Neil Morrice highlights his best bets at the Qatar Goodwood Festival for Day 1.
QATAR GOODWOOD FESTIVAL DAY ONE
Race 2 CORAL VNTAGE STAKES (Group 2)
No1 AL HUDAIBA
Trainer: Charlie Appleby – Jockey: William Buick
Zavateri took out this 1400 metres contest run round a bend in 2025 before grabbing Group 1 glory in the Dewhurst. It would be no surprise if Godolphin’s AL HUDAIBA doesn’t tread a similar path following this mouth watering g clash with the Coolmore-owned HAFFNER. The selection is unbeaten in three completed starts, having unseated his pilot on second start at Yarmouth, but since that hiccup notching a gritty success at the Newmarket July meeting where he short headed Abraham Lincoln in the Superlative Stakes. HAFFNER opened his account when wiring a maiden over this 1400 at the same meeting and though bringing bags of potential to the table, AL HUDAIBA has the better form and can maintain his upward curve.
Prediction: 1st AL HUDAIBAH, 2nd Haffner
Race 3 HKJC WORLD POOL LENNOX STAKES (Group 2)
No5 QIRAT
Trainer: Ralph Beckett – Jockey: Colin Keane
There was a massive upset in this race 12 months ago when WITNESS STAND prevailed at 25-1. The five-year-old is back for more and can’t be ruled out, even though he disappointed when the money was down at Chester. That was a second run following a breathing operation for the much travelled gelding, who can get again into the shake up. LAKE FOREST has dominated the ante post market and is threatening to start odds-on for William Haggas but I think he’s worth opposing . The two I prefer are MARVELMAN and QIRAT. Marvelman represents an Andrew Baldng stable still smarting over Kalpana’s King George triumph, and as a Group 2 winner last season needs respecting. He will enjoy going back onto the grass after his second in a Newcastle Group 3 on Tapeta. Having said that QIRAT is unbeaten in three visits to Goodwood including when making all to stun the crowd as a 150-1 winner of last season’s Group 1 Sussex Stakes. Equipped with a tongue tie he again dominated the Group 3 Criterion Stakes at York to shake off Never so Brave last time, and is in good heart for a race he can again dominate.
Prediction: 1st QIRAT, 2nd Marvelman, 3rd Lake Forest, 4th Wirness Stand
Race 4 AL SHAQAB GOODWOOD CUP (Group 1)
No7 TRAWLERMAN (Nap)
Trainer: John Gosden – Jockey: William Buick
SCANDINAVIA made it six wins on the bounce when wearing down TRAWLERMAN in a stirring finish to last month’s Gold Cup and the pair are carded to again fill the exacta in a rematch that could be worth going a long way to see. There was just a head in it at the end of that two and a half miles but two factors sway me towards the veteran Trawlerman who is 1lb better off, whilst of the pair is likely to find this shorter two miles more to his advantage. The Clarehaven warrior will wear the specially designed goggles to post that assisted his failing eyesight at Royal Ascot and should relish a belated return to the undulating track at which on his only previous visit he landed a Class2 handicap at this fixture in 2022. Gosden and Scandinavia’s trainer Aidan O’Brien respectively field other runners in the form of FRENCH MASTER and ILLINOIS. It remains to be seen how much of a peacemaking roll they play, but the one thing that is certain is if TRAWLERMAN prevails he will bring the house down.
Prediction: 1st TRAWLERMAN, 2nd Scandinavia, 3rd Illinois
Race 6 No12 SAVAGE MARINER
Trainer: Hugo Palmer – Jockey: Oisin Murphy
SAVAGE MARINER made a splash when second on debut at Leicester, and though failing to cut the mustard when finishing in the ruck n the Group 2 Norfolk Stakes finds himself in an entirely different situation that he can exploit. He’s stretching out to 1200 metres under the champion jockey and should seize advantage of what is a considerable class drop.
Race 7 No11 CRAZEE ICON
Trainer: Andrew Balding – Jockey: Ray Dawson
Hat-trick seeker CRAZEE ICON has drawn well for a horse that possesses a high cruising speed. The Sixties Icon filly went down as one of the unluckiest losers last summer when beaten at Chester but has made up for it with successive victories when returning to the historic Roodee. She now has her tail up, and can avenge another luckless run on her only previous visit to this track last autumn, when she had too much to do.
