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17:55 Goodwood: Zap 

The concluding race on day two of the Goodwood Festival is a fiercely competitive handicap over seven furlongs.

Light and Dark   will head the market on the back of his eye-catching success at Newmarket just under three weeks ago, when making light work of a big field under the same jockey, Callum Shepherd. The fact he is up 11lbs for that success and that no three-year-old has ever won this race, would suggest that he might find it tough.

For me, Zap  has gone completely under the radar. His recent run in the Bunbury Cup (beaten just under four lengths) was as good a performance as any of his rivals have put up recently, and a fast run seven furlongs will be right up his street.

He has also run other great races in defeat this season in big handicaps and his current mark of 89 is the lowest he’s been since his two-year-old days. If he runs up to the standard he’s capable of he is sure to go close in the hands of Tony Hamilton, who has a great record when riding at Goodwood.

19:45 Sandown: Norma 

For readers of this blog, you don’t need the best memory to remember that I put this horse up on Saturday when she was due to run at Chester. She was pulled out due to unsuitable ground after it had turned soft following a deluge of rain on the Roodee.

As I said on Saturday Norma   has contested some good maidens which have thrown up plenty of winners since, and her opening mark of 77 is probably underestimating her raw ability.

This race does look weaker than the race she was pulled out of on Saturday, hence her carrying top weight, but I do see her being incredibly hard to beat. Her trainer James Fanshawe is profitable to follow with his runners at Sandown Park and his rider also has an excellent 25 per cent strike rate at the Esher course.

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