Goodwood tips: Newsboy's picks and 1-2-3 for every race on Thursday on ITV

Daily Mirror

5 days ago

The feature Nassau Stakes, Richmond Stakes and Gordon Stakes are all covered in Newsboy's unmissable column on day three of Glorious Goodwood
It's day three of the Glorious Goodwood Festival which is staged in one of the most picturesque racing settings in the world on Thursday. The Qatar Goodwood Festival is one of the highlights of the summer when the crowds come out to the Sussex venue in the hope of fine racing and fine weather.
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Day three features the Group 1 Qatar Nassau Stakes, featuring Oaks runner-up Whirl, the Group 2 Markel Richmond Stakes and Group 3 HKJC World Pool Gordon Stakes.
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Newsboy, aka David Yates, will be providing daily and detailed guides on every race.
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1.20 Coral Kincsem Handicap
BEST SECRET gets the vote to give his rivals weight and a beating. Trained in Deauville by Stéphane Wattel, the son of Persian King made the frame in his first four starts before making his handicap debut over a mile and a quarter at Longchamp at the end of April.
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Sent off favourite to account for 15 rivals, he did the job in style, sweeping through from the back of the field to score by three lengths.
That performance caught the attention of Wathnan Racing's talent scouts, and Best Secret carried the Qatari venture's livery when he appeared in the Golden Gates Handicap at Royal Ascot last month.
A well-backed 4-1 second choice in the 15-runner line-up, Best Secret and James Doyle had just one opponent behind them turning for home and the combination were then denied clear sailing when attempting to make their ground in the straight.
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So finding daylight, my selection motored through the final furlong to take third, beaten a nose and one length, behind Quai De Bethune.
A 5lb rise in the weights for that defeat was to be expected and, with further progress in store on the sixth outing of his career, Best Secret can go two places better.
Of the three-year-olds who assemble for the Thursday opener, Marhaba Ghaiyyath, High Degree and Hymnbook are all runners with a sizeable 'up' side.
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NEWSBOY'S 1-2-3: 1 BEST SECRET, 2 HYMNBOOK, 3 HIGH DEGREE
1.55 Markel Richmond Stakes
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COPPULL makes plenty of appeal on the back of a fine second-time-up third in the Coventry Stakes at Royal Ascot.
Clive Cox saddled the Richmond Stakes winner in Golden Horde in 2019 and doubled up 12 months later with Supremacy, and the Lambourn trainer has another viable candidate in this son of Bated Breath.
Market expectations weren't exactly sky high when Coppull, whose half-sister Worthington Lake was a winning two-year-old in 2024, stepped out on a racecourse for the first time at Leicester at the end of April.
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My selection went off at 14-1 in a field of 15 but knew his job, holding a prominent pitch before hitting the front over a furlong out to beat Stardinia - the runner-up, third and fourth have all won since - by half a length.
Despite that promising start, Coppull wasn't uppermost in punters' thoughts when moving up to Group 2 level on the royal heath - he was a 66-1 outsider.
But he ran well above those odds, leading the near-side group of 11 and keeping on when headed over two furlongs out, crossing the line in third, three lengths and a neck in arrears of winner Gstaad.
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Another step forward and David Probert's partner will be in the firing line. The admirable Havana Hurricane looks sure to give his running and is feared, along with Azizam and Egoli.
NEWSBOY'S 1-2-3: 1 COPPULL, 2 HAVANA HURRICANE, 3 EGOLI
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2.30 HKJC World Pool Gordon Stakes
RAHIEBB has made the podium in each of his five starts and should again go well. The Roger Varian-trained son of Frankel - dam Playful Sound was a four-time winner in the care of Sir Michael Stoute - didn't make the track as a two-year-old in 2024.
But Rahiebb has more than made up for lost time this season, getting his career off to the perfect start with a two-and-a-quarter-length supremacy in a one-mile novice stakes at Newcastle in March.
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My selection returned to Gosforth Park for a second to Warrant Holder in a similar event over an additional two furlongs 15 days later before a neck defeat at the hands of Opportunity when upped to a mile and a half for another novice stakes at Haydock Park at the end of April.
Contesting a handicap over the same distance at York's Dante fixture, Rahiebb claimed a third straight silver medal, two and a half lengths behind Merchant, who was receiving 8lb but most re-engage at level weights today.
And Silvestre de Sousa's partner produced another personal best when third, beaten three-quarters of a length and a head, to Carmers in the Group 2 Queen's Vase over a mile and three-quarters at Royal Ascot last time out.
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Coming back in distance shouldn't be an issue and another good account is on the cards.Merchant is an obvious danger, while Wimbledon Hawkeye and Windlord also hold claims.
NEWSBOY'S 1-2-3: 1 RAHIEBB, 2 MERCHANT, 3 WIMBLEDON HAWKEYE
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3.05 Qatar Nassau Stakes
SEE THE FIRE is better than ever at the age of four and is the choice to gain compensation for her narrow defeat in this race 12 months ago.
Opera Singer benefited from a Ryan Moore special when making all for the 2024 Nassau Stakes, but See The Fire and Oisín Murphy charged home to get within a neck of causing a 16-1 upset.
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Given her form since, the bookies won't be offering such generous odds about Andrew Balding's daughter of Sea The Stars and 2015 Juddmonte International heroine Arabian Queen today.
