2020 Goodwood Day 5 and Newmarket Tips For Live ITV Races

Man do I hate Goodwood!! Every year it’s the same. Anything I back or tip gets boxed in, trapped wide or else the ground goes against them.  At least the ordeal ends on Saturday and we have racing from Newmarket too. Friday’s selections all lost and the less said about them the better. At least Mindsmadeup won at Galway! I’d love to finish with a flourish this afternoon, check out my 2020 Goodwood Day 5 and Newmarket tips below…

2020 Goodwood Day 5 Tips: 1.50pm – Stewards’ Sprint Handicap (Class 2)

First up is the consolation race for the Stewards’ Cup and 17 go to post. Three geldings by the same mare line up for Jim Goldie and no doubt plenty will be doing the combo tricast. However, the one I’ll be taking a chance on at huge odds is Dark Shot for Scott Dixon and Kieran O’Neill. This horse is extremely well handicapped on his old form. This season has been a write off so far on turf but I would imagine all roads have lead to this race for some time.

Dark Shot was an excellent 4th behind Tommy G in this race in 2018 off 88. He has finished in the first 4 on 3 of his 7 previous visits and you can put a line through his last two here as he was wearing cheekpieces. He is back for a repeat bid off 16lb lower than in 2018 and he showed at the tail end of last season that some ability remained.

Scott Dixon is a shrewd trainer and after repeated attempts to try and win with Dark Shot off marks in the mid to high 80s and not managing it, I think he has decided to get him down the weights. All headgear is discarded today and if Dark Shot can recapture the form he showed when placed in this in 2018 he could surprise with a huge run at odds of 40/1.

2020 Goodwood Day 5 Tips: Dark Shot e/w @ 40/1 (5 Places)

Newmarket ITV Tips: 2.05pm – Nursery Handicap (Class 2)

Just 6 go to post in this 2yo handicap and She’s So Nice heads the market for Karl Burke. Ben Curtis rides and she won well over C&D last time. The 2nd, 3rd and 5th all went close next time while the 6th, Miss Jingles, won her next two starts. An opening mark of 82 looks fair for this daughter of Mehmas and she looks a worthy favourite.

One that looks potentially well handicapped off 73 is Ocean Eyes for Richard Spencer and Jack Mitchell. This is another Mehmas filly and she ran a very respectable race last time in the Super Sprint at Newbury. The 5f trip that day was probably a shade too short for her and the step back up to 6f will suit. She was a close 3rd on the Rowley course over 6f on debut and at odds of 17/2 she is he e/w pick.

Newmarket Saturday Tips: Ocean Eyes e/w @ 17/2

ITV Live Tips Goodwood: 2.25pm – Summer Handicap (Class 2)

10 will go to post in this 10f contest and it looks a pretty open heat. Laafy is the current favourite for Moore and Stoute and he has run really well on both starts this season. Most of his form has come on easier ground than he gets here though and he has a career high mark of 101 to overcome too. He may well progress again but at the odds I’ll be taking him on.

One that looks well worth a shot at today’s trip after keeping on well last time is Indianapolis. Silvestre De Sousa rides for James Given and this horse won off just a pound lower mark last season. In off 98 today, the son of Galileo was beat a length off this mark at Ripon (12f gd) on his last start. Held up, it looked like he was going nowhere 3f out but he stayed on strongly late on and was only beat a length in 4th. This step up to 14f looks the right move and at odds of 12/1 Indianapolis is the e/w selection.

2020 Goodwood Day 5 Tips: Indianapolis e/w @ 12/1

Newmarket Saturday Tips: 2.40pm – MansionBet Handicap (Class 3)

A disappointing turnout in this 7f class 3 handicap with just 7 horses declared. To be fair, the prize money is pathetic for a race that will be live on ITV on a Saturday with £6.7k going to the winner. The one that appeals here off a mark of 88 is Indian Creek for Mick Channon and Oisin Murphy. This horse ran better than his finishing position suggests on his seasonal comeback at Sandown.

