Today’s best bets, by Greg Wood
Sixteen handicappers squeezing themselves around a series of twists and turns on the Sussex Downs is a daunting way to start Glorious Goodwood and this year the opener was betting 9-1 the field overnight. Given this track’s justified reputation for hard-luck stories, it is a race some punters may be tempted to swerve to wait for a more tangible opportunity later on the card.
Too much is sometimes made of Goodwood as a place of betting nightmares, however, and the best approach to a contest as apparently impenetrable as this one is usually to keep it simple. A runner that races prominently and has a draw near the rail is a good start and, if it is trained by Mark Johnston - whose three runners were at the front from the off in this race last year - so much the better.
The obvious one that fits the profile today is Sennockian Star, last year’s winner from a higher mark, but Zand (2.00) is also a very interesting contender and possibly the one to back. He showed promise as a juvenile in Ireland before switching to race in Switzerland, where he produced a level of form that puts him within 2lb or 3lb of the best in the race today. If the switch to the Johnston yard brings him on a little more, he will go very close from his low stall today and the fact that Joe Fanning is on top is an added bonus.
The Lennox Stakes has prize money to match the Group One status that it will surely receive at some stage, but the loss of Limato due to rain-softened ground has not helped its cause. Toormore makes his first start in Godolphin blue here and could well go off as favourite, but Safety Check (3.10), in the same colours, has been completely overlooked by the market and that could be a mistake. He has been absent since running up at hat-trick at Meydan over the winter, but this race was nominated as a target back in February and the overall balance of his recent form does not give him a great deal to find here.
The Vintage Stakes also has a high-profile non-runner in Air Vice Marshall and should be won by Birchwood (2.35) in his absence, while Oasis Fantasy (3.45), the mount of Richard Hughes as he starts his final five days in the saddle, is the one to beat in the stayers’ handicap.
William Hill Glorious Goodwood tipping competition — starts today
We have two £25 bets as prizes this week, generously offered by William Hill, and, as has become our custom for Glorious Goodwood, we’ll be offering two prizes: one for the tipster that does best and one for the tipster that does worst. It’s a way of recognising what a tricky week this is for punters and how things can go badly wrong for any of us.
You don’t have to declare which prize you’re trying to win. If you try to pick winners today but come up with four losers, you’ll have to decide whether you want to keep pursuing the best tipster prize or if it might be better to go all out for losers from that point. Remember: just one winner disqualifies you from the worst tipster prize.
Because of the nature of this competition, we’ll return to having a full scoreboard for one week only, starting tomorrow.
To kick things off, we’d like your selections, please, for these races: 3.10 Goodwood, 3.45 Goodwood, 4.20 Goodwood, 5.30 Goodwood.
Prize 1: Best Tipster
As ever, our champion will be the tipster who returns the best profit to notional level stakes of £1 at starting price on our nominated races, of which there will be four each day up until and including Friday. Non-runners count as losers.
In the event of a tie at the end of the week, the winner will be the tipster who, from among those tied on the highest score, posted their tips earliest on the final day.
For terms and conditions click here.
Prize 2: Worst Tipster
As an additional prize for those at the other end of the leaderboard, we’re offering a one-off prize to whoever does worst this week. Our winner will be the one who finishes on -16 having picked horses at a shorter average starting price than all others who finished on -16.
To qualify for this prize, you must select a runner in each of our competition races. If one of your selections becomes a non-runner, you must replace it before the race starts or you will be eliminated. You will also be eliminated if any of your selections should happen to win.
If, at the end of the competition, two or more people on -16 are tied for the lowest average SP, the winner will be whichever of them posted their Friday tips earliest.
Otherwise, the usual terms and conditions apply.
Good luck! (or bad luck, as appropriate)
And post your tips or racing-related comments below.
