Hot to Trot: Bell heading into Goodwood in top form

Flat trainer: Michael Bell

With eight winners from 34 runners (a 24% strike-rate) and plenty of other placed horses in July, Michael Bell has his team in excellent form heading into Glorious Goodwood, where he enjoyed success last year with Big Orange in the Goodwood Cup. After winning the Princess of Wales’s Stakes at Newmarket earlier this month for the second year running, Big Orange looks set to put in a bold bid to land the Goodwood Cup again, currently topping the Timeform weight adjusted ratings ahead of the horse he beat last year, Trip To Paris. A ready handicap win from Franklin D – who carries the same colours as Big Orange – at Newmarket last week saw him promoted to favouritism with most bookmakers for Friday’s Betfred Mile at the Glorious meeting, and, under a 3 lb penalty for his emphatic six-length success, he will likely be one of the key players in that valuable heritage handicap. Another potentially interesting runner for Bell next week is Giant Redwood in the Goodwood Stakes, a 21-furlong marathon that provides a unique test. Giant Redwood – formerly trained by Aidan O’Brien – is yet to win for Bell, but appeared to show some improvement in first-time cheekpieces when third at Musselburgh two starts back, and is worth forgiving his last start at Newbury, where he did too much too soon.

Jumps trainer: Gordon Elliott

Gordon Elliott’s horses are rarely out of form, but with a double at Limerick on Thursday added to a double at Cartmel (from just two runners) last week, he is heading into one of the busiest weeks of the summer in Ireland, the seven-day Galway Festival week, in top form. After a series of near-misses in the Galway Hurdle, Ireland’s most valuable hurdle race, including saddling the second in 2012 (Cause of Causes), 2013 (Flaxen Flare) and 2014 (Bayan), Elliott is expect to assemble a strong team once again in that race. His best chance could come courtesy of the likes of Desoto County, who has had a handful of starts in handicaps for Elliot since leaving Donald McCain and has made the frame in valuable hurdles races at both Leopardstown and Fairyhouse before two runs over fences at Cartmel in June. Elsewhere at Galway, the J.P. McManus-owned Hard To Call, a point winner who made an encouraging start over fences at Roscommon when second, has a couple of entries in beginners' chases, and could be one to watch out for (left with plenty to do last time). There is also racing at Perth next week, where Elliott often enjoys success, and one of his more interesting entries for next week at this stage could be Black Waterfall, who has joined Elliott from Phillip Rothwell and may go the way of so many of Elliott’s other recruits and show improved form in time.

Under the Radar: Julia Feilden

Julia Feilden is ticking along nicely in July so far, saddling three winners from twenty runners, but that stat doesn’t tell the whole truth about the form of her yard, and several of her other runners have gone close, including The Ducking Stool, who was beaten just a half length into second at Newbury on Thursday and was one of five second-place finishers to be sent out by the yard this month. Feilden does not have a large book of entries next week, but her most interesting runner is probably Veeraya, who would probably have run out a comfortable winner at Wolverhampton over seven furlongs three starts back (the same C&D that he is entered over on Monday) but for being checked on more than one occasion during his run. It is worth forgiving him his next two starts, both at Kempton in a higher grade and at Brighton last time over six furlongs, where he shaped as though a return to further would suit, and back in 0-65 company over a more suitable trip, he may be worth watching out for on Monday after a short break.