Paradias tries to get Barbury off to a flyer in August

July 30

We missed the bullseye during the final week of July, but we look to make a flying start to August with Paradias in the Chesterfield Cup at Glorious Goodwood on Tuesday. Last year’s Derby-winning jockey Richard Kingscote has been booked to ride.

Paradias collected a silver and a bronze medal on his two previous visits to the rolling Sussex Downs last summer, and Alan and the enthusiastic quartet, who own the four-year-old, are hoping that it might be a case of third time lucky on the opening day.

Only two wins on his CV so far, but Paradias has been a model of consistency, finishing in the frame in eight of his other 11 races. He produced a career-best performance when winning at Sandown in June, battling on well to master Lord Protector, who franked the form when returning to the Esher slopes to win a Grade higher race three weeks later.

Paradias failed to confirm his superiority over Lord Protector in that Sandown race, but he was certainly not discredited in finishing fifth. As always, the prestigious Chesterfield Cup is a highly competitive handicap, but he never lets us down and will, hopefully, grab a slice of the prize money yet again.

Also in action on Tuesday is Forget the Way, who seems to have improved since undergoing wind surgery. He looked to appreciate coming down in trip when runner-up at Southwell in early June, so over the same distance and in the Edwardstone silks with Tom Cannon in the saddle, hopes are high that, he, too, will be in the mix.

Westerton, another of our useful middle-distance handicaps, is double-engaged at Goodwood this week, with Alan due to finalise whether he will step up to a mile and a half on Wednesday, or take in another 10 furlong handicap on Thursday. Westerton has enjoyed a great season already, breaking his maiden at Sandown and improving through the summer when placed at Doncaster, Ascot and Newmarket.

And Tritonic, who has already shown his liking for Goodwood when winning a mile and a half handicap there last autumn, is expected to head for Sussex again on Friday, when he would be back over two and a half miles for the marathon Goodwood Stakes. However, stamina is not a problem for Tritonic, who finished an excellent third over this trip in the Ascot Stakes at the Royal meeting.