World Pool Tips: Goodwood Tuesday preview and selections

Horse Racing

Mon July 27, 2026 · 4h ago

Graham Cunningham looks ahead to the Tuesday card at Goodwood with his World Pool plays.

Ascot worked out well – Kalapana and Kon Tiki the highlights – but now it’s time to try and choose wisely from eight courses on day one of the Qatar Goodwood Festival.

The World Pool market menu has been consistent of late, with strong favourites tending to go off a little under SP and lesser fancied winners a shade of overs.

Al Hudaiba, Lake Forest and Scandinavia are the shorties that will shape many a punter’s fortunes, but Trawlerman fans aren’t the only ones who will be casting the net wider on a day that blends Group-race action with three tough handicaps and an intriguing maiden.

Marvel the man to cut down Forest?

Let’s deal with those three shorties first, then.

I suspect the evergreen Trawlerman can give Scandinavia plenty to think about again in the Al Shaqab Goodwood Cup at 3.35 and it wouldn’t shock me if Amiloc - up in trip after shaping well in a loaded Hardwicke – goes well at a big price on a track that suits.

Scandinavia (right) toughs it out with Trawlerman in a Gold Cup epic

Lake Forest is the obvious form choice in the HKJC World Pool Lennox Stakes at 3.00 and the Haggas chestnut has progressed since chasing the enterprisingly ridden Witness stand home in this race last year.

But Lake Forest can still make things tricky for himself by getting well back in the early stages.

His cause will be helped if last year’s shock Sussex winner Qirat and Witness Stand set a more generous gallop – and he’s very hard to fault as a Quinella option – but MARVELMAN was a handsome Donny winner at this level over 1400m last September and he looks an appealing alternative after running very well under a penalty over 1200m at Newcastle.

Now to the ticklish question of whether Al Hudaiba can be trusted to knuckle down when it matters most in the Coral Vintage Stakes at 2.25.

Charlie Appleby’s colt would be 4-4 but for decanting Tom Marquand with a dramatic sidestep at Yarmouth on his second start and the form he showed to nose out high-class O’Brien prospect Abraham Lincoln at Newmarket is good enough to take him very close in most renewals of this G2.

That form was given a double boost at Ascot on Friday and, even with a 3lb penalty, he might just be too good for rivals who aren’t especially easy to assess as they move up in class.

But Al Hudaiba isn’t wearing blinkers first time without reason.

He ducked sharply both ways before taking advantage of Abraham’s greenness at HQ, prompting Buick to suggest that “staying on is the hardest part,” and at least one of this unexposed bunch will be poised to capitalise if he starts to act the goat again.

Savage set to bite back after Ascot mishap

And now to a few appealing World Pool options on a strong supporting card.

NOBLE HORIZON was a revelation for promising young handler Oli Rix at Leicester, racing keenly in front then running clean away from a handful of horses who have polished the form since, and he tops the short list for the Coral Chesterfield Cup (1.50) with Diego El Queso, Quai De Bethune and longshot Tony Montana nominated as Quinella hunters.

LEXINGTON BLITZ is one of a big bunch of fiery sprinters in the Coral Rewards Shaker Handicap at 4.10, but he’s progressing very well since being gelded and showed that Goodwood suits him very well with a commanding win here in May.

And finally, I can’t resist a crack at the British Stallion Studs EBF Maiden Stakes at 4.45.

Launch Sequence looked a winner in waiting on his Doncaster debut, coming home strongly in a bunched finish after having to weave outside for a run, and the market won’t miss him with Wathnan’s main rider James Doyle choosing him ahead after the speedy but potentially wayward (and recently gelded) Coventry seventh Final Objective.

But SAVAGE MARINER strikes me as well worth a chance to deliver on his abundant debut promise in a race where experience nearly always comes to the fore.

It all went wrong at the start for Hugo Palmer’s Blackbeard colt in the Norfolk Stakes, so let’s put a line through that and assume he’s the same horse who finished a highly promising second in a Leicester maiden on his debut.

Leicester winner Libertango is among the best juveniles around after winning Royal Ascot’s Albany Stakes in style, while the pair who finished well back in third and fourth that day are now rated 83 and 87 after winning since.

History suggests that running to a mark in the high 80s will take you very close in this valuable maiden and a heathy Savage Mariner clearly has the potential to do just that.

The fact that Hugo has engaged Oisin Murphy to ride him for the first time is another point in his favour – and I suspect he has the makings of a market mover who can set sail as one of the best bets on the day one card.

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