Mark Johnston’s form at the 2009 Glorious Goodwood Festival continued on Friday, as the trainer landed the totesport Mile with 25-1 longshot Laa Rayb.

The gelding overcame a period of indifferent form to win the totesport Mile, excelling despite a poor draw to finish the day four feature race 2 lengths ahead of 9/1 priced Spectait. Another long shot, 22-1 priced Docofthebay, finished the race in third place.

“The winner is of Group Two caliber,” Johnston was quoted as saying by the Press Association. “We gave him a nice break coming here, and that seems to have made the difference - along with the blinkers. He’s perhaps not looked in love with the game in the past, but producing him right on the day is the key.”

“You can’t give up on horses with that much class. He’s obviously got his quirks and a lot of miles on the clock. He’s probably benefited from a bit of a gap between his races as well.”

The 2009 totesport Mile left bookmakers laughing all the way to the bank, with antepost favourites Cloudy Start, Acrostic and Extraterrestrial finishing the race well out of range of a place.

Sir Michael Stoute’s rich run of form continued at Glorious Goodwood on Thursday, as he landed the group 3 Audi Stakes with Kingsgate Native.

The colt was hauled out of stud to compete in the race, and put in a bullocking run to leave Total Gallery in his wake. Inxile finished the race in third place.

“He’s quickened up really well and has put the race to bed very quickly. I think he’s always been quite a highly-strung horse,” Stoute told Sky Sports News after the race.

“He’s been covering mares so they’ve done a really good job to get him back and win a Group race. He gave me a real good feel and couldn’t have been more impressive.”

Day three of the Glorious Goodwood Meeting also produced a group 3 victory for Henry Cecil, who watched Sevenna take victory in the 1 mile 6 furlong Moet Hennessy Fillies’ Stakes.

“She really tried and loves that ground,” winning jockey Tom Queally said after the race. “Our horses are only just beginning to come to themselves and she’s no exception. Her guts and determination showed where it mattered.”

It’s day four of the Glorious Goodwood Festival, and today’s feature race comes in the form of a 1 mile handicap, the 2009 totesport Mile.

Betting on a handicap is never easy, and the totesport Mile will be no exception as it has drawn a large field featuring several entries more than capable of storming to victory in the race. However, handicaps are also renowned for value, and there are great odds to be had in the totesport Mile betting markets.

Henry Cecil’s Cloudy Start has emerged as the favourite in the totesport Mile betting markets over the past week. He’s placed in each of his last four races, taking two wins in the process, and is a great value bet at 7/1.

Cloudy Start is shadowed by Extraterrestrial at 7/1, who boasts a less than stellar record over recent races, but has nevertheless attracted strong backing from punters. Luca Cumani’s Acrostic has also been trading around the 7/1 mark.

If you’re betting on this race, you’re pretty much left looking to markets for guidance. Punters have been spot on in the last three feature races at Goodwood, which suggests it may be an idea to bet each way on all three entries priced around 7/1 in the totesport Mile betting markets.

Well backed favourite, Schiaparelli, claimed feature race honours at Glorious Goodwood on Thursday, holding off a late surge by Mourilyan to win the 2 mile group 2 Goodwood Cup.

Frankie Dettori pushed his charge into the lead with 4 furlongs to go, and then kept him ahead of Mourilyan to win the race. 33/1 priced outsider, the Betchworth Kid, finished the race in third place.

The win was Dettori’s 50th at the Glorious Goodwood meeting, and put the Italian jockey on two wins for the 2009 meeting.

“This fellow is a good horse,” Dettori told the Racing Post after the race. “It’s his first try over this trip and he stayed well and he won like a nice stayer.”

“I had a little look and I saw Ryan (Moore) behind me, but my horse wasn’t slowing down so I thought he’d be very hard to get past. He’s very versatile as he stays well and a mile and a half in soft ground is fine for him. He can do both.”

Today’s Goodwood Cup is set to feature the unusual combination of a woman jockey on board a Melbourne Cup hopeful.

With the Goodwood Cup run over the type of distance favoured for Australia’s top group races, trainer Jane Chapple-Hyam has decided to test Judgethemoment’s mettle in the group two races against some of the UK’s finest stayers.

“We wanted to run him in a Group race to see how he got on and we also want him to prove that he is a Melbourne Cup horse,” Chapple-Hyam told the Chichester Observer. “We would like him to go up a couple of pounds in the ratings to guarantee him a place for Australia and the owner is keen to run him there.”

Chapple-Hyman has recruited young Australian jockey, Michelle Payne, for the race. Payne is in the United Kingdom on a working holiday, but has thoroughbred racing credentials, having ridden Iasia to victory at Warwick for Chapple-Hyam earlier in the month.

Judgethemoment is a rank outsider going into Thursday’s race, at odds of 33/1. The colt has a win rate of around 30%, but has taken three victories from his last four outings.

Today’s feature race at Glorious Goodwood comes in the form of the 2009 Goodwood Cup, one of British racing’s most prestigious long distance events. Raced over 2 miles, the Goodwood Cup is a true test of stamina, and like many long distance races tends to favour horses with maturity and experience.

