Horse racing tips: James Boyle's best bets for Glorious Goodwood Day One
13:40 Goodwood – Existent – 1pt @ 14/1
This will be fast, furious and exciting to watch. Plenty of luck will be required in-running, especially if you’re fancying one of those coming from the back of the field, and that’s what I’ll need with Existent!
He tends to make life more difficult than it needs to be by being slow to stride and that ruined his chance at Ascot on Saturday. The winner making all to score easily would suggest he was unlikely to be getting involved even with a clean break but he could have posted a much better figure.
It’s his previous run, also at Ascot, that makes me think he could win soon as he finished fifth in another contest where being prominent was an advantage and he did best of those to come from the rear. That was despite being keen in a first-time visor (now discarded) and nothing pulling him into the equation in the manner that he would prefer.
Running him at Goodwood is a fascinating prospect as an out-and-out speed track could be a big plus. He did line up here last season but that was in the Group 2 King George and he needs a lot to fall right in order to get up to that level.
In a handicap off a mark of 100, with the ground posing no issue and a hood and cheekpiece combination being tried for the first time, he could be set to outrun the 14/1 quotes on offer.
14:50 Goodwood – Moktasaab – 1pt @ 10/1
Moktasaab has got a questionable head carriage and multiple Timeform squiggles on his slate, which is never a great sign. On the other hand, he has loads of talent, can travel through his races smoothly and finished third in this race last season.
That came off a 5lb higher mark, so there’s no doubting he’s weighted to do something meaningful, and his last two disappointing runs may be down to wearing a visor on tracks that didn’t play to his strengths. The visor has been taken off and although he has long looked like one who’d benefit from headgear, he shapes as if he’ll be happier without it.
His only other run at this track yielded a win off 2lbs higher than his current rating and the liking for Goodwood increases the chance of this being one of his big targets. If he has been coaxed back into the form he was in last season, he’s going to be in the mix and rates a fair bet at 10/1.
17:05 Goodwood – Royal Dress – 1pt @ 12/1
Royal Dress was running to a fine level over 6f but she’s by Night Of Thunder and out of a Dynaformer mare so the likelihood was that improvement would come over longer trips. That’s exactly how it played out as she tackled 7f at Haydock recently and bolted up by a few lengths on heavy ground.
Those in behind may not have been capable of much in comparison to some of today’s opposition but it was still an impressive success and marked her down as one to keep an eye on in the higher grades.
She gets to test her talent against some unexposed types with more attractive profiles but I’m really interested to see if another jolt of improvement could be forthcoming now up to a mile for the first time. It took a while to pull her up after Haydock and it’s not impossible that she’ll relish the extra yardage.
Whether she has the raw ability of some of these remains to be seen, but the ground could put a dent in the stamina reserves of a few and we know for certain that she’ll go through it. If she gets a good trip, relaxes into a nice rhythm and is in there pitching at the furlong pole, I think she’s a contender.
To get involved in our horse racing tips today, sign up at one of the best new betting sites where you'll find exclusive offers.
You'll discover multiple betting markets on horse racing today and plenty of other sports at these trusted online betting sites too, while you might even score yourself some free bets.
