Timeform TV Focus: ITV racing tips for Goodwood on Thursday

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Goodwood

1.50 – 1 pt e/w – 14 Brioni

A good gallop looks assured – Sisyphean, Aviemore, Arabic Legend, Approval and Into Battle have all forced the pace with regularity – in Thursday’s opener and chancing a patiently-ridden one to get the breaks when required looks the most sensible strategy with four places available across the board. Palace Green looks the obvious candidate, with excuses in a red-hot Ascot handicap last time out on the back of a promising handicap debut in another competitive race at York, but he’s already on his way to favouritism in the early market and chancing keen-going Brioni at a much bigger price potentially represents a better strategy. Brioni split Goodwood Odyssey and Prepschool when making a sound handicap debut of his own at Sandown in the spring but took too strong a hold at Newbury (traditionally very strong London Gold Cup, won this year by King’s Gambit) and did the same back at Sandown last time. However, hopes are raised that – following a gelding operation as well – he’ll finally settle properly with the amount of front runners in opposition and therefore show his true colours, with the widest stall not necessarily a negative considering he’ll be dropped in and the race could get broken apart in any case.

2.25 2 pts – 7 The Strikin Viking

This doesn’t look a vintage Richmond on paper and The Strikin Viking does stand out on form, with the only real question over his chance arising from a recent change of stable from Kevin Ryan to Hamad Al Jehani. In fairness, his new trainer’s handful of horses have been acquitting themselves well in good company in Britain, and that’s enough to suggest he’s worth backing at a shade of odds against. After all, The Strikin Viking is upwards of 8 lb clear on Timeform ratings following his fine second in the Railway Stakes at the Curragh – a performance backed up by the timefigure – and he’s probably open to more improvement than most as well, with the two that are closest to him on form each having had three races to his two.

3.00 No bet advised

It’s hard to argue with the current odds-on quotes for Jan Brueghel as the exciting brother to Irish Derby winner Sovereign seeks to take his unbeaten start to his career to three stepping up to a trip sure to suit. But, on a week with so many betting openings on offer, taking those prices on a youngster trying a different type of track – both wins have come at the Curragh - on ground likely to be firmer than he’s encountered before is an opportunity that can be passed up.

3.35 1 pt – 10 Sparkling Plenty 

Opera Singer and Emily Upjohn are dominating the betting for the Nassau, but it’s not as if they’re miles clear on form and, at about three times the price, the Prix de Diane winner Sparkling Plenty is a compelling alternative. She’s thrived on racing this year and it was mightily impressive how she quickened down the outside to lead late on that day at Chantilly on her first try at this sort of trip. That form looks about a match for the best of the British or Irish stuff – Tamfana, an unlucky fourth in the Guineas at Newmarket, had no excuses in third – and the way Sparkling Plenty won suggests that needn’t be her limit, either.

You can access the TV Focus selections and rationale at 5pm the evening before racing for £7.50 on the Timeform website

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