Glorious Goodwood 2024: day four results and race reaction - how it happened
Summary
- Seven races on a packed card for day four
- Big Evs holds off Asfoora in King George thriller
- Toimy Son defies widest draw to win Coral Golden Mile
- Lead Artist an impressive winner of the Group 3 Thoroughbred Stakes
- Master Milliner wins the opener at 25-1 - brilliantly tipped by Paul Kealy
CopySummary
- Seven races on a packed card for day four
- Big Evs holds off Asfoora in King George thriller
- Toimy Son defies widest draw to win Coral Golden Mile
- Lead Artist an impressive winner of the Group 3 Thoroughbred Stakes
- Master Milliner wins the opener at 25-1 - brilliantly tipped by Paul Kealy
Here we go!
Good morning and welcome to day four of Glorious Goodwood!
The sun is shining bright once again in West Sussex and we have a cracking seven-race card to bring to you.
The headline act is the King George Qatar Stakes (3.35), a race many of you may remember most fondly for the brilliant Battaash, who won it four times on the trot between 2017 and 2020.
As has been the case with most of the major sprints this season, this year's running looks wide open. Can the star from Down Under Asfoora sparkle on the Downs? She was a class winner of the King Charles III Stakes, but it’s Mick Appleby’s speedy three-year-old Big Evs who is today’s favourite as he bids to reverse the Royal Ascot form.
The Coral Golden Mile features plenty of familiar faces and is the day's big betting race at 3.00.
I, along with our reporters on the ground and some of our expert tipsters, will be with you all day to bring you the latest news, results and reaction.
If you want to get involved, please do email us at liveblog@racingpost.com with your thoughts on the day's racing and the week as a whole.
Ground news
The going at Goodwood remains good to firm after the track missed the thunderstorms which caused havoc last night at Epsom.
The track was watered again, with 5mm applied across most areas of the course. No rain is expected throughout racing.
Clerk of the course Ed Arkell, speaking just before 8am, said: "The thunderstorms ran about eight to ten miles north of us last night and it got quite black for a bit but we didn't get any rain. The ground is good to firm again, 7.8 on the GoingStick. We've got a misty start but that will be burning off in the next hour and a half or so, leaving another warm, dry and sunny day.
"All the false rail has gone today, so we have fresh ground on the bends. We watered last night, putting down 5mm from the mile to the intersection on the round course and from five furlongs to past the winning post on the straight, and just gave the bends a freshen up as well."
Non-runners aplenty
The glorious summer weather has been to the delight of racegoers, but trainers and owners who had been hoping for those thunderstorms to arrive have been left disappointed and plenty of non-runners have been declared due to the quick ground, the most notable of which is 14-1 shot Makarova in the King George.
Five runners are out of the Golden Mile, all due to the quick ground.
2.25 5 Ice Max
3.00 2 Rebel Territory, 10 Mirsky, 15 New Image, 19 Pisanello, 21 Native Warrior
3.35 7 Moss Tucker, 10 Jasour (cut leg), 11 Makarova
4.10 4 Liberty Lane
4.45 6 Zabeel Road (owner does not want to run)
5.20 1 Dambuster, 3 Kamboo (not eaten up), 5 Master Builder
*All non-runners due to the ground unless stated
Day four schedule
The first four races on the seven-race card will be televised on ITV's main channel, with the whole card shown on Racing TV.
In the first of three summer trials, Racing TV's feed – which includes the last three races from Goodwood as well as action at Galway and Newmarket – will also be broadcast on ITV's streaming platform, ITVX, from 4pm-6.30pm.
The schedule is as follows . . .
Holding out for a Hero
On our popular YouTube show In The Know, our inimitable tipster Paul Kealy has had his say on the King George Stakes – and he is a big fan of Jack Channon's four-year-old Desperate Hero, who has been a springer in the market this morning having been backed into 9-1 (from 14) with William Hill.
Keals ranks Goodwood as possibly his favourite punting week of the year, and he walked away a happy man on Thursday after successfully tipping 11-2 Approval and 7-2 Al Anoud.
Not one to rest on his laurels, he has SEVEN more tips for today's action, exclusively available to Racing Post Members' Club subscribers.
- Find out all of Paul Kealy's day four tips here
Paddy Power market movers
As well as Desperate Hero, Paddy Power have reported plenty of support for Breeders' Cup star Big Evs with punters eager to get stuck into the day's feature.
Big Evs' owners RP Racing enjoyed success here on Wednesday with Big Mojo in the Molecomb and they could cap a dream week in the King George. Paddy Power's Paul Binfield said: “Big Evs wasn’t quite a match for Australian raider Asfoora at the royal extravaganza, but the former has already proven himself over course and distance on what can be a tricky track and that previous experience here could be what’s making punters back Big Evs to turn around the length-and-a-half deficit at Ascot.”