In recent years the Goodwood Cup has been dominated by long distance hero, Yeats. However, Aidan O’Brien’s champion stayer will be absent from proceedings on Thursday, giving the likes of Mourilyan, Enroller and Askar Tau the opportunity to land a group two win.

Luca Cumani’s Schiaparelli heads the betting markets for the 2009 Goodwood Cup. The colt has an excellent record in Europe but has struggled to make an impression in group races in the United Kingdom, and finished well of the pace in last year’s Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe in Paris.

Askar Tau looks to be the sensible bet for the Goodwood Cup. Priced 9/2 in the betting markets he’ll return a profit on an each-way bet if he places in the race. He’s also shown the strongest form coming into the event with 5 wins from his last 7 starts.

Punters after a value bet will be looking at Barry Hills’ Carraciola, a solid performer in listed races who also has experience in national hunt racing and the long distances run in that racing format. Trading at 7/1, Carraciola will provide good returns on each way bets with a place.

For a full list of odds offered by top bookmakers on the entries to the 2009 Goodwood Cup, visit the Glorious Goodwood Odds Comparison Service.

Rip Van Winkle finally fulfilled his potential at the top level on Wednesday, winning the 2009 Sussex Stakes at the Glorious Goodwood Meeting.

Aidan O’Brien’s colt proved to have the measure of 1,000 Guineas winner, Ghanaati, who had to settle for third place after being beaten by Queen Anne Stakes winner Paco Boy.

“I said he was one of the best I’d ridden and he’s shown he’s a great horse,” winning jockey, Johnny Murtagh, said after the race. “At the start of the year I thought he was going to be unbeatable. He will be very hard to beat from now to the end of the season.”

Rip Van Winkle’s performance was all the more remarkable given that he had pulled up lame during training on Tuesday, and had almost been pulled out of the race.

“He was 10 out of 10 lame yesterday evening,” O’Brien told the BBC. “It’s unbelievable. He is an amazing horse. It’s all class with this horse, all cruise and speed. We’ve never had a horse with that much class.”

The 2009 Glorious Goodwood meeting pulls no punches today, with the day’s feature race coming in the form of the group one Sussex Stakes.

The star of this 1 mile show is 1,000 Guineas winner Ghanaati, who is tipped to score a rare victory for a filly over the British colts.

Untested against male company, the duel between Ghanaati and classy colts Paco Boy and Rip Van Winkle could provide one of the meeting’s highlights.

Rip Van Winkle is the punters’ favourite for the Sussex Stakes. A group one win has proven to be elusive for this colt in his 3 year old season, but backers believe he has the class to win at the highest level.

Punters should note that Rip Van Winkle suffered a setback on Tuesday, and this may impact on his comfort and performance in this race.

Paco Boy, better known for his prowess as a sprinter, takes the step up to a mile for this race, and remains something of an unknown quantity. Richard Hughes’ ability to time his run will have a strong impact on where he finishes the 2009 Sussex Stakes.

Punters looking for a value bet for the 2009 Sussex Stakes need look no further than Jeremy Noseda’s Forgotten Voice. Winner of three of his last four races, the colt is priced at 25/1, providing genuine value on each way bets.

Rip Van Winkle is set to appear in this afternoon’s Sussex Stakes at Glorious Goodwood, despite suffering a late setback in his preparations for the meeting’s most prestigious race.

The colt is believed to have injured one of his hind hoofs during training on Tuesday, but will still be making the journey to Goodwood Racecourse.

Rip Van Winkle is presently the market favourite to land his first group one title of the season, ahead of 1,000 Guineas winner, Ghanaati. Trainer Aidan O’Brien will make a decision over whether or not to run his colt in the Sussex Stakes late on Wednesday morning.

“We will reassess the situation when we get to the course when a final decision will be made,” O’Brien told the Racing Post.

Meanwhile, Ballydoyle jockey, Johnny Murtagh, was upbeat about his prospects of landing a group one win for his stable with Rip Van Winkle.

“I’m really looking forward to riding the horse again,” Murtagh told the Racing Post. “I think everyone knows the high regard I hold him - hopefully this will be the day he shows everybody.”

Sir Michael Stoute’s good form of recent weeks continued at Glorious Goodwood on Monday, as the Barbadian trainer landed the Gordon Stakes with Harbinger.

The colt, who will be running in the St Leger later this year, romped to a 1¾ victory over Firebet. Urban Poet came home in third place.

“I was highly delighted with the performance because he has had his muscle problems and they take time,” Stoute told the BBC after the race. “He’s not an elaborate home worker and that makes it very difficult to get an edge on him. He’s lazy at home but he’s a lovely horse. I loved the way he travelled, he’s got some class.”

The trainer admitted to having some reservations about Harbinger’s ability to win the St Leger despite the fact that he was quickly priced favourite for that race following his victory.

“I don’t know about the Leger, when you look at his pedigree it doesn’t scream Leger horse. Let’s go to the Voltigeur and then we’ll see. There are 30-odd owners who I’ll have to talk to about it.”