Our form expert has three selections for day two of the Qatar Goodwood Festival including a bet in the feature Sussex Stakes.
The Verdict: Wednesday July 30
1pt win Bright Thunder in 1.55 Goodwood at 9/1 (General)
1pt win straight-forecast Field Of Gold to beat Carl Spackler in 3.05 Goodwood
1pt e.w Akecheta in 3.45 Goodwood at 12/1 (General 1/5 1,2,3,4)
Going for Gold forecast in Sussex
Field Of Gold is the poster boy for the Qatar Goodwood Festival and he’s progressed to a level that will likely make him very hard to beat in Wednesday’s Group 1 Visit Qatar Sussex Stakes.
John & Thady Gosden’s grey has gone from strength to strength since his Guineas defeat and such was the easiness of his St James’s Palace Stakes win he has prolonged his career at a mile for another start.
He’s a dream spare for William Buick to pick up with Colin Keane suspended and he looks to have the kind of explosive talent that can see off a field of this calibre in good style.
The race for second is much more interesting, however, and while I can’t find a ‘betting without’ market I do think the straight forecast FIELD OF GOLD to beat CARL SPACKLER is worth exploring.
Docklands looks a pure Ascot specialist and I’m not sure he’ll like this track, Henri Matisse lacked a gear behind Field Of Gold last time and is likely to move up to 10 furlongs after this and Rosallion has yet to reach the heights he soared to as a three-year-old in two starts at four.
Goodwood could well suit Richard Hannon’s horse, going round a bend again certainly looks a positive, but there’s also a chance both he and Henri Matisse will pay the penalty if they try and go toe-to-toe with Field Of Gold at the two pole.
With all this in mind Carl Spackler could be the one to finish best of the rest and there should be a good dividend on offer if he does seal the silver medal position.
His best form is right up there with anything in the field bar Field Of Gold and it’s interesting he’s stayed in this country for a crack at the Sussex on his way to his new career in Australia.
You can see why given the prizemoney on offer and the fact he was only beaten three lengths in the Queen Anne Stakes despite pulling fiercely off a pedestrian pace.
He could well reverse that form with Docklands and Rosallion given this should be run at a proper gallop with two pacemakers in there in Qirat and Serengeti.
A pure miler and versatile tactically, if he settles this time he could well be the one to chase home Field Of Gold.
The Verdict: Back FIELD OF GOLD to beat CARL SPACKLER (straight forecast) in the 3.05 Goodwood
Thunder to rumble in Oak Tree
Earlier on the card Karl Burke’s BRIGHT THUNDER looks an interesting proposition at 9/1 dropping back in trip to seven furlongs in the Group 3 HKJC World Pool Oak Tree Stakes.
The daughter of Night Of Thunder is really benefitting for being unraced at two as she is getting better with experience now, putting in a career-best last time out in the Prix Goldikova in Deauville.
A few of the beaten horses have finished close-up in Listed contests around Europe since then and Bright Thunder beat them easily despite being keen in the early stages, a trait she had also displayed in her earlier races at Goodwood and Epsom.
All of those runs were over a mile, though, so you can see why Burke is happy to drop her a furlong in trip and that Goodwood form is well worth revisiting as she was beaten a quarter of a length by Crimson Advocate, who has won a Group 2 and finished third in a Group 1 since then.
Bright Thunder travelled all over her rivals in that race, Crimson Advocate included, displaying both a liking for the track and the potential for improvement at seven and that form looks as good or better than anything else on show here.
I’d say Sam James will ride her prominently on Wednesday and if he can ride in the slipstream of Formal or Saqqara Sands then Bright Thunder might just enjoy a trouble-free passage.
The Verdict: Back BRIGHT THUNDER in the 1.55 Goodwood
‘Cheta looks good back against the fillies
Finally, Kevin Coleman’s AKECHETA looks a bet in the British Stallion Studs EBF Fillies’ Handicap over 10 furlongs.
She was beaten only by a handicap blot in Ecureuil Secret over this trip at Epsom and that horse has run well in Group 2 company at York subsequently, so the form looks good in this context.
Indeed, the five-year-old runs off just a 1lb higher mark here and she’s easily forgiven her defeat at the Curragh last time when she looked to be undone dropping back in trip to a mile.
She should be much happier going back out in trip to 10 furlongs against her own sex and it’s interesting Adam Farragher keeps the ride from Epsom despite William Haggas having a few runners in here.
The Verdict: Back AKECHETA in the 3.45 Goodwood
Preview posted at 1600 BST on 29/07/25
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