1.50: Tenerife Sunshine 9 (from 10)
2.25: Kings Gamble 13-2 (from 7)
3.00: Perotto 13-2 (from 6)
3.35: Big Evs 15-8 (from 9-4)
3.35: Desperate Hero (11 from 14)
4.10: Haunted Dream 9-2 (from 11-2)
The stage is set
Our award-winning photographer Ed Whitaker has had an early start down at Goodwood and has been snapping the quiet early scene . . .
Another non-runner
Zealandia is the latest to be pulled out because of the quick ground - he's out of the opening Coral Goodwood Handicap (1.50) over a marathon 2m4½f.
Virtuoso performance
Before we move on fully to today's racing, a word for yesterday's star turn Opera Singer, who landed Coolmore partner Michael Tabor a fair punt in the Nassau, as he revealed to Lee Mottershead:
"All I can say is, for me, today, from a punting perspective, I couldn't believe the price. It was ridiculous. She was a massive price. I took 11-4 and 100-30 and not that early either. Anyway, that's racing. I think everyone was so sweet on her."
Opera Singer was subsequently slashed to 10-1 for the Arc, and Tabor added: "I would think she is an Arc horse but, having said that, the Arc is usually run on very easy ground, and I don't think that would be ideal for her. The Breeders' Cup is what I would like, but I'll have to sweet-talk Derrick, John and Aidan."
'Like the bridge of the Titanic'
By Lee Mottershead at Goodwood
The Goodwood press room is starting to fill up with journalists and broadcasters, one of whom, Darren Owen, was last night in a commentary box that started to fill up with water.
Owen was one of those who thankfully survived the deluge of rain that descended on Epsom, where a six-race evening meeting was aborted after two races due to weather-related damage.
Although the track remained fit for racing, the fierce storm that arrived after the 6.30 contest wiped out Epsom's camera coverage, while Racetech's scanner continues to be out of action having been struck by lightning.
"The commentary box was like the bridge of the Titanic," said Owen. "I was worried about the equipment and had to move it because it was getting wet. It's a shame because it was my first time commentating at Epsom and I was really up for it."
Golden Mile gamble
One of the punting highlights of the week is undoubtedly the Coral Golden Mile (3.00) and some significant support has arrived this morning for Holloway Boy, who has usurped Blue For You and Perotto at the head of the market.
The Karl Burke-trained four-year-old won the Chesham at a whopping 40-1 on his debut back in 2022, and although he has failed to hit those heights since, the signs have been positive in a couple of defeats in handicaps this summer.
He has been backed into 11-2 (from 8-1 this morning with William Hill), and is drawn in stall 13. How will that affect his chances? More on the Golden Mile and its notorious draw bias next . . .
Gotta get low, low, low, low, low
By Graeme Rodway, deputy betting editor
Every year it’s the same old story when it comes to the Golden Mile. History tells us you simply must be drawn low to have any chance and the statistics are there for everyone to see.
No fewer than 14 of the last 20 winners came from stalls one to five and backing runners drawn in those gates blind to £1 level stakes would have yielded a healthy profit of £36.25.
Last year’s winner Johan was an exception as he won from stall 18, but the bias towards the inside of the track was still evident as Johan was away fast and able to tack across to run one off the rail in second in a race where three of the first four home held those places throughout.
The other nine winners in the last ten years were drawn five, nine, one, three, three, three, two, five and two, and that is an incredible record for such a consistently competitive race.
There is a simple explanation for why this tends to happen. There is a false rail and a cutaway in operation on the first three days, but that disappears for the last two days and the change in course configuration means that not only do horses drawn on the inside go the shortest way around, they tend to be on the freshest ground. It’s a combination that proves potent.
In the Golden first five positions this year are:
1. Urban Sprawl
2. Silent Film
3. Classic
4. Orbaan (winner of this race in 2022)
5. Blue For You
'Owner does not want to run'
By Lee Mottershead at Goodwood
We've got a significant number of non-runners at Goodwood, with five horses taken out of the Unibet Golden Mile and three from the Qatar King George Stakes.
The vast majority of the Goodwood defections - there are 15 at the moment - have been officially attributed to the ground. However, one of the scratchings has been made for a reason I've never seen before.
According to the BHA's racing administration website, the Charlie Johnston-trained Zabeel Road is out of the nursery (4.45) because the "owner does not want to run the colt". The owner of Zabeel Road is Jaber Abdullah.
I've spoken to chief steward Shaun Parker, who has confirmed that, in itself, an owner not wanting to run would be an unacceptable explanation and would therefore incur a fine. For that reason, the Goodwood stewards will be asking Johnston why specifically Zabeel Road is not appearing. Once they do, we should know more.
Magic Mick
A fan of Big Evs in the King George? (How many King Georges do we need by the way?)
If so, I bring you good news in the form of Mick Appleby's stunning form figures at Goodwood this week of 11321. Only Aidan O'Brien (4) has trained more winners this week.
