Wow there were some surprises on Day One at Glorious Goodwood, that’s for sure.

None more so than Breton Rock in the Vintage Stakes at whopping odds of 50/1. Congratulations if you managed to get that one.

On to Day Two and there are two Group races for fans to savour.

The first of those is the Molecomb Stakes at 3.00pm, which is a five furlong dash for two-year-olds. Richard Hannon Senior had a fantastic record in this race, but Junior has yet to win it. He has Denaar, who despite being well beaten the last couple of starts, it is his defeat in the Coventry Stakes that intrigues me. He led for much of that race and if he employs front-running tactics now dropping back to 5f, he could be of interest at rather good prices.

Happy Like A Fool is likely to start favourite and she has leading claims if she can build on her Queen Mary run.

Both Invincible Army and Sound And Silence will like this trip and could perform better than their last runs. Havana Grey will need to step up on anything he’s done before but you can’t really crib his chances give he’s won three of his five starts to date.

One at big odds, given the trainer and jockey combination, is Battle Of Jericho. This colt is beautifully bred – sired by War Front out of Together, a Grade 1 winning Galileo mare. I once heard an esteemed colleague of mine, who was talking about Aidan O’Brien’s horses, utter the words, “once they start winning, they keep winning”. Perhaps that might be the case here. I like Happy Like A Fool, but I don’t like her skinny odds, so I’ll dutch Denaar and Battle Of Jericho on value grounds.

The big race of the day is the Sussex Stakes. This is messy from a betting perspective because we don’t know which Churchill is going to turn up on the day. If he runs up to his best rating, in receipt of 7lbs from Ribchester, then he would win. However, he ran a stinker at Royal Ascot, so it simply falls in to guesswork, which is why from a ‘Win Only’ angle it’s a no bet race for me.

For place bettors, there’s two that appeal. Zelzal was ridden like he was Pegasus on his return at Chantilly. Frankie Dettori now takes the ride. Zelzal won the Prix Jean Prat last year and has the ability to mix it in this company. Lancaster Bomber has a key advantage here. Virtually all of the horses in the race will want to be held up, so with only Toscanini likely to battle Lancaster Bomber for the lead, he could get loose. I’m sure the riders will be aware of this, but he’s dangerous if given too much rope. He rates a small each-way play at 28/1.

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 2, 2017

1.50pm Matchbook Betting Exchange Goodwood Handicap (0-100) 2m 4f 134y 3yo+ £50,000

Race odds: Hawkerland (11/2), Golden Doyen (10), Star Rider (10), Aurora Gray (11), October Storm (12), Taws (12), Akavit (14), Denmead (14), Frederic (16), Suegioo (16), Arthur McBride (18), Guard Of Honour (20), Percy Veer (22), Red Rannagh (22), Cool Sky (25), Paris Protocol (28), Sunblazer (33)
The Duke’s pick: Aurora Gray

2.25pm Better Odds With Matchbook Betting Exchange Handicap (0-105) 1m 3f 218y 3yo £75,000

Race odds: Secret Advisor, On To Victory (15/2), Sofias Rock (15/2), First Nation (9), Londinium (9), Galactic Prince (12), Hochfeld (12), Winston C (14), Brimham Rocks (16), Wolf Country (16), Tamleek (22), Never Surrender (28), Amlad (33), Fair Power (33)
The Duke’s pick: Sofia’s Rock

3.00pm Bombay Sapphire Molecomb Stakes (G3) 5f 2yo £75,000

Race odds: Happy Like A Fool (11/4), Havana Grey (4), Invincible Army (11/2), Sound And Silence (12)in, To Wafij (12), Battle Of Jericho (14), Denaar (16), It Dont Come Easy (20), Koditime (20), Encrypted (33), May Remain (50), Firenze Rosa (100), Wings Of The Rock (150)
The Duke’s pick: e/w Battle Of Jericho, e/w Denaar

3.35pm Qatar Sussex Stakes (G1) (British Champions Series) 1m 3yo+ £1,000,000

Race odds: Ribchester (Evs), Churchill (2), Zelzal (11), Lightning Spear (20), Lancaster Bomber (28), Zonderland (50), Here Comes When (80), Kool Kompany (100), Toscanini (200)
The Duke’s pick: e/w Lancaster Bomber, e/w Zelzal

4.10pm Markel Insurance Fillies’ Maiden 6f 2yo £25,000

Race odds: Mushahadaat (11/4), Lamya (9/2), Lady Dancealot (15/2), Your Choice (9), Threading (12), Pulitzer (14), Supersymmetry (14), Toomer (16), Last Enchantment (18), Exceedingly Diva (20), Naqaawa (22), Foxtrot Lady (25), Dizzy G (28), Hollywood Dream (33), Puchita (33), Revived (33), Smooth Sailing (33), Teenage Gal (33), Royal Wave (80)
The Duke’s pick: Mushahadaat

4.45pm EBF Breeders’ Series Fillies’ Handicap (86-105) 1m 1f 197y 3yo+ £30,000

Race odds: Ebbesbourne (13/2), White Chocolate (13/2), Indulged (8), Skiffle (8), Titi Makfi (8), Three Duchesses (10), Billesdon Bess (16), Indian Blessing (16), La Casa Tarifa (16), Sagely (16), Turning The Table (16), Mistime (20), Argenterie (25), Uele River (28), Ickymasho (33), Lady Perignon (40)
The Duke’s pick: e/w Sagely

5.20pm Qatar International Stakes for Purebred Arabians (Group 1 PA) 1m 4y+ £400,000

Race odds: Crahck, Ebraz, Furry, Nafees, Prada T, Tayf
The Duke’s pick: Furry

5.55pm Cantor Fitzgerald Handicap (76-95) 7f 3yo+ £25,000

Race odds: Sinfonietta (11/2), Sun Lover (11/2), War Glory (9), Cenotaph (12), Medburn Dream (14), Noble Peace (14), Easy Tiger (16), Pastoral Player (16), The Warrior (16), Truth Or Dare (16), Medieval (20), Ifwecan (22), Boy In The Bar (25), Mr Bossy Boots (25), Goring (28), Baron Bolt (33), Lost At Sea (33), Luis Vaz De Torres (33), Reputation (40), War Department (40)
The Duke’s pick: Sun Lover