Saturday’s tips
- Forty Years On (Goodwood, 14.00) – 2pts win @ 11/4 (BetVictor)
- High Degree (Goodwood, 14.35) – 1pt win @ 5/2 (Ladbrokes)
- Zavateri (Goodwood, 15.10) – 2pts win @ 9/4 (bet365)
- Appier (Goodwood, 16.20) – 1pt win @ SP
It’s Celebration Mile day at Goodwood and our horse racing correspondent Jonathan Doidge has four selections for you using the best odds from betting sites from the track, including that feature race.
Virgin Bet Every Saturday Money Back Handicap (14.00, Goodwood)
The standout selection for this valuable handicap is the market leader FORTY YEARS ON, trained by George Scott and ridden by Hector Crouch.
This progressive four-year-old enters the highly competitive contest in spectacular form, boasting a record of four wins from her last five starts. She performs well on sharp tracks or turning tracks such as this one and has a profile that suits Goodwood’s tricky undulating topography. While a 79-day layoff since her last run is a factor, she’s won when fresh and her upwardly mobile official rating of 96 suggests he has yet to reach her ceiling.
Those looking for an alternative each-way angle might try Ironwill, who has been noted as a horse capable of capitalising on any ease in the ground should the forecast light rain materialise.
However, with the yard firing and Crouch booked, the selection still looks to have the strongest hand after that good step forward when winning decisively at Newbury last time (7f, good to soft) and she gets the vote at a solid price on horse racing betting sites.
Saturday racing tip 1: Forty Years On (Goodwood, 14.00) – 2pts win @ 11/4 (BetVictor)
Virgin Bet A Good Bet Handicap (14.35, Goodwood)
You had to like the way that HIGH DEGREE went about his business at Pontefract last time and he looks to have very solid claims of following up, despite a 4lb rise.
The gelded son of Too Darn Hot has been pretty consistent over trips from 1m-1m2f so far in this campaign but there is stamina on the dam’s side of his pedigree and trainer William Haggas has now decided to step him up to 1m4f, which I think looks positive.
His latest effort, on the stiffest track of them all at Pontefract, saw him win from a prominent position over 1m2f and you don’t do that at the West Yorkshire track if you don’t possess stamina.
The cheekpieces he wore then are retained and he wouldn’t need to do more than repeat that effort to have strong claims, while any improvement should make him tough to beat.
Saturday racing tip 2: High Degree (Goodwood, 14.35) – 1pt win @ 5/2 (Ladbrokes)
Virgin Bet Celebration Mile Stakes (15.10, Goodwood)
Not particularly original, I know but the favourite for this race, ZAVATERI, holds all the aces in this level of contest and is taken to get back to winning ways.
The one slight concern would be softening ground but if it turns good, he will be fine. Eve Johnson Houghton’s three-year-old won last year’s Group 1 National Stakes at the Curragh (7f, yielding) and in addition to that career best, his three other successes have come on a sound or fast surface.
He came close to that level in last month’s Sussex Stakes here (C&D, good to firm), when beaten over 4L by Bow Echo and was not disgraced in defeat behind Notable Speech in the City of York Stakes (7f, good to soft) last weekend.
Dropping back to Group 2 level should help, as should his weight allowance, while he’s also already proved he handles this unique track, so there are several vital boxes ticked. He’s officially the best horse in the field and a price like the 9/4 quoted on betting apps as I write looks a very fair one, so I’m with him.
Saturday racing tip 3: Zavateri (Goodwood, 15.10) – 2pts win @ 9/4 (bet365)
Virgin Bet Daily Price Boosts Handicap (16.20, Goodwood)
Stayers to the fore for this Class 4 contest, which sees Scarlet Moon and Caprelo as respected contenders, who can both have decent cases made, while Russian Rumour is another of note, although she’s becoming a bit of a victim of her own consistency.
APPIER is the one for me. David Probert partners the Tony Carroll-trained gelding, who has a very good strike rate of 11 wins from 51 starts and has got back close to his best on turf in the two starts he’s had since joining this trainer.
He goes well here, having won over C&D (soft) quite comfortably here in June and that despite racing freely. He was arguably even more keen at Sandown (1m6f, good to firm) last time and I think although he came up the hill reasonably well, had he settled he could have been much closer than the 2½L margin he was beaten by, when finishing third.
The handicapper has taken that at face value and not put him up for it and, back here, I think he can still take advantage of a mark of 79.
Saturday racing tip 4: Appier (Goodwood, 16.20) – 1pt win @ SP
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