Goodwood Preview: Johnny a Goode bet on handicap debut

The progressive Johnny B Goode can take advantage of the handicapper’s leniency to land the 6f nursery at Goodwood today (3.30).

The Richard Fahey trained gelding has got better with each start, and after finishing runner-up at Thirsk opend his account in good style last time out at the same venue when making virtually all and staying on strongly to score by two lengths from Crossed Fire.

The son of Approve was officially rated 76 going into the latter, and the front pair pulled 3 1/4 lengths clear of the 80-rated third home Aussie Ruler.

That is decent form, and suggests that the handicapper has taken a real chance by leaving Johnny B Goode’s mark unchanged.

Johnny B Goode could easily have been put up 5lb or more for that success, and with the prospect of further improvement on the cards looks weighted to take all the beating.

Statutory shaped as if coming back to form last time out and looks to have been found a glorious opportunity to get back to winning ways in the 2m handicap (4.40).

The Saeed Bin Surror trained gelding kept on well to finish fourth of 16 to Edge Of Sanity in a very competitive class 2 contest at York, and this is much easier.

The son of Authorized is able to race off the same mark of 97, and that is 3lb lower than when last successful at Pontefract in October when slamming Mutual Regard by 14 lengths.

It gives the four-year-old outstanding claims from a handicapping perspective, and it will be disappointing of Statutory doesn’t take advantage and land the spoils.

In the 6f handicap (5.10), the Andrew Balding trained Secret Hint could potentially be a cut above her rivals.

The filly shaped with bags of promise when third behind Magnus Maximus on debut at Kempton last last October, and the form of that race looks rock solid.

The winner has won twice since, including a valuable sales race at Newmarket and is now rated 98, and the runner-up, fourth and sixth home have gone on to win five times between them.