We'll stop off at Goodwood on the way to Galway again today and the Gordon Stakes is a bit of a re-hash of the Investec Derby with English King favourite on the back of his slow start and the way that he ran on at Epsom.
To my eye, Al Aasy is progressive and open to more improvement but MOGUL at a generous 11/2 (Hills) only has three-quarters of a length to find with the favourite and is the one to be on.
We're yet to see it this season but the regard in which he's held at Ballydoyle is quite clear and his form from last year is really good so he looks decent value.
The Nassau Stakes is a fantastic race and Fancy Blue is one I've been a fan of for a while. She shaped well in the Irish Guineas and then showed great tenacity to win the French Oaks.
Magical Wand is quite tempting, particularly with Frankie Dettori taking over for the first time, but if you take the view that the Irish fillies are a good bunch this year - which they do appear to be - then ONE VOICE (16/1 1/5 1,2,3 Ladbrokes) isn't too far behind the best of them.
She won the Blue Wind, beating Snow who ran respectably in the Irish Oaks since. Then the last time I felt she was an unlucky loser in a Group Two at the Curragh in a really messy race. But she's tactically versatile and with Ladbrokes/Coral going three places in a seven-runner race, she looks the bet.
The first at Galway sees Saint D'Oroux drop back into novice company for four-year-olds only and he's the one to beat, but I'm prepared to take him on with VERY EXCELLENT (4/1 General), who had some good juvenile form himself. He was second a fair Gowran when a sitting duck out in front and the run can be marked up.
On his first start back this term connections changed tactics and dropped him in. He went through the race really well and they might just have found the key to him. Bryan Cooper rides again and I think he could just put it up to the favourite.
ARAMAX (10/1 1/5 1,2,3,4,5,6 Sky Bet, William Hill) was a very good winner of the Fred Winter at Cheltenham and looks interesting in the Guiness Galway Hurdle. Four-year-olds don't have a brilliant record here in recent years but not many Cheltenham winners will have tried.
Expect this race to be run at a very strong gallop with Felix Desjy, Petit Mouchoir and one or two others who really like to get on with things.
That'll play to the strengths of Aramax. It will also suit BUILDMEUPBUTTERCUP (15/2 1/5 1,2,3,4,5,6 Sky Bet, William Hill) too as she was only beaten three lengths in the Ladbrokes Hurdle at Leopardstown and ran a fine race to be fourth in the County Hurdle at Cheltenham.
She ticks a lot of boxes, being ground versatile and having shown a liking for the track here already. She travels well and while she might have a question mark over seeing out the last furlong, she makes a lot of appeal under Paul Townend and I'll be backing her each-way as well.
Posted at 1008 BST on 30/07/20
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