VETERAN trainer Clive Brittain has never been afraid of pitching his horses in at the deep end. His critics will argue they are often out of their class, yet there have been notable occasions when the 73-year-old Newmarket handler has proved them wrong.
While it can be a costly exercise thinking geese are swans, Brittain has always adopted a bold policy of ‘nothing ventured, nothing gained’, though it has to be said performing well in top-class company and not winning doesn’t do the handicap marks any favours.
In the case of Mastership, the only three-year-old among the 28 runners for the Bluesquare.com Stewards’ Cup at Goodwood, he has gone up 18lb in the ratings since his last victory as a result of some creditable efforts in Group contests. That’s a big negative. On the other hand, he was very unlucky not win a hot handicap for his own age group at Newmarket on his latest appearance off the same mark as today.
He raced on the ‘wrong’ side but beat the other six in that group, while he also experienced traffic problems in running which is always a danger for a hold-up merchant like him. There is little doubt he would have gone close had he been drawn high.
Mastership won twice over a mile as a juvenile and has been racing beyond six furlongs until last time and that confirmed this is his best distance. He needs a strong-run race and there will be no hanging around here.
The last three-year-old to win this prize was the exposed Danetime 10 years ago although to be fair, from a statistical point of view, not so many have taken on their elders. Incidentally, he won off 100 – the same mark as Mastership.
The draw factor also points to high numbers with only three in single-figure numbers proving successful in the past 10 years. Brittain still selected stall one when Mastership’s number came out before the halfway stage of the draw.
Machinist is at the top of his game. He shrugged off a 6lb rise for a Hamilton win when slamming his field in a Curragh handicap and the hat-trick is definitely on the cards. A third clash between Classic-winning fillies Light Shift and Peeping Fawn is a mouth-watering prospect in the Blue Square Nassau Stakes. The score is 1-1 after Peeping Fawn avenged her Epsom Oaks defeat in the Irish equivalent on very different ground.
The faster surface will be in Light Shift’s favour and I hope to see her provide the ever-popular Henry Cecil with another Group One triumph. The French raider Mandesha looks best of the others.