He was slow away, short of room and he did well to finish within 3.5L of the winner all things considered. His last two 2yo runs were rock solid, in a Newbury handicap off 86 and then in a valuable Auction race here on the Rowley Course. If he can break on level terms and if he gets a decent pace to aim at, Indian Creek could go close for e/w players at odds of 17/2.

Saturday Newmarket Tips: Indian Creek e/w @ 7/1

2020 Goodwood Day 5 Tips: 3.00pm – Lillie Langtry Stakes (Group 2)

Just 4 go to post in this 14f Group 2 and it is another desperately disappointing turnout. Enbihaar is odds on and bids to defend her crown in a race she won last term. Manuel De Vega was 5L behind in 2nd that day and it remains to be seen if she can turn the form around on ground plenty quick enough. Cabaletta and Snow complete the line up and both will have to improve to challenge the favourite. Not a betting heat for me with just 4 runners and no e/w available.

2020 Goodwood Day 5 Tips: No Bet

Saturday Newmarket Tips: 3.15pm – Chalice Stakes (Listed)

7 fillies go in search of precious black type in this 12f Listed heat. Back on quick ground, I think Golden Lips is a fascinating contender at a huge price here. This filly ran a massive race from the front at Lingfield in the Oaks Trial earlier this season. She tried to make all for Josephine Gordon that day and she battled on bravely to the line. Miss Yoda passed her close home but she held off the rest and she relished the good to firm ground.

It was easier ground for her next start at Ascot and she could only manage 5th behind Frankly Darling. Her form figures on ground with soft or heavy in the description read 465. On good or good to firm (apart from her debut) they read 212. I think the ground could be the key to this filly and at odds of 28/1, even with just 2 places available, Golden Lips is worth chancing each way.  

Saturday Newmarket Tips: Golden Lips e/w @ 28/1

2020 Goodwood Day 5 Tips: 3.35pm – Stewards’ Cup Handicap (Class 2)

With a maximum field of 28 going to post in this ultra-competitive race I’ll be backing a couple e/w. We have already backed Venturous twice this season and the first time he was very unlucky not to win. He got no daylight until the race was over at Newcastle but when it did come he flew home for 2nd.

Last time at Ascot he was held up and never got into it, but that looked like a prep run for this. He was runner up in the consolation race last season off 86, going down by a neck. With course form in the book and a nice draw in stall 6, Venturous looks worth a small e/w interest at 40/1.

Another one that could go well from a higher draw in stall 21 is Barbill. We backed this horse a couple of times last season and he is a talented, if tricky sort. It looked like he had wintered well when he ran out a good winner at Haydock on his comeback (6f gd).

He is up to a mark of 97 now but he was a close 3rd off 98 in a top handicap at Newmarket last season so his rating is not a worry. Good to firm ground suits and the quicker they go early, the better it will suit this horse. John Egan knows him well and at odds of 20/1 Barbill is worth backing e/w for small stakes.

2020 Goodwood Day 5 Tips: Venturous e/w @ 40/1; Barbill e/w @ 20/1 (Both 7 Places)

2020 Goodwood Day 5 Tips: 4.10pm – Qatar Handicap (Class 2)

Society Lion is a warm order for this 9 runner 7f handicap. Ryan Moore rides for Michael Stoute and this colt ran well when 2nd at Doncaster last time off 86. He got 5lb for that effort though and he has to prove he can win off his revised  mark. I usually struggle to pick the right Mark Johnston horse when he has multiple runners, but he has just the one here and he is a previous course winner.

Homespin’s victory came over 6f (gd/fm) off 83 and he has had just 2 runs since. They were both poor efforts but he had excuses. He slipped leaving the stalls at York and then he likely needed his comeback at Newmarket. 7f should be right up his street on breeding and he is drawn to attack in stall 1. At odds of 20/1, Homespin is the each way pick.

2020 Goodwood Day 5 Tips: Homespin e/w @ 20/1