, making it 5 from 5. The Ascot win wasn’t straightforward. He was forced wide, hit the front earlier than ideal, and the stiff mile tested him late, yet he still held off Gstaad by a short head. Given the circumstances, it was a performance full of grit and class. He’d beaten that same rival more impressively at Newmarket on reappearance, and the form has continued to look strong.
Today’s test, a fast mile, downhill in parts, taking on older horses for the first time, is another step, but Bow Echo travels so smoothly and has the tactical speed to cope. The 8lb weight‑for‑age allowance is a big help too. He’s shown he loves quick ground, he’s still improving, and his overall trajectory suggests he could dominate this division for the rest of the season. Gstaad, impressive in the Irish 2,000 Guineas, looks the main danger again, while Opera Ballo and Zavateri bring solid older‑horse form. But Bow Echo has already proven himself the standout miler of his generation, and he’s strongly fancied to continue the streak.
Selection: Bow Echo Evens with BetMGM
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