Glorious Goodwood Day 3 Tips: See The Fire can glow

There’s plenty more top class action to come from Goodwood this week and there’s another eight-race card to enjoy on Thursday afternoon.

It’s the turn of the fillies and mares in Thursday’s feature contest, the Group 1 Nassau Stakes, where See The Fire will bid to get the better of recent Pretty Polly winner, Whirl. We have picked out horses to follow in all eight of Thursday’s races, including a few each-way plays.

13:20 Goodwood – Marhaba Ghaiyyath @ 13/2

There are some mightily competitive handicaps at Goodwood this week, arguably none more so than Thursday’s opener, a three-year-old only handicap over 1m2f. One that catches the eye from an each-way perspective with Betfred paying five places is Marhaba Ghaiyyath.

He’s taken his form to a new level this summer, gaining compensation for a narrow defeat at Chester last month when going one better at Redcar a week later, beating the well handicapped Cruyff Turn in the process.

He then paid the price for racing too keenly when beaten just half a length at Newmarket in a competitive Heritage Handicap. He’s up another 6lb for that but the front two pulled clear and the winner was a well-backed improver from Godolphin. He looks a typically progressive type for the Charlie Johnston team and the yard have won six renewals of this race since 2006.

13:55 Goodwood – Azizam @ 7/1

The Windsor Castle is working out nicely with the winner only just touched off in the Super Sprint a couple of weeks ago and one from that Royal Ascot contest that looks capable of going well on Thursday is Azizam, who finished third.

He looked highly promising when winning a Hamilton maiden on debut and gave the impression he was ready for a step up to this distance when forcing a dead-heat for third at the Royal meeting.

Karl Burke really excels with his juveniles so it would be no surprise if there’s more to come from this son of Havana Grey, a sire that the yard does well with and he looks worth supporting each-way.

14:30 Goodwood – Merchant @ 11/10

William Haggas’ team have been absolutely flying in recent weeks and he would appear to have a cracking chance of landing the Group 3 Gordon Stakes, a race the trainer won in 2023.

He saddles Merchant who followed up a facile success at York with a staying on win at Royal Ascot when last seen and he gave the impression that he was a Group horse in a handicap that day.

There’s tons of untapped potential at this sort of distance and if he acts on the slower ground he’s likely to encounter here, he’s likely to be hard to beat.

15:05 Goodwood - See The Fire @ 2/1

See The Fire could be a big threat to recent Pretty Polly winner, Whirl, in the feature race on Thursday’s card. She absolutely bolted up in York’s Middleton Stakes before a respectable third behind Ombudsman at the Royal meeting.

That form looks rock solid behind Group 1 winner, Anmaat, and Ombudsman, who was only caught late in the subsequent Eclipse. Back up against the fillies here, she could be a tough nut for Whirl to crack given that the Ballydoyle filly has been kept to her own sex this season.

15:45 Goodwood - Naana’s Sparkle @ 10/1

It’s hard to see why Naana’s Sparkle is widely available at double figure odds and with Betfred paying five places on this contest, he looks worth chancing.

He deservedly got his head back in front at Redcar in June after a few near misses but it’s his subsequent effort in defeat that really makes him of interest, just losing out to Luna A Inbhir Nis who has won no fewer than six of her starts this campaign, including a mightily competitive handicap at York last week.

The Haydock second to Luna A Inbhir Nis looks like a key piece of form for the three-year-old sprint handicappers and he gets the services of Rowan Scott here, one of the most underrated riders in the weighing room.

16:20 Goodwood - Goldwork @ 12/1

One of the trickier puzzles to solve on day three at Goodwood with a chance taken on Goldwork.

He was impressive when winning over six furlongs at this venue and it’s worth putting a line through his subsequent run at Newbury having probably seen too much daylight in that small field.

The stamina on the dam’s side of his pedigree suggests he’s going to be more suited to this sort of distance and the yard could hardly be doing any better with their juveniles this season.

16:55 Goodwood - Aylin @ 3/1

Not much form to go on here but the most likely winner is probably Aylin who went mightily close to making a winning debut at York after some significant market support.

She showed signs of inexperience that day and given the yard’s strike-rate with their juveniles, she looks worth supporting in the sole maiden on the card.

17:30 Goodwood - Antipodes @ 7/1

Silvestre De Sousa rides this track as well as anyone and he has a live contender in the finale in the shape of Antipodes.

This son of Starspangledbanner was only narrowly denied in a Nottingham maiden before scoring in a Windsor maiden and that Windsor form has received significant boosts with the runner-up and third both winning since.

He may have been let in lightly off a handicap mark of 89 and he is taken to defy top weight for a yard already amongst the winners already this week.

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