Today's Racing Tips: Midak can make Hay in the Goodwood opener

Goodwood, 13:50 - Back Midak each-way @ 12/113.00

The colours of Fitri and Dr Jim Hay are often seen to the fore at Glorious Goodwood and Midak could begin the meeting in the best possible fashion for the renown owners.

Purchased for 300,000euros from the Aga Khan's operation last November, the Footstepsinthesand gelding was highly tried for his former handler winning three races in the spring of 2025 prior to having a tilt at the Derby where he went to post at Epsom just 9/1 to beat Lambourn, Delacriox et al.

The deep ground and a step up to a mile and a half saw him fade in the straight that day and he has struggled to recapture that early three-year-old form despite having been gelded prior to switching trainers.

However, two recent starts for Ian Williams following an abortive spell in the Middle East during the winter have indicated the engine is still firing, but probably requires a different set of circumstances to those he has faced in small field Listed races this season.

A propensity to race keenly has been the undoing of Midak during his time in Britain, however today's assignment represents a first dip into handicap company and the prospect of a true gallop and some cover courtesy of a big field should present more ideal conditions.

The selection travelled like the best horse behind Tenability in the Tapster Stakes last month and a drop back in trip on better ground could make him very competitive.

Goodwood, 15.00 - Back Qirat @ 4/15.00

I doubt there are many tracks in the country where the adage 'horses for courses' applies more than Goodwood.

The idiosynchratic Sussex venue suits some more than others with its undulations and contours and that certainly applies to Qirat who bids to extend his unbeaten course record to four in this intriguing renewal.

There is little doubt Lake Forest deserves to be market leader following his eye-catching fifth over six furlongs in Group 1 company at Royal Ascot and he emerged best of those that were held up well off the pace in last year's renewal.

However, Qirat was a surprise winner of last year's Sussex Stakes when afforded the pacesetting role and the victory, albeit a major shock, did enforce that the ability to handle the undulations of Goodwood can go a long way to determining the result, even for a 150/1 shot.

Ralph Beckett's recent Criterion Stakes winner appreciated the fitting of the tongue tie at York when readily turning away Never So Brave and, although he has yet to fire for man of the moment rider Colin Keane, the duo are yet to tackle today's course and distance together.

Goodwood, 15.35 - Back Amiloc each-way @ 12/113.00

Scandinavia and Trawlerman combined to produce a race for the ages in the Ascot Gold Cup last month and they rightly dominate the betting for this Group 1 affair seven weeks on.

The participation of Trawlerman at Ascot was very much in doubt until the week before the race and there is a chance he will strip fitter 40 days on.

The last 100 yards certainly appeared to find out the eight-year-old as Scandinavia and an inspired Ryan Moore overhauled him in the shadows of the post to extend his remarkable unbeaten run in the cheekpieces to six.

There is little doubt the duo are head and shoulders above their six rivals here - their official ratings suggest as much - but both were required to go to the well in an epic Gold Cup run in sweltering temperatures and I wonder if there is a small chance the exertions may have left their mark.

With that in mind, if all eight runners go to post, there could be some merit in supporting Amiloc either each-way or win and place on the exchange.

Admittedly, the four-year-old is a far from certain stayer and he will need to drop his head to see out the trip here, but he is 2-2 at Goodwood and he galloped to the line in the Irish St Leger (1m6f) last autumn where his finishing speed percentage was second only to Al Riffa.

That form is a sizeable margin short of what is required today, but Amiloc has since finished a fine fourth in a Breeders' Cup Turf as well as running a blinder in last month's Hardwicke Stakes which produced the winner of Saturday's King George in Kalpana.

Sandwiched between those runs was a strange effort in the Yorkshire Cup on his reappearance when he uncharacteristically made the running and hung right throughout so it was good to see the selection ridden with more restraint at Ascot last time.  

He is no good thing to topple the main protagonists, but if Hector Crouch can encourage the son of Postponed to race within himself early on, he could outrun his odds.  

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