4.55pm Goodwood Tips & Betting Preview 28/07/2015

Race Time: 4.55pm Meeting: Glorious Goodwood Distance: 6f
Full Race Name:  Kish Armstrong Memorial EBF Stallions Maiden Stakes (Plus 10 Race)

Free Tip: Sterling Lines at 12/1 EW with Betfair

At first glance this is a horrendous challenge to try and solve with so few unraced bluebloods added to others with mediocre maiden form but what can we do others than deal with what is put in front of us? Both Mark Johnston (Prince Of Light 2005 and Lowdown 2009) and Peter Chapple-Hyam (Shallal 2007 and Misleading 2014), but as the first named hasn’t entered a runner this season we are drawn to the Chapple-Hyam trained Sterling Lines (12/1), an unraced son of Equiano who is owned by Mrs Fitri Hay and is obviously highly regarded as he also holds a Group One Middle Park Stakes entry which may say something? Truth is we wont know until after he flashes past the line be that first, last, or somewhere in between, but with his trainers record he needs at least considering, especially if the market suggests they have their money down.

Quality form here is pretty hard to come by to be honest, with the Richard Hannon trained Papa Luigi (9/2) probably just about shading it on official ratings at least. Placed in two of his three runs, the first was when he was runner up to Shanghai Glory at Nottingham when easy to back suggesting he needed the run, after which he was a frankly disappointing sixth at Newbury behind Twin Sails when sent off the 7/4 favourite. He did run a better race at York in a better race when last seen at York, but if that is the best form he has to offer, then it is hardly beyond the realms of possibility that something somewhere could improve past him without needing to be anything special.

Charlie Hills trains Sir Roger Moore (5/1) and we have to say the son of Kodiac looks to be the one to beat on all the form we can see. He started with a highly promising third to Seastrom at York but was then thrown in at the deep end in the Group Two Coventry Stakes at Royal Ascot where he failed to make much of an impression before finishing a well beaten twelfth of seventeen to Buratino. We can’t really read a lot in to that back in maiden company to be fair but it is still possibly better than some of these will ever achieve, and depending on price, he could yet represent an each way option of the price is right.

In My Place (11/1) catches the eye next with Richard Fahey sending the unraced colt down from his Northern base and jockey Paul Hanagan booked to ride – just like the good old days! A son of Compton Place, he holds entries in plenty of the better sales races later in the season but as a cheaply bought colt (£30,000) that comes as no surprise with the various weight concessions, but if they feel he is worth a shot down here (and it isn’t just because his owners fancy a day out at Goodwood), then he looks decent enough on paper at least that he could yet get involved under one of our favourite jockeys.

Lastly, in a race full of questions at the moment but with precious few answers, Goodwood Zodiac (5/1) has to be of serious consideration. Thanks to his name and his owners (Goodwood Owners Racehorse Group 22), it seems a fair guess that they will want to win here more than anywhere else, and may have even targetted the race accordingly, while his form when second to Surbett at Epsom may not be earth shattering, but does at least suggest some talent, in which case he is the last of our early short list for the reasons suggested