Oli Bell previews the action at Glorious Goodwood
Oli Bell has some big price fancies at Glorious Goodwood - including a 20/1 chance in the very first race on Tuesday.
Oli's best Glorious Goodwood tips
1350 Tuesday Master Carpenter (each-way)
1425 Tuesday Curioisity (each-way)
1500 Tuesday Home Of The Brave
1535 Tuesday Big Orange
1610 Tuesday Oliver Reed
1645 Tuesday Poyle Vinnie (each-way)
1715 Tuesday Tribute Act
1535 Wednesday Ribchester
1535 Thursday Winter
1535 Friday Marsha
Well it's finally here - one of my favourite weeks of the year!
The Qatar Goodwood Festival is a fantastic event, with high-class racing taking centre stage alongside some brilliant events away from the course.
Tuesday will obviously be a special day for the family, with Big Orange – trained by my uncle Mike – gunning for a record third Qatar Goodwood Cup.
I’m really looking forward to seeing him run again and after visiting the yard recently for a Sporting Life feature I can confidently report he’s looking in great shape.
Royal Ascot and his win in the Gold Cup was unforgettable and Big Orange is a legend, a true public horse. Everyone’s really happy with him and the only issue may be with the forecast rain impacting on the conditions.
But win or lose, we’ll all have fun with Big Orange and I’ve packed my running shoes just in case I do have to dart after him again if he wins!
There’s plenty more to the week than just the racing and in the evening I’ll be swapping the microphone and hopefully those trainers for cricket whites and a game against the Lord’s Taverners, who do some incredible work in the game.
Last year former England pair Joey Benjamin and Gladstone Small opened the bowling, 12 months after Andy Caddick did his best to take my head off with a short delivery.
Wednesday evening is all about glitz and glamour, thanks to Lord March’s Goodwood Ball – another brilliant event.
ITV’s live coverage of the racing starts at 1.30pm on the main channel every day from Tuesday to Saturday. I’ll be presenting Saturday’s The Opening Show, again on the main channel, from 9.25am.
Take a look at who I’m backing for Goodwood glory on Tuesday, as well as the pick of the rest of the week’s action…
1350 Matchbook Betting Exchange Handicap, 1m 2f
I like the look of Master Carpenter (20/1) (Sky Bet offer - money back if you lose on this race) at a big price. Rod Millman’s horse was a very impressive winner on soft ground at York in May and subsequently hasn’t run with that word in the going description.
The six-year-old was down the field in the John Smith’s Cup at the same track and in Royal Ascot’s Duke Of Edinburgh Stakes. But with rain in the air and back on soft-ish ground, he’s a much better horse.
David Egan takes off a very valuable 5lb and he’s excellent value for that. I think Master Carpenter run very well at his long odds.
Curiosity is a very big price at 12/1 with Sky Bet. He’s won his last two starts and has done so in some style. I thought he was good at Ascot in the Ruddy Novice Auction Stakes last time out, winning under a penalty.
Obviously this is much tougher, taking on some very impressive horses, but they don’t have too dissimilar profiles to him and I think that he’ll be in the first three with odds in double figures.
Home Of The Brave is my pick for this one at around 7/1. He’s won his last two outings, he’s drawn in stall one and is likely to go from the front – all in all he’s got very strong credentials.
Limato is the classiest horse in the race but the ground is probably not going to be ideal and I would have liked Librisa Breeze, but the draw puts me off.
By process of elimination I’m going for James Doyle’s ride.
I’ve got to go for Big Orange who is the 10/11 favourite with Sky Bet . I know it’s obvious, but he’s won the race twice already, likes the track and was sensational at Royal Ascot.
However, the ground is not perfect for him, so at larger price I would put up Prince Of Arran at 20/1 each-way.
He ran very well in the Gold Cup and was one of the horses I highlighted to follow at the start of the summer.
He’s improving as a stayer and I could see him running well from stall three. But, of course, I’ll still be wearing my orange tie!
1610 Irish Thoroughbred Marketing EBF Maiden Stakes, 6f
It’s hard to get a strong stance on this race with so many newcomers, but I thought Oliver Reed ran well on soft ground last time out at Newbury behind Alkhalifa.
I think if I was to have a bet in this race it would be him, given he's proven on the surface and the fact that Richard Hannon’s two-year-old has got a couple of racecourse outings under the belt.
But it’s interesting that Ryan Moore rides Princely, who is making his debut for the same yard.
The horse only cost 3,000 guineas as a foal and but the jockey booking means we should watch the market.
1645 New & Lingwood Handicap, 5f
I’ll be looking at Poyle Vinnie, each-way. His best performance this year came on soft ground at York in May when he was third in a competitive sprint handicap behind Duke Of Firenze.
Michael Appleby’s seven-year-old is now racing off a 3lbs lower mark than he was on that day and in this company he’s a talented horse with conditions to suit. I think he’ll be underestimated in the market and go pretty close.
1715 Smarter Bets With Matchbook Betting Exchange Fillies’ Handicap, 1m
James Fanshawe does so well with fillies like Tribute Act that I think she can continue her progress.
She’s won three of her first four starts, including at Doncaster last time out. She’s up five pounds in the ratings because of that, but this daughter of Exceed And Excel, and half-sister to Ribbons, is high class. I believe she can go close in what is a hotly-contested finale to the opening day.
Pick of the rest:
Wednesday, 1535 Qatar Sussex Stakes, 1m
I’m looking forward to Ribchester and Churchill potentially going toe-to-toe again if they line up in this Group 1.
Ribchester would be my choice for this one, given Churchill has questions to answer still from not winning last time out in the St James’s Palace Stakes.
Thursday, 1535 Qatar Nassau Stakes, 1m 1f 197y
Winter will take all the beating, especially if the weather delivers the forecasted rain. Queen’s Trust, the nearest pursuer in the market, prefers quicker ground.
I was impressed by Nezwaah in the Pretty Polly Stakes at the Curragh in Ireland earlier this month, but I think Winter is high class.
With Enable’s weekend win in the King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Stakes still fresh in the memory, I think this year we have got a host of incredible three-year-old fillies with John Gosden’s horse and Winter leading the way.
Friday, 1535 Qatar King George Stakes, 5f
I’m backing Marsha to go pretty close for Sir Mark Prescott and Luke Morris. In terms of sprinters in this country, I think she’s one of the best around.
Related links
Sky Bet's Glorious Goodwood odds
Play the £100,000 Pick 7 game
Glorious Goodwood racecard and free video form
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