Appleby had this to say in our big-race preview: “He's in good order. I think he probably just didn't quite get home at Ascot, but the easier five furlongs at Goodwood will suit him better and the plan is to go back to the Nunthorpe after this. It's great to see him retaining his juvenile form from last year.”
The party is starting
Some more stunning pictures from our man on the ground Ed Whitaker
'It's great to get the call-up on Believing'
By Maddy Playle at Goodwood
Sometimes you bump into exactly who you need to speak to.
I was tasked with tracking down young virtuoso Billy Loughnane for a section in our Racing Grapevine feature - stay tuned for this - today and he just so happened to pass me as he was returning to the weighing room around midday.
The 18-year-old was returning from a run in his Team Ireland Racing League jacket and was perfectly positioned to offer his assessment on the condition of the track, of which two sections have been watered 5mm after thunderstorms missed the area.
"It’s definitely very hot!" he said. "It’s warm weather and it’s nice ground. I didn’t have chance to go for a jog this morning after riding out, I had to come straight here, but I like to keep fit and it meant I could take a pound or two off at the same time."
The reason for the run was presumably because he will carry just 8st 9lb aboard Urban Sprawl in the Golden Mile (3.00). He will also be aboard the favourite Kyle Of Lochalsh (1.50) in the opener for Hughie Morrison.
His best ride, however, comes aboard the George Boughey-trained Believing in the feature Group 2 King George Qatar Stakes (3.35). He has yet to partner the sprinter on the track, but is a growing part of the trainer's team and credited both him and his new agent Tony Hind for his strong run of recent form.
"I’m not George’s number one," he said, clarifying his role. "I just ride whatever he wants me to. I go in and ride work three or four times a week and he supports me a lot. I’m very grateful. We’ve got a lot of nice horses and it’s great to be getting the call-up.
"Tony’s been brilliant, he’s doing an amazing job. Every day I’m going racing for lovely books of rides and it’s a joy to be associated with him."
Another Baaeed?
The Bonhams Thoroughbred Stakes (2.25) was won by the brilliant Baaeed on his way to superstardom in 2021.
It's probably pretty unlikely we'll see anyone of his quality this afternoon, but this mile Group 3 exclusively for three-year-olds looks a fascinating edition nonetheless featuring Newmarket Listed winner Al Musmak, Juddmonte pair Task Force and Lead Artist, and Roger Teal's Dancing Gemini, who drops back in grade having competed in the French 2,000 Guineas, Derby and Eclipse this summer.
Al Musmak heads the betting, but Roger Varian had some concerns over the quick ground when we spoke to him yesterday.
He said: “Al Musmak came out of his last race really well. I hope the ground isn't too quick for him. He appreciated getting his toe in last time, the mile suits him and he goes there with a chance.”
Some punters keen to take on the favourite have latched on to the Ralph Beckett-trained King's Gamble, who William Hill report to be a "well-backed" 13-2 from 8-1 this morning.
- Read the full preview here
More non-runners
Both in the finale . . .
5.20: 2 Blake (self cert, not eaten up), 13 Huxley (going)
Market update
A Manchester City supporter in Racing Post headquarters was severely disappointed yesterday when The Strikin Viking got run down late on in the Richmond, but he will be hoping for compensation in the upcoming Coral Goodwood Handicap with the Jack Grealish-inspired Super Superjack.
And the seven-year-old, who is just a third runner at Goodwood for trainer Olly Murphy and was second in this marathon contest two years ago, seems to have been the best-backed runner in the opener having shortened into 9-2 from 7-1 this morning.
That puts him at the head of the market alongside Ascot Stakes third Kyle Of Lochalsh (a beautiful village which connects the west coast of Scotland with the Isle of Skye, in case you were wondering).
There has also been plenty of support for Tenerife Sunshine, the mount of James Doyle.
- Get analysis from Graeme Rodway and insight from connections in our race preview
Who wins the first?
Hunting for the winner of the opener?
The bad news is I'm an awful tipster. The good news is you don't need to listen to me because I've got Pricewise guru Tom Segal on hand with his view, and he fancies David O'Meara to kick-start a potentially big day for the Yorkshire-based trainer.
Get Shirty (8-1)
David O'Meara has a decent chance of winning the opening 2m4½f handicap with Get Shirty, who won at Royal Ascot two years ago.
He might not be the horse he once was, but he has run well in two Ebors off marks in the 100s and ran a blinder to finish fourth to Pledgeofallegiance in the Ascot Stakes when upped to a marathon trip at the royal meeting last time.
He was half a length behind Kyle Of Lochalsh and over four lengths in front of Temporize that day, so it's hard to work out why Get Shirty is a much bigger price than either of those, especially as he's better off at the weights too.
- Members' Club subscribers can access all of Tom's day four tips here
