Richard Hoiles: My tips for Day 4 at the Goodwood Festival

The horse racing broadcaster offers up his five picks for Day 4 of the Goodwood Festival.

By Day 4 Goodwood can become a test of stamina, so it is appropriate the card starts with a 2m 4f handicap where for the first time starting stalls are in operation (previously a flag start), due to the race being included in the World Pool betting markets for the first time. Practically it will make very little difference to the start and hopefully they will be removed in time (not an easy logistical act) for it not to make any difference to the finish! ALPHONSE LE GRANDE 17/2 (13:50 Goodwood) has dropped back to the same mark off which he won the Cesarewitch back in 2024 and showed signs at Newcastle last time in the Plate that he was coming back to form. He did a lot of running from a poor position to get involved that day, with the effort taking its toll late on. Market support would be a positive.

TALK OF NEW YORK 8/13 (14:25 Goodwood) has been a work in progress for Godolphin and his career best run when third to no less than Bow Echo and Gstaad in the St James’s Palace suggested things were now fully falling into place. This Group 3 represents calmer waters, and he is impossible to oppose. The Appleby horses have had a much better July (14/40 A/E 1.30) than June (6/33 A/E 0.63) and Talk of New York will likely be back in Group 1 company before the season’s end.

Next up is one of the big handicaps of the week, the Golden Mile where BEAGLE BAY 3/1 (15:00 Goodwood) looks the most progressive in the field. He is unbeaten since moving into handicap company having won at Yarmouth and Sandown and in theory is well drawn in stall 1, though with the cutaway removed on the lower bend he may require the breaks up the straight. Hector Crouch will certainly be looking to make amends after Amiloc on Tuesday and a 5lb rise for Sandown could still underestimate Beagle Bay’s potential.

A test of out and out speed next for the King George Qatar Stakes over 5f where NIGHT RAIDER 3/1 (15:35 Goodwood) can defy a penalty for his Temple Stakes victory over American Affair. Gelding appears to have made him much more tractable, and he was drawn on the wrong side at Ascot in the King Charles III leading his group of seven home but only tenth overall. It was a similar story in this race 12 months ago when Night Raider was first home on the stands side but was only sixth to JM Jungle. From Stall 13, his is likely to plough a similar furrow but it should also prevent the other pace angle Jakajaro from eye-balling him early as he is drawn on the other flank.

The last of the five ITV races looks the hardest to solve, so it may pay to fall back on NAQEEB’s 9/1 (16:10 Goodwood) good course record. He chased home Bolster in last year’s Chesterfield Cup before winning on his next visit here in September. Both of those runs were over a furlong further but there looks likely to be a lot of pace here courtesy of Boiling Point and Galen, so it could set up nicely to bring his stamina into play. Whilst he was well placed in the Summer Mile in terms of setting a steady gallop, that trip is too sharp and he was beaten by others with more speed.

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