Green Destiny in frame for totesport Mile at Glorious Goodwood

The progressive four-year-old is totesport’s current 7/2 favourite for the lucrative heritage handicap, staged over a mile on Friday, July 29, day four of the five-day Glorious Goodwood Festival.

Green Destiny will drop back to a mile after storming to a three and a half-length victory over 10 furlongs at York. He picks up a 3lb penalty for the victory, taking him on to 9st 3lb, but his future handicap rating has gone up by 11lb which means he is well in at Goodwood.

Also among those with the totesport Mile on the radar is Wannabe King (9st, 25/1 with totesport). Trainer David Lanigan saddled the five-year-old to land a competitive handicap over a mile at Sandown on his first start of the campaign back in April, in which he defeated a field that included Royal Hunt Cup winner Julienas and the Clive Cox-trained Dunn’o (9st, 20/1).

The five-year-old King’s Best gelding has failed to trouble the judge in two starts since then, most recently when ninth to Dance And Dance (9st 10lb, 12/1) in the Investec Mile at Epsom on June 3, but Lanigan is hoping that a return to form and suitable underfoot conditions will enable his charge to take in the Goodwood contest.

Lanigan revealed today: “It just depends on the ground as to whether Wannabe King goes to the totesport Mile. He is also entered at Newmarket on Saturday but he would not want quick ground, so the going dictates the whole thing. We will just have to sit and see what the ground does.

“A couple of mine weren’t running well and had something on them at the time of his last run. He ran below par that day and he came back very quiet after it so we freshened him up and he appears to be alright - he is in good form.”

The totesport Mile is one of the season’s most hotly-contested handicaps and this year’s race is set to be as strong as ever with a high quality contingent remaining.

The Hughie Morrison-trained Sagramor (8st 7lb, 12/1) triumphed in the Britannia Handicap at Royal Ascot on June 16, from the Richard Hannon-trained runner-up Cai Shen (8st 13lb, 16/1), while current totesport Mile top-weight Dance And Dance was second to Julienas in the Royal Hunt Cup at the same meeting.

Proponent (8st 13lb, 25/1) is trained by Roger Charlton and the smart seven-year-old was runner-up to Green Destiny in a Newmarket handicap in April, while the Andrew Balding-trained Highland Knight (8st 12lb, 12/1), second to Dance And Dance in the Investec Mile at Epsom in June, held the Luca Cumani-trained Start Right (9st 4lb, 10/1) to win a competitive mile handicap at Sandown on July 2, a race in which the Haggas-trained Sooraah (8st 8lb, 16/1) was third.

Godolphin has four entries remaining. Trainer Mahmood Al Zarooni could saddle Bridgefield (8st 9lb, inc 3lb penalty, 12/1), successful at Newmarket’s July Festival last week, and Namecheck (8st 11lb, 25/1), while fellow Godolphin handler Saeed bin Suroor may run Man Of Action (8st 11lb, 25/1) and 2010 Royal Hunt Cup hero Invisible Man (third to Julienas in this year’s renewal, 9st 9lb, 14/1), who took second behind Sea Lord in last year’s totesport Mile.

Mark Johnston trained Sea Lord to success in 2010 and the Middleham handler could rely on Master Of Arts (8st 11lb, 25/1) this year.

Owner Dr Marwan Koukash is well represented with last week’s seven-furlong Bunbury Cup winner Brae Hill (8st 12lb, inc 3lb penalty, 16/1), trained by Richard Fahey, one of three that could carry his colours, the remainder being stablemate Kyllachy Star (8st 12lb, 25/1) and the David Simcock-trained course winner Pintura (8st 11lb, 25/1).

Others of note include the Sir Michael Stoute-trained Confront (9st 9lb, 14/1), deployed in the Group One Coral-Eclipse Stakes as a pacemaker for Workforce, the Roger Varian-trained (Doncaster) Spring Mile winner Eton Forever (9st 5lb, 14/1), and the Ed Dunlop-trained Fareer (9st 9lb, 25/1), a Group Two runner-up at Meydan in March.

Course and distance winner Riggins (9st 6lb, 25/1) was a close sixth in the Group Two Lennox Stakes over seven furlongs at Glorious Goodwood last year, when in the care of Andrew Balding, and gave trainer Ed Walker his first training success when dead-heating for first place in a Kempton Listed race in November.

Jim Boyle plans to run The Rectifier (9st 6lb, 16/1), while the George Baker-trained Belgian Bill (8st 8lb, 14/1) was fourth to Sagramor in the Britannia Handicap.

There is a maximum field of 20 permitted for the totesport Mile.

Latest betting from totesport:

7/2 Green Destiny; 10/1 Start Right; 12/1 Bridgefield, Dance and Dance, Highland Knight, Rhythm of Light, Sagramor; 14/1 Belgian Bill, Confront, Eton Forever, Invisible Man; 16/1 Brae Hill, Cai Shen, King of Jazz, Leviathan, Point North, Rave, Sooraah, The Rectifier; 20/1 Boom And Bust, Dunn’o, Norman Orpen, Our Joe Mac, Pendragon, Wallis; 25/1 Citrus Star, Emerald Wilderness, Fareer, Gunner Lindley, Kyllachy Star, Las Verglas Star, Lovelace, Man Of Action, Master of Arts, Mont Agel, Namecheck, Pintura, Pleasant Day, Proponent, Riggins, Sinfonico, Tullius, Vainglory, Viva Ronaldo, Wannabe King; 33/1 Advanced, Ahlaain, Ashva, Barney Rebel, Bonnie Brae, Captain Bertie, Kay Gee Bee, Lord Aeryn, Marajaa, Miami Gator, Mr David, Primaeval, Rakaan, Space War; 40/1 Madawi, Tartan Gigha; 50/1 Aerial Acclaim