The Coral Stewards’ Cup

 The Coral Stewards’ Cup is some sight.

Watching more than two dozen quality sprinters charging down the straight of one of the world’s most picturesque racecourses is one of the highlights of the summer racing festivals.

The Goodwood feature has been won by plenty of future Group 1-winning speedsters including Lochsong, Coastal Bluff, Patavellian and Borderlescott.

Three-year-olds have an excellent recent record in the race having triumphed three times in the last seven years from just 11 runners.

There hasn’t been a repeat winner of this 6f contest since Sky Diver more than 50 years ago. That’s what Commanche Falls will be attempting to do.

The ground was much softer when Michael Dods’ star swooped late to strike 12 months ago.

He has plenty of form on faster going but things haven’t gone to plan this season.

After a respectable comeback in a four-runner Doncaster handicap, he has suffered issues with the starting stalls.

A slow start didn’t help at Epsom on Debry day when he finished tailed off behind Mr Wagyu and worse was to come at Royal Ascot when he unshipped David Probert coming out of the gate in the Wokingham.

He clearly has the ability to run well and these big-field handicaps suit him well but he certainly isn’t in the same form as he was coming into last year’s race.

Mr Wagyu won the Stewards’ Sprint – the consolation race for the Stewards’ Cup – 12 months ago.

That was an impressive performance and he’s hit form in some style in recent weeks.

Following his Epsom success, he finished fourth behind Rohaan in the Wokingham at Royal Ascot. His high draw was a help that day but he looked in peak shape when battling on to land a competitive Curragh handicap last weekend.

John Quinn’s hope picks up a penalty for his Irish victory and that will demand another personal best but he is thriving at the moment so it’s far from impossible that he could put in another top performance at a track he clearly likes.

Whenthedealinsdone also won at this meeting last year.

That came over 5f and, although his maiden win came over this 6f distance, I’m yet to be convinced he’s as good over this extra furlong.

He was staying on after being hampered over 5f at Ascot last time out but stamina seemed to be an issue in the Portland at Doncaster last season and that race isn’t even over the full 6f.

Inver Park is improving rapidly. After 6f wins at Windsor and Hamilton he stepped up in trip to land the 7f Buckingham Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot.

The return to sprinting won’t bother him and his 4lbs rise for his hat-trick win looks anything but harsh.

First Folio ran well when sixth in the Wokingham at Royal Ascot. He was drawn down the middle when it paid to be as close to the stands’ rails as possible.

The draw doesn’t appear to have been kind to him this time, either, as he’s copped stall four and most of the pace looks to be on the stands’ side.

His disappointing effort in last year’s Stewards’ Sprint also leaves him with question marks over the track but that was probably more to do with the soft ground than anything else.

Great Ambassador might have won this race last year if he had been drawn better.

He was much the best of those to race on the far side and he went on to win his next two starts.

There’s a case for saying his low stall also didn’t help when he was runner-up in the Ayr Gold Cup.

That was another top effort in a big-field handicap, so he clearly has the tools to deal with this sort of race.

His two runs in Group races this season should have put him spot on and his apprentice jockey Saffie Osbourn is riding out of her skin at the moment.

Great Ambassador’s trainer Ed Walker also runs Popmaster. He was only nailed in the closing stages of the Wokingham when runner-up behind Rohaan.

His position smack up against the stands’ rail probably gave him an advantage and it might be a different story this time as he’s copped stall three.

David O’Meara is also double-handed with a couple of horses who know all about this race.

Summerghand lifted this prize in 2000 and he went on to make his mark in Group races. Last year’s defeat of Oxted and Emaraaty Ana in Newmarket’s Abernant Stakes couldn’t have worked out much better as the placed horses both went on to win Group 1 sprints.

He’s been some way below that form this season but it does mean he’s slipped in the weights and he did look to be running into form when fifth in the Wokingham, albeit from a helpful draw.

Stablemate Gulliver was only beaten a neck by Commanche Falls when runner-up in last year’s Stewards’ Cup.

He was last of the finishers in the Wokingham but his low stall wasn’t much good to him. The lottery of the draw hasn’t been kind to him again as he has to race from nearest to the far rail.

Regional should get a lovely tow into the race from stall 27.

He was picked up at the sales by Ed Bethell for less than four grand having shown good form in three starts for Richard Fahey.

That looks a bargain as he’s developed into a useful sprinter. He should be at his peak in two starts since making a trip to Doha in the winter and his neck second at Doncaster four weeks ago came over 5f.

That trip is too sharp for him and he promises to be suited by the demands of these big-field handicaps.

With Ryan Moore booked to ride, Regional looks to have plenty going for him.

Lampang bounced back from a below-par effort in the Wokingham to win at Pontefract. The 6lbs penalty he picks up for that success makes him a couple of pounds badly off.

Method has done most of his racing at Group level.

His third behind Raasel and Mitbaahy in a 5f Sandown Group 3 reads very well but he couldn’t back it up when trailing in last of the 13 runners in the Hackwood Stakes at Newbury.

It wouldn’t totally surprise me to see him go well from stall 24 but he does need to put that most recent effort behind him in some order.

Saint Lawrence was also disappointing in the Hackwood. Only Method finished behind him that day and his trainer Roger Varian is struggling to identify his best distance.

Annaf is interesting if for no other reason than he is the only three-year-old in the field.

With that age group having won three of the last seven Stewards’ Cups from just 11 runners, he has to be considered.

His form also suggests he has to have a chance. He was only half a length behind top prospect Lethal Levi – hot favourite for the Stewards’ Sprint – when fifth behind Harry Three at York last month.

That was a cracking effort and he bumped into another future star when runner-up behind Sense Of Duty in the Chipchase on Newcastle’s all-weather track.

The only thing that puts me off Mick Appleby’s speedster is his low draw in stall five.

VERDICT

The pace map points to the high numbers potentially having an advantage.

If that is the case then Regional – drawn one off the stands’ rail in stall 27 – should be in just the right position.

He only made his debut for Ed Bethell last September after three promising efforts as a juvenile for Richard Fahey.

There was always going to be plenty of improvement in him this season. He was late to the party again this term when making his comeback behind Mr Wagyu on Derby day and the way he stormed home over 5f at Doncaster suggested he was running into form.

The return to 6f is just what he wants so he looks to have a great chance with Ryan Moore in the saddle. At around 10-1, with most bookies paying out on six places and Sky Bet going a generous eight places, he looks good value.

If the low numbers aren’t totally inconvenienced I want to be with Annaf. The superb record of three-year-olds in this race is enough to pique my curiosity.

The form of his last two starts is very good and he had a spin around this track over 7f in May.

At around 25-1, I can’t resist chancing him as well.

ADVICE

2pts each-way Regional

1pt each-way Annaf