Goodwood police welcome in racing's battle against brawls – Talking Horses

As Goodwood starts a three-day meeting, it’s encouraging to read that security has already been tightened up significantly since the brawl at their Saturday meeting earlier this month. Most importantly, there is to be a police presence at every raceday there for the rest of the season.

This could certainly be seen as overkill. I imagine the officers posted to Goodwood for their Sunday fixture in mid-October will have very little to do but try to get the placepot up.

But it’s important to show a willing response after something as awful as the 10-minute fight there in which security staff seemed completely overwhelmed. It’s instructive that blanket police coverage of Goodwood fixtures could be arranged so quickly after such an incident.

Other tracks which make lots of money from bar sales on summer Saturdays should also be arranging a police presence on those days, in my view. It has a deterrent effect and improves the chances of the perpetrators being caught if there is violence. Clearly it will also cost but if you make the money behind the bar, you have to spend it on the safety of your customers. Hopefully, racing can avoid becoming known as a place where young man can batter each other without fear of consequences.

Pick of the Goodwood card could be Rich Identity (3.10) at 3-1 for a nine-furlong handicap. Roger Varian’s three-year-olds took time to get going this spring but a smattering of recent winners suggests they’re getting there now and this grey could step forward from his reappearance last month.

He tired into third on rain-softened ground that day but this faster surface and sharper track should help. First-time blinkers suggest he’ll be prominent from the outset from his inside draw.

Sheikhzayedroad (7.35) seems to have been around forever and I’m backing him to get a win at the age of nine at Sandown tonight, when the ITV4 cameras will be present. He ran his usual excellent race in Meydan when last seen, coming within a length of earning himself a 5lb penalty for this Group Three.

He also came within inches of winning the Brigadier Gerard on this card four years ago, his only previous visit to Sandown. The Esher track’s long straights and its uphill finish might play to his strengths and he hasn’t had many attempts below Group Two level in Britain in recent years, so this is a big chance. He’s 5-1.

You can get 12-1 about Windsor Beach (8.40) in the closing mile handicap, which looks big to me. He won tidily on his second start since joining John Butler from Ireland and is handily drawn for a prominent racer.

Lingfield 1.10 Cricklewood Green 1.40 Crossing The Line 2.15 Mooroverthebridge 2.50 Hollander 3.25 Gravity Wave 4.00 Rainbow Rebel 4.35 Ochos Rios 5.10 Clearance

Goodwood 1.30 Siam Dawn 2.00 Love Dreams 2.35 Kohinur 3.10 Rich Identity (nb) 3.45 Shaherezada
4.20 Bayshore Freeway 4.55 Edelline 5.30 Tigerwolf

Catterick 1.50 Not So Shy 2.25 Ce De Nullis 3.00 Geoff Potts 3.35 Neverbeen To Paris (nap) 4.10 Bobby’s Charm 4.45 Giant’s Treasure 5.20 Fyrecracker

Chelmsford 5.40 Tan 6.10 Andalusite 6.45 Mutafani 7.15 Kawasir 7.45 Frontispiece 8.20 Brockholes
8.50 Mossy’s Lodge

Sandown 6.00 Stormingin 6.35 Wedding Date 7.05 Without Parole 7.35 Sheikhzayedroad 8.10 Poet’s Word 8.40 Windsor Beach