Horse Racing Tips: Back Velvet to kick off Friday double at Goodwood

• Opening Goodwood selection caught eye at Newmarket

• Easy last time out winner could be on a good mark

• Alan Dudman has a 9/110.00 Sportsbook Friday double

Goodwood - 19:35: Royal Velvet

It hasn't worked out at all over the last couple of days with some bigger prices, so today I am playing more towards the top of the market and at Goodwood, where the drop in class should work the oracle for William Knight's Royal Velvet.

She raced at Newmarket last time over 1m, and as usual at HQ they split into two groups early but then merged late on, and while Royal Velvet was part of the near side posse, she ended up further away from the stands' side - which is where the eventual winner Ziggy's Phoenix came up.

I wasn't convinced she saw out the mile trip either on that occasion, and a sharper 7f and drop down today at Goodwood looks a good move.

She already has two wins to her name from the All-Weather and landed a race at Wolverhampton in good style during the winter and scored at Newcastle in the spring over 7f, and today's trip looks her best moving forward.

It was no surprise to see her quite strong in the Sportsbook market this morning into 5/23.50.

Haydock - 20:38: Back Old Cock

Another fairly straightforward selection with the market leader and the curiously-named Old Cock over at Haydock, and he's found a pretty easy opening in the finale.

He won a weak Maiden at Ayr on his second start recently and down the centre of the track won by nearly 5L - and while the opposition wasn't up to much, he could be in lightly here for his handicap debut from 77.

The price of 1/41.25 last time shows the lack of a serious opponent, but this isn't a great race either and he shaped well on his debut at Newcastle in April behind a couple of horses now rated in the low 80s.

He's already been gelded and had wind surgery, and he looks a big type who clearly was hard to train as a juvenile as he wasn't seen, and trainer Ed Bethell has a 21% strike-rate with his three-year-olds on the turf this year.

Now read Daryl Carter's tips for Friday here