Day three of the Qatar Goodwood Festival is done, and it was a frustrating one. One winner for the ratings, none for our selections, three seconds and a faller. Here is how the whole card unfolded, race by race, with the results in full and the horses we are taking out of it.
Our day three preview is up if you want to see what we said beforehand. Fair warning before we start: this was a day where an unusual number of horses did not get a run, and we will come to those.
1:50 Coral Kincsem Handicap: Ciarrai Abu was well handicapped and proved it
A good start for the numbers. Ciarrai Abu (Harry Eustace, George Wood), our Top Rated, won the Coral Kincsem Heritage Handicap at 10/3.
He really was well handicapped, wasn't he. He travelled into the race beautifully and picked up really well, and he still looked a horse ahead of his mark of 86. Remember he won off 80 at Ascot only three weeks ago, so that is two wins in quick succession, and he is going to be well into the nineties for this. He may still not be done.
Our own selection, Savvy Disko, fell. In a flat race. He clipped heels and came down, which is about as unlucky as it gets and thankfully a rarity on the level.
For what it is worth, we thought he was in the process of running a good race without ever looking like winning it. We suspect the best handicapped horse in the race did win it, and Savvy Disko will very likely turn up in an easier contest next time, where he remains of real interest.