2025 Goodwood & Galway Thursday Tips – DS
2025 Goodwood & Galway Thursday Tips
Our good run came to a shuddering halt on Wednesday. Both our Goodwood selections were ‘well backed’ but both came up short. Hopefully tomorrow’s tips drift like barges! Check out Dave’s 2025 Goodwood & Galway Thursday fancies below.
1.20 Goodwood – Kincsem Handicap (Class 2)
My nemesis Charlie Johnston usually does well at this meeting and he won this race in 2018 and 2021. He runs two here and the market prefers Marhaba Ghaiyyath but I think the rank outsider Thunder Wonder is interesting given that there is rain forecast.
By Night Of Thunder, this horse has won two at Musselburgh this season. He landed a nice pot there off 92 in June (1m1f, good) and in April, his sole start on good to soft, he hosed up by over 5l off 84. His dam handled easy ground well and while he has been well beaten in two of his last three starts on good to firm, he wasn’t disgraced off 97 at the Curragh on his penultimate start.
Thunder Wonder is now 3lb lower and just 2lb higher than when last winning at Musselburgh. He is well-drawn in stall 4 for a horse that likes to race prominently and Joe Fanning knows him inside out. At odds of 40/1, a small e/w interest is advised. Hopefully the rain comes in time.
2025 Goodwood & Galway Thursday Tip: Thunder Wonder e/w @ 40/1 (5 places)
3.20 Galway – Corrib Fillies’ Stakes (Listed)
Regular readers will be familiar with the filly I am taking a chance on in this listed contest. We backed Tamam Desert when she was outclassed in the 1000 Guineas. She showed a bit more when dropped back into listed company at Killarney last time out but it looked like the 1m trip was a bit too far for her.
She was beaten 8.75l into sixth of 10 that day but the fact Eoghan O’Neill is persisting with her in stakes company suggests he thinks she is capable of nicking black type and if it is going to happen, this is the most likely venue.
At last year’s festival Tamam Desert built on the clear promise she showed on debut at Leopardstown to score by a short head in a C&D maiden on yielding ground.
Conditions should be close to identical here and I am hoping that Seamie Heffernan is more patient on her than he was last time at Killarney. If he is, hopefully Tamam Desert can finish off fast and late to pick up some precious black type at odds of 50/1.
2025 Goodwood & Galway Thursday Tip: Tamam Desert e/w @ 50/1 (4 places)
4.30 Galway – Galway Hurdle Handicap (Grade 3)
A cracking renewal. The first thing to note is the booking of Harry Cobden for Tounsivator, who we backed at nice odds to win the Royal Bond back in December. He has generally struggled since but the handicapper has given him a real chance and he was beaten a short head over C&D in the Tribes here a year ago. I would not be surprised if this has been a long-term plan.
However, I am going to chance another Willie Mullins horse. The veteran Winter Fog ran a blinder in this last year off 152 and he is back for another go off 2lb lower. His only other run at the track resulted in victory over 2m5f in September 2023 so he clearly has a liking for this venue and his runs earlier this year at Cheltenham and Punchestown in Grade 1 company suggest that he still retains lots of ability.
Yes, he was behind a couple of today’s rivals on his last start at Tipperary but I would imagine that was a sharpener for an attempt at this. Brian Hayes knows him well and the fact that Mullins has declined to use a claimer despite carrying top weight suggests the thinks he can be competitive. At odds of 28/1, hopefully Winter Fog can sneak into the frame.
