Glorious Goodwood / Jack Houghton / 31 July 2008 / Leave a comment Free £25 Bet

Jack Houghton on the in-running plays and lays for Friday's Channel 4 races from Glorious Goodwood.

2.15pm

Nothing obvious in this race as there looks to be a variety of racing styles on offer, but the shape of it will depend on whether Carte Diamond, Shahin, Sixties Icon, Tempelstern and Tranquil Tiger take their place; they're all entered on the basis of suitable ground. Tranquil Tiger has looked a bit tricky in the past and, blinkered for the first time, he's not one to be backing pre-race. If you fancy the horse, wait to see how he reacts to the blinkers and support, or oppose, him in-running.

If Tranquil Tiger is tricky, then Carte Diamond is an absolute reprobate. He refused to race last time and has hung in the past. Goodwood should suit him better, but he's not a horse to trust blindly.

2.50pm

As has been seen with the two five furlong races previewed here this week, competitive sprints on this downhill course can often cause horses at the front end to trade shorter than they should, given the energy they have expelled. I recommended a blanket lay of the field yesterday at [2.5] which proved profitable, and would expect the same here. But as always, a more selective policy of laying those up front would likely yield greater profit.

3.30pm

Interesting from an in-running perspective as many of the likely market principals are not straightforward. Masaalek, although "winning" a couple of races (his second at Ascot viewed as a win as he beat all on his side) has otherwise been found wanting in finishes. Gold Sovereign has hung right in the past; a habit usually accentuated by Goodwood's camber. Military Cross the same. And Lang Shining has been ridden using extreme hold-up tactics in the past so is likely to trade a bit higher in-running.

Fifteen Love looks a solid win and place bet.

4.05pm

Evidence of previous misdemeanours in the form of a lot of these, but it doesn't serve well to label two year olds still grappling with inexperience. Blown It is blinkered for the first time - with no obvious reason for doing so - and its worth watching how he reacts to them. There is already likely pace in the race and, if Blown It is lit up, things could get crazy up front. No specific advice but I'll be looking for an overly fast pace up front and repeating the same sprint strategy of opposing those who've gone too fast up front.

Tags: Blown It, Carte Diamond, Fifteen Love, Gold Sovereign, Goodwood betting, Horseracing betting, In-running betting, Lang Shining, Masaalek, Military Cross, Shahin, Sixties Icon, Tempelstern, Tranquil Tiger