Trade Commissioner could make it a glorious mile for Gosden at Goodwood

The John Gosden-trained four-year-old currently heads the market for the mile heritage handicap with Betfred at 4/1 following a pair of impressive victories, including when beating Vainglory (16/1) in a valuable Sandown handicap on July 7.

His main opposition at the Glorious Meeting may come from Prince Of Johanne (10/1), who has already posted a pair of heritage handicap wins for trainer Tom Tate in both the Betfred Cambridgeshire at Newmarket in September and the Royal Hunt Cup at Royal Ascot last month.

Excellent Guest (14/1) finished half a length behind Prince Of Johanne when second in the Royal Hunt Cup and trainer George Margarson is hoping that the five-year-old can bounce back from a disappointing effort in the Betfair Summer Double International Heritage Handicap at the same course on July 21, when he trailed home 18th.

Margarson revealed: “Excellent Guest is on course for the Betfred Mile. He seems in good form after his non event at Ascot, when he head-butted the stalls and lost his race at the start.

“He’s a horse who likes to jump and get into his stride straight away. He had a bad experience in the stalls as a three-year-old, when a horse played up next to him, and he’s been scared that it might happen again ever since.

“I was going to head straight from Royal Ascot to the Betfred Mile because he goes well fresh but he was so well in himself that we decided to run at Ascot. He didn’t really have a race there - he showed as much the Monday afterwards, when he was jumping around all over the place.

“It’s hard to say that he doesn’t stay a mile after finishing second in a Royal Hunt Cup but he travelled like the winner all the way through the race and just didn’t get home. I think that he will find it easier to get a mile around Goodwood, when he can be produced quite late.

“He has won on firm and good ground, so I am sure that the going at Goodwood will be fine for him. He has also been successful on good to soft ground before at Ascot, but that was when he was rated 80 and, when you are running off a mark of 98, you need everything in your favour.

“He is good nick and all of the signs suggest that he heads to Goodwood in good order.”

Other contenders for the Betfred Mile include Betfair Summer Double International Heritage Handicap victor Field Of Dream (12/1), last year’s winner Boom And Bust (14/1), Madam Macie (14/1), Johnny Castle (14/1) and current top-weight Invisible Man (14/1).

The fourth day of Glorious Goodwood also features the £100,000 Group Two Gordon’s King George Stakes (3.45pm) and the 20 entries for the five-furlong contest include Australian raider Ortensia, from the stable of Paul Messara. The seven-year-old mare has posted a pair of Group One victories and came home fourth on her latest start in the Group One Darley July Cup at Newmarket on July 14.

Racing gets under way with the £60,000 Group Three Coutts Glorious Stakes (2pm) over a mile and a half, which has attracted 11 entries including Listed Wolferton Handicap scorer Gatewood plus Group winners Dandino, Dubai Prince, Harris Tweed and Shimmering Surf.

Trumpet Major, fourth in this season’s QIPCO 2,000 Guineas, features among 23 entries in the £55,000 Group Three RSA Thoroughbred Stakes (2.35pm), while the 20 fillies and mares entered in the £55,000 Group Three Oak Tree Stakes (4.50pm) include recent York Group Three scorer Gracia Directa.

A seven-race card also includes the seven-furlong Telegraph Nursery (4.20pm, 26 entries) and the Betfred Bonus King Bingo Handicap (5.25pm, 25 entries) over five furlongs.

Betfred Mile - Betfred bet:

4/1 Trade Commissioner, 10/1 Prince Of Johanne, 12/1 Field Of Dream, 14/1 Boom And Bust, Excellent Guest, Madam Macie, Johnny Castle, Invisible Man, 16/1 Belgian Bill, Bronze Angel, Smarty Socks, Memory Cloth, Vainglory, 20/1 Captain Bertie, Don’t Call Me, Con Artist, Decent Fella, Swiftly Done, Mister Music, 25/1 Bannock, Kyllachy Star, Kahruman, Levitate, Mabait, 33/1 Al Muheer, Chapter Seven, Classic Colori, Fulbright, Xilerator, Switzerland, Shamaal Nibras, Norse Blues, Jacob Cats, Famous Poet, Crown Counsel, Albaqaa, 40/1 Harrison George, Karaka Jack, 50/1 Lord Ofthe Shadows, Lucky Henry, Snow Bay, Sir Reginald

Each way 1/4 odds, 1234