Dave Nevison's horse racing tips: Atalanta can score at Goodwood

He has struck up a fantastic partnership with Thomas Greatrex and has won five times for the useful claiming apprentice. He is also way better at Goodwood’s unique six-furlong track than anywhere else, so connections have presumably waited for this first meeting of the season for his debut.

Atalanta’s Boy is just 3lb higher than his latest win here at the end of August, and that extra weight would not have stopped him there. He has been beaten twice since, but he started slowly both times and that is not a habit he seems to show when racing here.

David Menuisier is in good form this spring and, for a six-year-old sprint handicapper, Atalanta’s Boy is very lightly-raced. He could easily improve further this season.

We were on this horse at double figures on his last Flat start at Catterick back in August. He got backed into 7-2, but finished third when the waiting tactics were overdone.

However, he has had a cracking winter over obstacles and I suspect he has just developed into a better horse. He certainly looked it when winning by nine lengths over hurdles at Newcastle earlier this month and from a mark of 129.

I would be surprised if he was held up out the back at this track but, in any case, there do not look to be any particularly quick or well-handicapped rivals. Rated 1lb below his latest Flat mark and currently on 49, he has the look of a ‘good thing’ on paper.

She really has no excuses here and looks poised for a first win of the season - and a first success since wind surgery.

Mid Winster had a quiet run first-time up at Doncaster in March and then went to Ripon where she came up against a rejuvenated Mark’s Choice, running really well to be fourth.

This pace-setter has bagged the ideal rails draw at this speed-favouring sprint track and has won off higher marks than her current rating. Given the wind operation certainly doesn’t seem to have negatively impacted her, she could be set to climb the weights when encountering ideal conditions such as these.