Our form expert has three selections for day four of the Qatar Goodwood Festival including in the feature Group 2 King George Qatar Stakes.
The Verdict: Friday August 1
1pt win King Of Cities in 1.55 Goodwood at 8/1 (bet365, 15/2 BetVictor, Paddy Power)
1pt win Rhoscolyn in 2.30 Goodwood at 12/1 (bet365, 11/1 General)
1pt e.w JM Jungle in 3.05 Goodwood at 33/1 (Sky Bet 1/5 1,2,3,4,5)
Hannon can be King
After plenty of rain throughout racing at Goodwood on Thursday the ground is going to be hard work on Friday, tacky at best, you would think, despite the forecast looking dry for the final two days of the meeting.
That asks a new question of Opera Ballo (non runner) in the Group 3 Bonhams Thoroughbred Stakes (1.55) and while he’s a hugely talented horse he races right on the edge and this sort of ground might not be to his liking.
I’m keen to take him on and while Richard Hannon just missed out on the Sussex Stakes he could gain some sort of compensation here for the same owner with KING OF CITIES looking an attractive bet at around 8/1.
The son of Dubawi should be right at home on the ground and while a speedy mile like this might ordinarily catch him out the conditions could make this the kind of test that he requires.
He’s made steady progress so far in his short six-race career, running well at Newmarket in the Feilden Stakes in April before he ran okay in the Prix du Jockey Club where he was a four-length ninth, but like his dam, Ajman Princess, he looks a bit of a slow burner who could take off now he’s in the second phase of his three-year-old career.
Last time in the Listed Sir Henry Cecil Stakes at Newmarket he hinted at a fruitful autumn, travelling well before he was short of room at a crucial time and then staying on for third.
Beaten four lengths by Opera Ballo in that race on fast ground, when in receipt of 3lb, it’s interesting Hannon is happy to take on that rival again and the balance could swing in his favour after Thursday’s rain.
Not only that but Ryan Moore takes over in the saddle and, while I don’t need to expand on that really, it’s worth noting he has a tremendous strike-rate when riding in the silks of Sheikh Obaid (seven wins from 19 at 37%).
The Verdict: Back KING OF CITIES in the 1.55 Goodwood
Jungle to shock King George rivals
The Group 2 King George Qatar Stakes takes centre stage on Friday with Asfoora aiming to come on for her fifth in the King Charles III Stakes at Royal Ascot.
If she does she’ll have a good chance of going one better than last year, but she is seven now and she’s not certain to produce her peak form.
I’d rather have a go against her and with the sprint division wide open I wouldn’t be surprised to see John & Sean Quinn’s JM JUNGLE take the step up in class in his stride.
Quinn is a maestro at getting his sprinters to keep on improving with racing and we’ve no idea how high this horse’s ceiling is but we do know he’s got better again at the age of five having already had 30 runs under his belt at the start of the campaign.
He has been tremendously consistent all season, with form figures of 22312 in big sprint handicaps before he finished third in a Listed contest at York last time out.
Speed tracks like York, Epsom and Goodwood very much play to his strengths and he’s won here in soft ground back in the days when he was a handicapper rated in the 80s.
Quinn has a brilliant record here with his sprinters, a strike-rate of 19.67% and a profit of +£54.69 to £1 at SP when drilling down to his career Goodwood record over six furlongs or less, which is highly commendable at a track like this.
JM Jungle has to improve again to get involved with this lot judging by the ratings, but he can do and 33/1 underestimates his chance, especially with Sky Bet who are paying five places.
The Verdict: Back JM JUNGLE in the 3.05 Goodwood
Rhoscolyn looks a Golden bet
Finally, the Coral Golden Mile looks extremely tough to unravel but I don’t mind taking a punt on RHOSCOLYN at reduced double-figure prices even after his odds contracted from 16s when the rain came on Thursday.
David O’Meara has an excellent record in this race and Rhoscolyn has an excellent record at this track, winning here five times and running many good races in defeat.
He ran on Wednesday in the seven-furlong handicap won by Great Acclaim and he didn’t shape badly at all on ground that was probably too lively for him, so every drop of rain on Thursday was in his favour.
Well capable of backing up quickly and running well, he’s got a good draw in three and isn’t handicapped out of things off a mark of 96 by any means.
This could be a tough race and course craft will count for plenty, while some of his best runs have been over a mile at this track for all that he hasn’t run over the distance yet this season.
The Verdict: Back RHOSCOLYN in the 2.30 Goodwood
Preview posted at 1540 BST on 31/07/25
Click here for full Ben Linfoot tipping record
More from Sporting Life
- Racecards
- Fast results
- Full results and free video replays
- Horse racing news
- Horse racing tips
- Horse racing features
- Download our free iOS and Android app
- Football and other sports tips
- Podcasts and video content
Safer gambling
We are committed in our support of safer gambling. Recommended bets are advised to over-18s and we strongly encourage readers to wager only what they can afford to lose.
If you are concerned about your gambling, please call the National Gambling Helpline / GamCare on 0808 8020 133.
Further support and information can be found at begambleaware.org and gamblingtherapy.org.
