Bellinger’s blunder in 8th innings hands Giants triumph
Improving five-year-old Passion And Glory bids for a third straight win on his Group-race debut in the G3 Glorious Stakes on day four of Glorious Goodwood, Friday.
The son of Cape Cross steps back up to a mile and a half following two decisive handicap victories over 10 furlongs, scoring by four lengths on the all-weather at Lingfield Park in June and taking an Ascot race by six lengths earlier this month.
Oisin Murphy partners Passion And Glory, who won twice over a mile and a quarter as a three-year-old before missing the whole of 2020 through injury.
His trainer Saeed Bin Suroor said: “Passion And Glory is improving all the time and has won nicely on his last two starts.
“He has been working well and this looks the right race for him now. He heads to Goodwood in good form and we are hoping for another nice result.”
Two Godolphin contenders in Friday’s big handicap, the Golden Mile, include Path Of Thunder (William Buick), an easy winner over the same distance at Newmarket on his most recent appearance for Charlie Appleby.
He is joined by Bedouin’s Story (Ray Dawson), who started his year with three excellent runs at the Dubai World Cup Carnival for Suroor, including when filling the runner-up spot behind Star Safari in the G3 Dubai Millennium Stakes.
Meanwhile, Creative Force and Space Blues both produced admirable efforts on heavy ground when coming home second and fourth in the G2 Lennox Stakes at Goodwood on Tuesday.
G3 Jersey Stakes victor Creative Force was covered up behind the leaders in fith, with Space Blues restrained at the rear of the eight runners as he atempted a repeat victory in the seven-furlong contest following his success 12 months ago.
Creative Force stayed on ater being angled out by James Doyle entering the final quartermile and moved up to press for the lead half a furlong out, galloping out strongly to finish a neck behind Kinross.
Space Blues travelled powerfully into the race for William Buick passing the two-furlong pole and last season’s G1 Prix Maurice de Gheest winner also finished his race off well, going down by three-quarters of a length in total.
Charlie Appleby, who trains both horses, said: “Unfortunately it wasn’t the strongest run race.
“William’s tactics were to ride Space Blues like he rode him last year, but the pace wasn’t there for him to aim at.
“I’m delighted with him - it was his first run back for the European season and we will see how he comes out of this. If he comes out of it well enough, we might look at the G2 Hungerford Stakes at Newbury. He has got his options anyway.
“It was another solid run from Creative Force, who is just a fun horse to have around. I would say six furlongs is going to be his trip going forward into next year.
“He travels very well and James said we should think about dropping him back to six as he is slightly over-racing. It was a good, solid run. You could contemplate dropping him back for the G1 Prix Maurice de Gheest or going to Haydock for the G1 Sprint Cup.”
Meanwhile, Yibir tests himself against some strong form lines as he aims for back-to-back G3 victories in the Gordon Stakes on day three of Glorious Goodwood, Thursday.
The Charlie Appleby-trained three-year-old drops back to a mile and a half ater staying on strongly to readily win the G3 Bahrain Trophy over 13 furlongs at Newmarket on July 8.
Yibir, under William Buick, started his season with three appearances in Derby trials, including a second in the Listed Cocked Hat Stakes at Goodwood and third behind Alenquer and subsequent Derby hero Adayar in the G3 Classic Trial at Sandown Park.
His rivals include Third Realm, who beat Adayar in the Lingfield Derby Trial before coming home fith in the Derby, and Wordsworth, who was third behind Hurricane Lane in the Irish Derby and chased home the same horse in the Grand Prix de Paris.
Appleby said: “We were delighted to see Yibir get his head back in front in the Bahrain Trophy, when he travelled and stayed very well.”
SAN FRANCISCO: Ater benefiting from yet another late-game meltdown by their division rivals, Buster Posey and the Giants are starting to see a common theme.
San Francisco simply isn’t flinching. Posey scored the tie-breaking run on a throwing error by first baseman Cody Bellinger in the eighth inning, and the Giants beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 2-1 on Tuesday night to increase their NL West lead to three games over the defending World Series champions.
“It boils down to guys just being prepared so when you get in tight moments, knowing you put the work in beforehand, it allows you to play relaxed,” Posey said.
Blake Treinen (2-5) walked Posey and Mike Yastrzemski to begin the eighth. Darin Ruf hit a grounder to second baseman Max Muncy, who began to chase Yastrzemski back toward first before throwing out Ruf.
Bellinger, making his first start of the season at first base in order to rest his sore hamstring, then pump-faked toward second before launching a throw well over third baseman Justin Turner’s head and into the protective neting along the third base line as the crowd of 32,878 roared.
“It just slipped out of my hand. There’s no excuses. I just threw it too high,” Bellinger said. “I think a good throw gets him. It hurts. It definitely hurts. It was a horrible throw.”
Posey, who was on his way to third, scored easily.
“I was really just trying to be in a position rounding the bag that if it looked like an opportunity to go, I felt like I was far enough down,” Posey said. “I might have goten too far down. I don’t know, if the throw had been there it probably would have been prety close. You get a break like that, you’ll take it.”
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts thought Bellinger’s vision might have been obstructed on the throw.
“I look at it and Muncy kind of got caught in the crossfire,” Roberts said. “Muncy might have been in his sight line. If he would have made an accurate throw and gets him, it’s a great play. It just didn’t work out.”
Posey had two hits and an RBI. Austin Slater also had two hits for San Francisco (63-37).
Bellinger singled and scored for the Dodgers. Muncy was 1 for 4 in his first game back off the paternity list.
Tyler Rogers (2-1) retired three baters to get the win. Jake Mcgee pitched the ninth for his 21st save.
The series at Oracle Park comes one week ater the Giants won three of four in Los Angeles, including a pair of ninth-inning comebacks against Dodgers closer Kenley Jansen.