Five horses to follow at Glorious Goodwood on Saturday

Tipster: Johnny Ward.

Best odds: 8-1.

Tipster: Andy Stephens.

Best odds: 28-1.

There have been many unlikely events at the Qatar Goodwood Festival this week and I’m hoping Korker can catch the mood by springing a surprise in the Coral Stewards’ Cup on Saturday.

A pacemaker winning the week’s showpiece race at 150-1; two stablemates dead-heating in a pattern contest; 26mm of rain falling in 20 minutes and major contests taking place without starting stalls have been among a series of peculiar events on the Sussex Downs over recent days.

Korker landing the big sprint handicap could be the cherry on the cake because he’s not won since the autumn of 2023; is 0/12 when running over 6f; will be able to race off a 2lb lower mark in future; plus will be partnered by a 7lb apprentice who has never ridden at the track.

However, there are enough rays of light in Korker’s RaceiQ data to make him worth risking each-way at the general 28-1 on offer, especially with most firms offering six places.

The RaceiQ draw bias metric suggests his draw in 17 is not ideal (the metric points to low numbers usually being at an advantage) but Summerghand jumped from the same stall when winning in 2020 and nine of the past 15 winners have been drawn 17 or higher.

Being near the pace is usually pivotal and two of the most rapid starters in training, Get It (drawn 27) and Apollo One (28), are not too far from him.

The data tells us this pair are routinely quickest, or nearly quickest, to 0-20mph in their respective races and inevitably they pull other horses with them. Get It, in particular, is a habitual trail-blazer, making all in this race last year (from stall 28) and repeating the dose in a record time in the Wokingham on his latest start. He should make a bold defence of his crown but the slower ground may blunt some of his powers.

By contrast, Korker has spent most of his career dawdling at the start and leave himself playing catch-up, but he invariably finishes his races off strongly.

That was certainly the case in the Ayr Gold Cup last September when, 4lb higher in the ratings than on Saturday, he zoomed from fifteenth to third in the final furlong, thanks to clocking 11.49sec. Nothing else in the 25-runner field could match that finish.

He also kept on in eye-catching fashion in the Wokingham at Royal Ascot in June. Only three of the 28 runners were slower than him to reach 20mph and he was last after the first furlong, a position he still occupied two out at a meeting where the ground was on the firm side and runners were not coming back.

But Korker stayed on stoutly to pass 20 rivals in the final third of the race and ended up being a creditable eighth. The only horse to finish off better than him in the final two furlongs was the likeable More Thunder, the runner-up, who has since gone one better in the Bunbury Cup. 

Korker had also stuck to his task well when third in a 16-runner handicap at York in May, and he was building up a head of steam from an unfavourable track position on the Knavesmire last weekend, in the Sky Bet Dash Handicap, only to be badly squeezed by rivals. It's impossible to gauge where he would have finished without that interference.  

He’s impervious to the going but getting back on some ground with some juice in it may help, if only to slow down the opposition, and Jack Nicholls, who has ridden him in his past four starts, should now be familiar with all his strengths and weaknesses. 

Tipster: Page Fuller.

Best odds: 20-1.

The draw looks like it could play a big part in the Whispering Angel Handicap (3.45), where low numbers are again strongly favoured. Hallasan will break from stall four and has plenty in his favour.

Any further rain will be no problem, since his maiden win last season came on good to soft going. The time he clocked in that race was particularly eye catching as well, highlighting how well he handled the conditions. He scored an 8.5 out of 10 on the RaceiQ Time Index.

Despite sometimes running with the choke out, he’s not as fast as he thinks he is. In all bar two of his races we have in our database, his Top Speed hasn’t ranked higher than the fifth quickest of the field.

His latest start over six furlongs at Newmarket proved a case in point. His Top Speed of 42.63mph in the second furlong might have been the first time he’d been faster than 42mph on the racecourse, but it was only quicker than one other runner in the race.

He has already proved that he has stamina after winning over a mile in Meydan in the winter, and so a competitive seven furlongs around a track that doesn’t favour horses with raw speed should prove ideal.

Tipster: Ross Millar. 

Best odds: 8-1 (each-way).

Isaac Newton only narrowly failed to reel in a stablemate with race experience on his debut at the Curragh in mid-July.

It’s fair to say he exceeded the expectations of connections as, on jockey bookings (he was ridden by 5lb apprentice Jack Cleary), he was the least fancied of their three runners.

He’s sure to be well-fancied for this and the heavy rain the track received on Thursday should mean his stamina laden pedigree can be well utilised; 11/10 is a fair reflection of his chance, but betting short prices in maidens is not my preferred angle – particularly at Goodwood.

At a bigger price, I’d prefer to back CORINTH each-way. He finished fourth on his debut behind Pacifica Pier and the luckless Publish, who has since won impressively on his next start.

Corinth travelled well in a prominent position for much of that contest and looked a colt with plenty of natural speed. He showed visible signs of greenness when hanging to his right when coming under pressure, yet still only weakened out of contention inside the last half-furlong.

With the ground riding on the slow side, it’s a near certainty they’ll come towards the stands rail, which should reduce the likelihood of him hanging to his right, he might also just have a bit more tactical pace than Isaac Newton and an easier track than Sandown will suit well.

Gosden-trained juveniles often show significant progress on their second start and, if such improvement is forthcoming, he might well prove capable of shaking up the favourite.

Tipster: Dave Nevison.

Best odds: 9-2.

Surprisingly, Treasure Time is one of just a few in this closing event that look as though they have improvement left in them. 

His season has started later than was the plan, but he still ran a very promising race to finish fifth in a hot mile handicap at Sandown on his return plus has been given plenty of time to get over those exertions. 

He was desperately unlucky when a beaten favourite at this meeting last year, but would be unfortunate if lightning were to strike twice and ruin his chance of making amends in this.

I fancy this could be the springboard to a very strong second half of the season for Treasure Time.