Goodwood preview: Gale Force can blow away rivals

Gale Force has a progressive profile and can get back to winning ways in the 2m handicap on today’s card at Goodwood (16.20) now stepped back up in trip.

The James Fanshawe trained filly got off the mark in emphatic fashion on her penultimate outing at Kempton when turning a 2m contest into a procession.

After travelling strongly on the heels of the leaders, Gale Force was produced to take up the running at the furlong marker and shot clear to win by seven lengths.

It was a most taking performance and one which suggested the four-year-old needed keeping firmly onside.

That view was confirmed last time out over 1m 6f at Nottingham when Gale Force ran a cracker to finish a one length third of 13 to Rhombus after being hit with an 11lb rise in the weights.

The daughter of Shirocco got slightly outpaced two from home before rallying strongly to be gaining all the way to the line.

Gale Force now meets the winner on 2lb better terms, and it was an effort which suggested she was still ahead of the assessor.

The step back up to 2m is sure to suit, and with the prospect of further improvement on the cards Gale Force can take this before going on to better things.

In the 6f handicap (16.55), Ladweb looks decent value to take advantage of a drop in the weights and land the spoils.

The John Gallagher trained gelding was last successful in a 6f contest at Bath 15 months ago when scoring by 2 1/2 lengths off a mark of 79.

Ladweb went on to finish runner-up twice off 84, and also ran very well over 5f at this venue when beaten just a length in a class 3 contest on soft ground off 85.