Glorious Goodwood: Increase in entries for Betfred Mile

The heritage handicap takes place on the fourth day, Friday, August 1, and Betfred cannot split Horsted Keynes and Homage at the top of the market, with the pair of lightly-raced four-year-olds 10/1 joint favourites.

Horsted Keynes (Roger Varian) was last seen out at Royal Ascot when the three-quarter length runner-up in the Buckingham Palace Handicap over seven furlongs on June 20 and has yet to race beyond that distance. Homage (William Haggas) caught the eye with a facile victory last time out, taking a mile handicap at Windsor on June 29.

There are five 12/1 co-second favourites with Betfred including the 2013 Royal Hunt Cup victor Belgian Bill, one of three entries for trainer George Baker.

The six-year-old also finished second in a Group Three contest at Deauville last season but endured no luck in running when seventh in this year’s Royal Hunt Cup on June 18, beaten four lengths. Belgian Bill ran in the 2012 Betfred Mile, running on to be eighth of the 20 runners.

Manton-based Baker has also entered Boomshackerlacker (33/1), who has been exclusively campaigned in stakes races since winning as two-year-old in June, 2012, and Buckingham Palace Handicap fifth Jack’s Revenge (33/1).

Baker reported: “The Betfred Mile is definitely an option for Belgian Bill. He has got options in the Bunbury Cup and the International Handicap on King George day in the meantime, but he runs well at Goodwood and it’s definitely on the radar.

“He was unlucky at Ascot and took the race very well - he didn’t have a race really and could have run the next day to be honest.

“He seems in the form of his life and it would be fantastic if he could add another big handicap to last year’s Hunt Cup. I think he deserves a big win again and the form he’s in certainly gives me hope that it might be coming.

“Boomshackerlacker ran well in the Wolferton at Royal Ascot, but probably didn’t quite get home over a mile and a quarter. Jack’s Revenge keeps running well in all these big handicaps and wasn’t beaten far when fifth in the Buckingham Palace. He has the same options as Belgian Bill and we will probably juggle them all. We have three in the race but it would be unlikely that they all run.”

Also on the 12/1 mark are Abseil (Sir Michael Stoute), who was the impressive winner of an extended mile handicap at Epsom before finishing eighth in the Royal Hunt Cup, while Captain Cat (Roger Charlton) landed the valuable All-Weather Mile Championship at Lingfield Park on Good Friday. Britannia Handicap third Hors De Combat (James Fanshawe) and Moohaarib (Marco Botti), an improving three-year-old who has won his last two starts at Ripon and Doncaster, are also 12/1 chances.

A former winner among the entries is Boom And Bust (Marcus Tregoning, 33/1), who was the neck victor in 2011.

The maximum field for the Betfred Mile is 20, plus two reserves. Weights will be revealed on Wednesday, July 9.

Betfred spokesman Andrew Griffiths said: “Homage and Horsted Keynes are both on an upward curve and head the betting for what looks a typically high-class renewal of the Betfred Mile.”

Betfred Mile - sponsors bet: 10 Homage, Horsted Keynes, 12 Abseil, Belgian Bill, Captain Cat, Hors de Combat, Moohaarib, 14 Ayaar, Chil The Kite, Russian Realm, 16 Almargo, Bow Creek, Bronze Angel, Busatto, Championship, Cornrow, Farraaj, Genius Boy, Golden Town, Tanseeb, Torchlighter, Two For Two, 20 Field Of Dream, Fire Ship, Halation, Majestic Moon, Our Channel, Snowboarder, The Rectifier, Velox, 25 Baltic Knight, Bold Prediction, Buckstay, Capo Rosso, Chosen Character, Dance And Dance, Emell, Heavy Metal, Here Comes When, Johnno, My Freedom, Off Art, Pastoral Player, Prince’s Trust, Secret Art, Short Squeeze, Steeler, 33 Apostle, Artigiano, Askaud, Boom And Bust, Boomshackerlacker, Brazos, Charles Camoin, Equity Risk, Fort Bastion, Gabrial’s Kaka, George Guru, Georgian Bay, Jack’s Revenge, King Torus, Lyn Valley, Magic City, Magnus Maximus, Marcret, Red Avenger, St Moritz, Storm King, Trail Blaze, Trumpet Major, Yeager, 40 Burano, Crowdmania, Heaven’s Guest, If We Can, Maverik, Moonday Sun, Secret Recipe, Tellovoi, 50 Excellent Guest, Mabait, Postscript, Rebellious Guest.

¼ the odds 1-2-3-4

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