Horses To Follow: Timeform Eyecatchers
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Prosperous Voyage has made a very promising start to her career in three runs so far. She shaped encouragingly when fourth, beaten less than two lengths, on her debut at Doncaster in June, keeping on well in the final two furlongs under considerate handling. She then went to Epsom where she showed the benefit of that experience with a much-improved display to open her account, staying on strongly to run down a next-time-out winner in the final strides.
Although unable to follow up at Chester on Sunday, Prosperous Voyage ran another big race under a penalty to be beaten just half a length behind Nuance, a well-bred sort for William Haggas who made just about all to get off the mark at the third attempt. Nuance sprinted into a clear lead when shaken up on the home turn and looked set to run out a clear-cut winner, but it was notable just how strongly Prosperous Voyage finished to reduce the deficit all the way to the line. She came from much further back in the field and was forced to deliver her challenge widest of all in the straight, doing well under the circumstances to finish as close as she did whilst also pulling six lengths clear of the third.
The first two are both worth viewing positively and Prosperous Voyage has left the impression on her last couple of starts that she is already crying out for a step up to a mile. She remains open to more improvement with that in mind and will be one to look out for when making the switch to nurseries. Her useful middle-distance pedigree is also an ongoing recommendation.
Although the Stewards’ Sprint Handicap was merely a consolation event for those that missed the cut for the Stewards’ Cup later on the Goodwood card, it was still a very useful handicap in its own right and was won by one of the most progressive sprinters around this season, Mr Wagyu, who won with the sort of authority rarely seen in such races.
While few in the huge field were unlucky as such, several had excuses and weren’t seen to best effect, and among those was Boundless Power who wound up in mid-division, finishing twelfth. For the second race running, Boundless Power gave the impression that there’s a race in him from his current mark in the high 80s and is no doubt better than he was able to show here. Having travelled well in mid-division, he was hampered two furlongs out before eventually weakening inside the final furlong.
The four-year-old was still a maiden when he came to Mick Appleby from Ireland earlier in the year but soon showed improved form in handicaps for his new yard, winning twice at Nottingham in May. Those races were over five furlongs, as was his previous start at Ascot when running respectably in a much more competitive contest but was again not seen to best effect. The way he went through his latest race suggests the return to the minimum trip might suit Boundless Power a bit better.
This was just an ordinary maiden for two-year-olds but Corazon, one of a couple of newcomers in the field, ran an eye-catching race and shaped well once she got the hang of things late in the day. She was very green early on when racing in rear and was off the bridle before most but the penny dropped late on and when switched off the rail in the final furlong she picked up nicely in the closing stages under hands and heels and only just failed to pinch third place on the line. She was a length and three quarters adrift of the winner Brown Owl behind a trio who all had the benefit of some experience.
Corazon is speedily bred, by the very smart six/seven-furlong winner Markaz and a half-sister to the useful sprinter She Can Boogie, and while she wasn’t an expensive buy by any means, her connections, George Boughey and Nick Bradley Racing, have had plenty of success with fillies sharing the same sort of profile this season. Corazon seems sure to have learned plenty from that initial inexperience and can be expected to progress next time with that run behind her.
Norfolk Stakes winner Perfect Power had a 3 lb penalty to carry against his six rivals in the Richmond Stakes and ran a fine race in the circumstances, emerging the joint-best horse at the weights alongside winner Asymmetric.
But in a steadily-run race with little more than three lengths covering the whole field at the line, Perfect Power was beaten only around a length in fifth himself and was unlucky not to finish closer still. After being bumped at the start, he raced in last place most of the way before trying to make some headway towards the outside of the field from two furlongs out. However, he met some trouble over a furlong out and was then short of room for a second time inside the final furlong when a gap closed on him, Perfect Power still appearing to having running left in him crossing the line.
With a pedigree that’s a mix of speed and stamina, Perfect Power looked suited by the step up to six furlongs for the first time. He holds an entry in next month’s Gimcrack Stakes at York and it would be no surprise to see him put up a smart effort in that contest with better luck in running.
Mr Coco Bean has been on the go since the turf season started at Doncaster in March but the seven-year-old is holding his form well for David Barron whose stable has been among the winners in recent weeks. Mr Coco Bean had a particularly successful season in 2019 when winning five times before drawing a blank in 2020 but he was back in the winner’s enclosure at Haydock in April after the handicapper had shown him a bit of leniency.
He now finds himself 2 lb lower again than for that latest success and, having gone close in his last two starts, it shouldn’t be long before he gets his head in front again. After being beaten a short head and a neck at Haydock two starts ago, Mr Coco Bean was touched off by just a head 11 days on at Redcar, a track where he gained three of his victories two years ago, one of them in this very race. He looked unlucky not to win, too, after being held up in a steadily-run race, having to switch over a furlong out before keeping on well and just failing behind Kentucky Kitten who managed to hold on to make all.
A tough sort who takes his racing well, Mr Coco Bean will be well worth looking out for in the near future off his current mark.
Last year’s Lennox Stakes winner was only fourth in defence of his title but wasn’t beaten very far at all in the end and there was a lot to like about what was the first start of his European campaign this year. All the more so given that Space Blues has done most of his racing under less testing conditions, and that the race wasn’t run to suit hold-up tactics.
Space Blues was last of all in the eight-runner field for much of the way before he was angled out at around the two-furlong marker to begin his run. From there, he kept on well down the outside without being subjected to too hard a race by William Buick but was only beaten a neck, a head and a neck at the line as Kinross came out of the pack to get the better of Space Blues’ stablemate Creative Force and the long-timer leader Happy Power.
Space Blues developed into a high-class performer last season when the Lennox was the third leg of a four-timer which he completed with a Group 1 success in the Prix Maurice de Gheest at Deauville. He was then absent until returning in February to win a very valuable contest in Saudi Arabia but then turned in a rare flat effort in the Al Quoz Sprint at Meydan.
Given plenty of time since then, the Lennox was a pleasing return for Space Blues who holds entries in all the big seven-furlong contests in the coming months and it would be no surprise to see him getting his head in front again in one of them with that run under his belt, the Hungerford Stakes at Newbury a possibility.
Star Shield had disappointed on his two previous outings but, with a visor replacing the cheekpieces, he bounced back to form at Ayr, running up to his best in second.
Star Shield was caught a bit further back than ideal but he travelled well, made decent headway from three furlongs out and then ran on strongly. The front three pulled clear of the remainder and Star Shield deserves credit for splitting a pair of well-treated rivals who raced more prominently.
He had dropped slightly in the weights to only 1 lb above his last winning mark, so is clearly competitively treated, and he can cash in now that he's back in decent nick.
Timeform Eyecatchers of the Week
July 19- 25 - Cliffs of Capri one to note for the Golden Mile
July 12- 18 - Riches And Rubies will improve for a longer trip
July 5- 11 - Hurricane Ivor remains a sprinter to be positive about
June 28-July 4 - Maglev one to note moving forward for William Haggas
June 21-27 - Clive Cox's juvenile Codify has more to offer in future
June 14-20 - Naval Crown is a horse to take forward from Royal Ascot
June 7-13 - Night Hunter caught the eye at Leicester
May 31-June 6 - To Be Wild was among the latest horses to take the eye
May 24-30 - Eyecatchers from Timeform including Bernardo O'Reilly
May 17-23 - Check out the week's eyecatchers from Timeform including Bezzas Lad
May 10-16 - Including a two-year-old to note from the Sunday meeting at Ripon
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