Goodwood - Today’s best free horse racing tips

As the day's name suggests, the iconic six furlong cavalry charge that is Stewards’ Cup (1535) is the highlight of Saturday’s action.

There’s also the Group 2 Lillie Langtry Stakes (1500), the Group 3 Glorious Stakes (1350) and four other thrilling contests to get stuck into.

We begin with a quick run through our Saturday tips, with the reasons why we've picked them further down the page.

If you fancy a punt or two, check out the Planet Sport race centre which will show you all the live odds, racecards and results.

Good luck and please gamble responsibly.

(Please be aware selections could become non-runners after article's first publication)

 

Saturday’s Goodwood tips in full:

13:50 (Goodwood) Al Aasy

14:25 (Goodwood) Fairbanks

15:00 (Goodwood) Free Wind

15:35 (Goodwood) Lethal Levi

16:10 (Goodwood) Qirat 

16:45 (Goodwood) Spell Master

17:20 (Goodwood) Desfondado

 

13:50 (Goodwood) Al Aasy

Al Aasy will aim to reverse the form with Phantom Flight in a hotly-contested Coral Glorious Stakes that gets the card under way.

The pair enjoyed a fascinating tussle over 10 furlongs in the Steventon Stakes at Newbury two weeks ago, where William Haggas’ seven-year-old narrowly went down by a length to George Scott’s younger rival who was making his stable debut for his new trainer.

Al Aasy took a while to find his stride on his first start for 287 days and should be all the better for the seasonal reappearance run as he returns to a mile and a half on the Sussex Downs.

The son of Sea The Stars can admittedly be a touch frustrating, but even so he has four Group Three triumphs to his name and there is no doubting his talent when it goes right.

14:25 (Goodwood) Fairbanks 

Andrew Balding’s Fairbanks took ten months off after rounding off his three-year-old campaign with a hat-trick of wins at Haydock, Leicester and over a mile and a half here at Goodwood in June 2023.

This season’s debut in heavy conditions at Thirsk served as a useful pipe opener ahead of an impressive win on Newcastle’s all-weather, and after a runner-up effort at Hamilton, he was far from disgraced coming sixth of 19 in the Duke of Edinburgh Stakes at Royal Ascot.

His first attempt over this longer 14-furlong trip resulted in another tidy win at Newmarket three weeks ago, and he looks perfectly prepared for a tilt at his sixth career win under the significant presence of Oisin Murphy.

15:00 (Goodwood) Free Wind

Free Wind can right last year’s wrong in the Qatar Lillie Langtry Stakes.

John and Thady Gosden’s mare is the highest-rated runner in the field with an official mark of 114 and notably shed her maiden tag with a nine-length victory at this track three years ago.

She has gone on to win a Group Three and multiple Group Twos since then, and was beaten just a head by Warm Heart in the Group One Yorkshire Oaks last summer.

The six-year-old was clear second best in her bid for back-to-back wins in York’s Middleton Stakes in May, but the winner Bluestocking has done the form no harm since, following up in the Pretty Polly Stakes in Ireland before filling the runner-up spot in the King George at Ascot last weekend.

Free Wind disappointed in the Lillie Langtry last season, but is easily forgiven that below-par effort given the ground turned heavy, and provided there is not a deluge of rain ahead of the weekend she can settle that particular score on the final day of the Qatar Festival.

15:35 (Goodwood) Lethal Levi

Lethal Levi gets the vote in a typically wide-open renewal of the Coral Stewards’ Cup.

Karl Burke’s sprinter has proved competitive in a whole host of lucrative sprint handicaps over the past three seasons, notably notching back-to-back wins at Newmarket in the summer of 2022.

The five-year-old was winless last season, but appears to have been reinvigorated by the application of blinkers this term, with victory at Newbury in May followed by fine efforts in defeat in the Wokingham at Royal Ascot and Newmarket’s Bunbury Cup, finishing fourth and second respectively.

On both occasions Lethal Levi was ridden aggressively before being mowed down late, so in theory Goodwood’s fast six furlongs should give him the opportunity to last home.

It is a small worry that he disappointed on his only previous visit to the Sussex Downs, but that was off the back of a particularly busy spell and at rewarding odds it is worth taking a chance.

 

16:10 (Goodwood) Qirat

Everything points to another bold bid from Qirat in this seven-furlong sprint, after the three-year old carried his impressive start as a juvenile into his current campaign.

A win at the second attempt of Kempton’s all-weather track this time year came between two other frame finishes, and his three-year-old debut was no less eye-catching, beating a dozen rivals with some ease over this course and distance in May.

Ralph Beckett’s gelding has continued to impress, with a respectable sixth of 29 in the Britannia Stakes at Royal Ascot, followed by a decent fifth of 13 in Newmarket’s Mile Handicap last time out three weeks ago.

He’ll need to see off some capable rivals in Mission To Moon, Jehangeer and Arctic Thunder, but it won’t be a surprise to see Hector Crouch steering him into the mix in the final stages.

 

16:45 (Goodwood) Spell Master

With only 11 previous starts between the 12 scheduled starters, there’s only a few scraps of previous form on which to pick a winner of this seven-furlong sprint for unexposed two-year-olds.

With that in mind, we’re plumping for Andrew Balding and Oisin Murphy to team up and produce the goods with Spell Master, a Kameko colt who has the pedigree and some limited form on his side here.

A quietly promising debut over six furlongs at Newbury a month ago proved to be the springboard for quick improvement, as he gave the odds-on favourite plenty of food for thought when stepped up to this seven-furlong trip two weeks later at Newmarket, where he finished runner-up of 10, with the front two well clear of the rest.

There appears to be plenty more to come from this young lad, and with Oisin Murphy now climbing into the cockpit, he could well be a big player at a decent price here.

17:20 (Goodwood) Desfondado 

If the early betting is a reliable benchmark, then Native Warrior should romp this 11-furlong handicap for Karl Burke, but it’s hard to get excited about his short price, especially when there’s so much decent each-way value around and five places up for grabs.
  
Our first choice in that regard was Martyn Meade's Gloucestershire, but his early morning withdrawal has upset that particular applecart, so we've had to reassess.

Celtic Warrior could be useful off a low mark and good odds for Oisin Murphy and Andrew Balding, but we’re settling for an each-way punt on Simon Dow's Desfondado.

This four-year-old colt has already landed a couple of all-weather races at Lingfield and Kempton this term, and although they were both over a mile, he doesn't look short of the stamina required to take on an extra furlong.

Hollie Doyle was absent for his fourth-of-eleven effort at Sandown three weeks ago, but she resumes duties and should improve Desfondado's chances of at least a frame finish here.

 

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