Five horses to follow at Glorious Goodwood on Friday

Tipster: Sam Turner.

Best odds: 6-1.

Aggagio is a horse that I’ve got a great deal of time for, and Gary & Josh Moore have done a brilliant job with him. 

He’s a real Goodwood specialist and has only gone up 4lb for his win at this track last time out where he enjoyed the juice in the ground. 

The rain will have therefore played to his strengths and the rival he beat last time, Spirit Mixer, won the Northumberland Plate next time out. He also had Almuhit in behind, and that rival has scored twice since, so the form has been franked significantly. 

He’s got a light weight and Ashley Lewis, who has really impressed me this year, takes off 7lb, so hopefully he’ll go very well in the opener. Align The Stars is also an interesting contender stepping back up in trip. 

Tipster: Dave Nevison.

Best odds: 8-1.

Greek Order has been placed in the past in a Cambridgeshire (when sent off at 5-2) and, since he returned from America, has already placed in the Hunt Cup. I am pretty convinced he will win one of these Heritage races before too long.

He was an excellent second last time at Sandown on Eclipse day and is off the same mark this afternoon.

Oisin Murphy has won on him before and is back on board this afternoon, and he looks to have bagged a decent draw in stall 3, so hopefully he can get the breaks and land a big one. 

Tipster: Andy Stephens.

Best odds: 6-1.

The speed merchants take centre stage at Goodwood on Friday in the King George Qatar Stakes. This is usually one of the fastest five-furlong races of the year but the torrential rain which fell at the track on Thursday will put a different spin on things.

Dazzling four-time winner of the race Battaash is the course record holder, winning the 2020 renewal in 55.62sec, and that time is not going to come under threat with conditions having eased considerably. By way of comparison, he won in 58.51sec when the ground was soft in 2017.

Several horses in the field, including the well-fancied pair of Frost At Dawn and She’s Quality, have shown a penchant for quick ground, while we simply do not know what Big Mojo will make of testing going because the July Cup runner-up has never raced on anything slower than “good”. If he does handle it, then he seems sure to put up a bold show as outlined by RaceiQ’s Page Fuller in her column.

One runner proven on a range of ground – and bred to cope with the mud - is TIME FOR SANDALS and her RaceiQ data also makes for positive reading. Chalked up at about 6-1, she rates a solid each-way wager.

The Harry Eustace-trained filly was having only her sixth start when winning the Commonwealth Cup at Royal Ascot last month when, typically, she was strong at the finish. Nothing was quicker than her over the final two furlongs – she was the only runner to dip under 24 seconds, clocking 23.76sec – and those numbers warrant an upgrade because she streaked clear on her part of the track, having nothing to race with.

She’s got a 5lb penalty to carry for that success and will have to cope with a drop in trip, but that need not stop her, especially with conditions likely to put the emphasis more on stamina.

It took her just 1.97mph to hit 20mph at Ascot, which suggests she will get away on terms, and she is simply a more complete model than when a fast-finishing third in the Super Sprint at Newbury last year, the only previous time she has run over the minimum trip.

On that occasion she was slowest of all the 19 runners through the first furlong, when not helped by being drawn on the flank in stall 1, and that left her with an unequal struggle. She followed that with the quickest furlong of the race (10.26sec) and then was a whisker away from being swiftest in the third furlong, before also being quickest in the each of the last two furlongs.

Had she got off to a better start, or perhaps been drawn in the pack, then she would surely have won in tidy style and doubts about her effectiveness over shorter would be diminished.

Her penalty clearly will not help, but she’s earned it and the Commonwealth Cup form has a glow. The second and fourth have since won pattern races, while the fifth and seventh (Big Mojo) have since gone close in Group One company.

Tipster: Katie Midwinter.

Best odds: 11-2.

Tipster: Alex Scott.

Best odds: 10-1 (each-way).

James Owen is having a great season and I am convinced this horse has a big win in him. Having finished sixth of 19 in the King George V Stakes at Royal Ascot behind Merchant and Serious Contender, he then ran in a 1m6f handicap at Haydock.

He travelled into that race very well, cruising three furlongs out, but he faded inside the final furlong to finish fifth and did not appear to last home over the trip.

Currently rated 86, this step down to 1m3f looks a sensible call and, although he has yet to run on ground softer than good, he looks as if he will handle a bit of cut. His sire No Nay Never has plenty that go on softer ground and his dam’s best performance came when winning a Listed race on heavy.

His draw looks decent enough in five and he is likely to be ridden close to the pace, a tactic that has been favoured for most of the week, and with many firms paying four places, he looks a nice each-way bet at 10-1.

Luke is backing Best Secret to strike in Thursday’s opener, but with bet365’s Position Payout, punters gain insights of odds for second or third finishes allowing them to make calculated decisions before betting.