Having gone one place better in the Group 3 Strensall Stakes at York next time, See The Fire stepped back to a mile for a third to Tamfana in the top-tier Sun Chariot Stakes at Newmarket in October, rounding off her campaign with a fifth to Anmaat in the Champion Stakes over this 10-furlong distance at Ascot a fortnight later.
My selection ran as if needing her comeback when fifth to Al Aasy in the Group 3 Gordon Richards Stakes at Sandown Park in April and accordingly took a step forward to thrash Beautiful Love by 12 lengths in York's Group 2 Middleton Fillies' Stakes at York the following month.
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A third to Ombudsman returned to the highest level for the Prince Of Wales's Stakes at Royal Ascot represents another sound effort and, back against her own gender, See The Fire can capture her first Group 1 prize.
On the back of a neck defeat to her Aidan O'Brien stablemate Minnie Hauk in the Oaks, Whirl beat Kingsclere's Kalpana for the Pretty Polly Stakes at the Curragh and will be a will doubtless be a tough opponent, with Cercene preferred to Ballydoyle's Bedtime Story for third.
NEWSBOY'S 1-2-3: 1 SEE THE FIRE, 2 WHIRL, 3 CERCENE
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3.45 Buccellati Handicap
THE MAN was a revelation when scoring at York in May - and there is plenty more where that came from. There was much to like about the way Richard Spencer's son of Mehmas began his career, at Southwell in April 2024, as The Man beat Storm Call by one length.
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It's only fair to observe that things didn't go to plan after that - my selection moved up to Group 2 level for the Coventry Stakes at Royal Ascot next time but beat just one rival home behind Shareholder.
It was a similar story in the Group 3 Molecomb Stakes over this course and distance exactly a year ago and there was only incremental progress in a first-time hood as The Man came home eighth of 16 Tropical Storm in York's Listed Roses Stakes in August.
Then followed a gelding operation, wind surgery and a 265-day break before The Man and David Egan took apart a 22-runner handicap back on the Knavesmire in May.
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There's an 8lb rise to deal with as a result of a two-and-a-quarter-length beating of Loom, but The Man is a long way from the bottom of the barrel. In a trappy sprint, Ruby's Profit, Getreadytorumble, and Naana's Sparkle are capable of having a say.
NEWSBOY'S 1-2-3: 1 THE MAN, 2 RUBY'S PROFIT, 3 NAANA'S SPARKLE
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4.20 Phase Eight Nursery Handicap
AMAZING JOURNEY is following a sharp upward curve and may continue to elude the handicapper's grasp.
A fourth-of-12 finish at Chelmsford City, six lengths behind winner Venetian Lace, may not have amounted to much on paper when Jamie Osborne gave the Starspangledbanner youngster his debut at the beginning of June.
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But Amazing Journey looked clueless that afternoon and was significantly more streetwise when arriving late on the scene under the trainer's daughter Saffie to beat Magic Stone by half a length at Chepstow 22 days later.
Given a rating of 76 for his first foray into the handicap sphere, my selection proved above that assessment at York 19 days ago, coming from the back of the seven-runner field to hold Son Of Sarabi by the same margin.
Each of his races has been over six furlongs, but his strong finishes suggest Amazing Journey will be well served by this first attempt at seven.
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It will rank as a surprise if there isn't a fair chunk of improvement still to come and a 5lb rise in the weights looks within range.
Although he blew out in Royal Ascot's Coventry Stakes, debut Windsor scorer American Gulf is feared most, ahead of Hey Tru Blue and Goldwork.
NEWSBOY'S 1-2-3: 1 AMAZING JOURNEY, 2 AMERICAN GULF, 3 HEY TRU BLUE
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4.55 Tatler British EBF Maiden Fillies' Stakes
AYLIN did more than enough on her debut at York 20 days ago to be of strong interest here.
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The daughter of St Mark's Basilica - dam Angelic Light won at Listed level at two for Michael O'Callaghan - went under the hammer for 600,000 guineas at the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale (Book 2) in October of last year.
Put into training with Karl Burke, the chestnut was a warm order for for her debut in a six-furlong novice stakes contested by six fillies, heading the betting market at 8-11.
Despite an ungainly exit from the stalls, Aylin was never far from the action and hit the front two furlongs from the finish, only to be run down in the shadow of the post by short-head winer Bosa Nova.
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With that experience under her belt, David Egan's mount should be hard to beat. Brighlee went close at Kempton Park first time up and warrants a second look, as do Quiescent and newcomer Proposal.
NEWSBOY'S 1-2-3: 1 AYLIN, 2 BRIGHLEE, 3 QUIESCENT
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5.30 World Pool Bet With The Tote Handicap
ORGAN pulled out all the stops to complete a hat-trick over course and distance last time out - and the four-timer looks close at hand.
Although he was beaten on his handicap debut with a fourth at Newmarket's Craven meeting in April, the Martyn Meade-saddled son of Ulysses has done nothing but improve since.
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Organ enjoyed a red-letter day with a head call from High On Hope in a seven-furlong contest at Haydock Park in May, doubling up by half a length from Hot Cash over a mile at the same course nine days later.
And he racked up the threesome on the South Downs when hitting the front close home to get the better of Sea To Sky by a neck.
The assessor has reacted with a 5lb rise but it's anyone's guess when Organ will plateau and HIS winning run may not be at an end. Wicked, Sea Force and Knights Gold are all on the shortlist as the curtain falls on Thursday's action.