Golden Mile Handicap - 14:45 Goodwood

Focus on the favourite

Montatham (6/1)

Montatham has improved with every start this season, recording wins at Newmarket and Sandown either side of his excellent second in the Hunt Cup. The four-year-old was beaten just a length and a quarter by Dark Vision at Royal Ascot, and, meeting that rival on 3 lb better terms, he took another step forward to reverse the placings at Sandown last time, digging deep to land the spoils by a short head. Admittedly, a further 4 lb rise in the weights makes life tougher, but he still has an attractive profile for this contest, an upwardly-mobile sort who usually travels strongly in his races. It would be folly to rule out further improvement, though his draw in stall 15, on the outside of the field, is a negative.

An outsider to consider

Vale Of Kent (16/1)

Vale Of Kent is one of three representatives for trainer Mark Johnston, who has won three of the last 11 renewals of the Golden Mile. Vale Of Kent has a good record at Goodwood in his own right, with his five previous starts at this venue yielding a win, two seconds, a third and a fourth. The most recent of them saw him fill the runner-up spot in this race 12 months ago, where he was always prominent and stuck to his task well to be beaten only by a progressive three-year-old. He has shown he retains all his ability in six outings this season, including when fourth from this mark in the Hunt Cup, and the return to Goodwood can enable him to bounce back from a below-par effort last time.


A stat to note

Only one horse has won from a double-figure stall since 2011

The way stalls on British racecourses were numbered was changed in 2011, and since the recoding you have wanted your horse to be drawn low – towards the inside – on Goodwood’s round course. The draw often has a big impact on this valuable handicap and since the recoding only Wentworth (13 in 2013) has managed to win from a double-figure stall. Whether the draw will prove quite so important in this year’s renewal is perhaps in doubt, with only 15 runners going to post, the smallest field for the Golden Mile this century. However, it still has to be seen as a negative for the favourite Montatham, who is drawn widest of all in stall 15, while the others who have double-figures stalls to contend with are Blown By Wind (14), Baltic Baron (13), Zwayyan (12), Afaak (11) and Fox Premier (10).

The Verdict

Montatham and Vale of Kent both have plenty of solid handicap form between them, including when second and fourth, respectively, in the Hunt Cup at Royal Ascot. They make most appeal of those towards the head of the weights, but preference is for Prompting (best price 5-1), who sneaks it at the bottom after picking up a 3 lb penalty for his success at York last weekend. That was his second win from as many starts since joining the David O’Meara yard, and he was again well on top at the finish, taking another big step forward to win readily by two and a quarter lengths. A very well-bred sort who has still had just seven starts, he may yet have even more to offer and is well worth a try in better company from what remains a fair mark.

Timeform weight-adjusted ratings:

  • 129p    Prompting
  • 127    Willie John
  • 125    Sir Busker
  • 124    Cliffs of Capri
  • 124    Fox Premier
  • 123    Afaak
  • 123    Baltic Baron
  • 123    Montatham