Ignore Tritonic and Loughville at your peril at Goodwood this weekend

May 22

We often complain about handicappers being too hard on our horses, but the official assessor has taken into account the fact that Tritonic is now in his ninth year and has given him a real chance in the two-mile handicap at Goodwood tomorrow,

The versatile Tritonic won a mile and a half race over the famous Sussex Downs three years ago, and, though he has not been in the winner’s enclosure since he captured a handicap chase at Wincanton 18 months ago, his form suggests that the engine is still strong.

He finished an excellent third at York’s Ebor meeting last year, and belied odds of 50-1 when fourth in a valuable handicap hurdle at Ascot before Christmas.

Since then Tritonic has enjoyed a winter break, but he made a pleasing return in the Queen’s Prize at Kempton, and last time out ran much better than his finishing position suggests in the All-Weather Marathon at Newcastle on Good Friday.

Arguably, he paid the penalty for being too handy early on in a race in which the finish concerned horses who had come from the back, so, hopefully, Hollie Doyle, who has been booked, will allow Tritonic time to find his stride.

Tritonic, who is now at his lowest handicap mark ever on the Flat, has been a credit to Max McNeill’s family and Ian Dale, and you ignore him at your peril.

It is great to see James Doyle back in action this week after his broken collarbone, and fingers crossed we might be able to give him a winner on Loughville in the mile and six handicap at Goodwood on Saturday.

Loughville has run two good races since she returned from her winter break, finishing her race off strongly when third over this trip at Musselburgh over Easter, and then three weeks ago she was arguably unlucky not to finish closer when third in  mile and a half Listed race over this course. She was short of room turning for home but put in some sterling late work once she got daylight and she ought to be bang there at the finish.