Glorious Goodwood Day 1 predictions: Haffner can be Vintage star for O'Brien
Enda McElhinney
Glorious Goodwood Day 1: Best bets, each-way selection and treble
Recommended bets include:
The opening afternoon of Glorious Goodwood takes place on Tuesday, the first of five scintillating afternoons at the speedy Sussex venue.
It is, though, staying power that is demanded on day one with the Group 1 Goodwood Cup Stakes the feature event, as Scandinavia bids to follow up his Ascot Gold Cup win for Aidan O'Brien by retaining this crown.
The Vintage Stakes and Lennox Stakes are also on an eight-race Glorious Goodwood offering on Tuesday. Here is everything you need to know for day one, including the day's best bets.
Day 1 – Key info
First Race: 13:50 Chesterfield Cup Handicap
Feature Race: 15:35 Al Shaqab Goodwood Cup Stakes
The Goodwood Cup is the main event on Tuesday and last year's winner Scandinavia will attempt to become the third back-to-back winner this century after Big Orange (2015 & 2016) and Stradivarius, who carved his name in the history books with four straight wins from 2017 onwards.
Earlier, the group-race action gets going at Goodwood via the Vintage Stakes (14:25) and Lennox Stakes (16:00), while the competitive handicaps include the Chesterfield Cup as the opener and a pair of fillies' races to conclude the card.
Best bet of the day
Haffner to win the Vintage Stakes (14:25) @ 7/4 with LiveScore Bet
Charlie Appleby's Al Hudaiba and the Aidan O'Brien-trained Haffner are the big guns in this 7f Group 2 event. The former would likely be unbeaten had he not jinked awkwardly and unseated his rider at Yarmouth in May.
He is 2-2 since at Newmarket but perhaps benefited from a wayward finish from Abraham Lincoln in the Superlative Stakes last time.
Haffner won over the same course and distance that afternoon and while clocking a slower time, he did so after making all. Front-running tactics can serve him well on this idiosyncratic layout and Ryan Moore's partner has more improvement to come.
Best each-way bet of the day
Nana's Sparkle each-way in the Shaker Handicap (16:10) @ 10/1 with LiveScore Bet
Course form often counts for plenty at Goodwood and Nana's Sparkle has a win and a close third from two runs at this venue.
The Twilight Son gelding joined trainer Lemos Souza this season and is 2-3 so far, defying a mark of 89 at Southwell on the all-weather earlier this month.
He acts on any ground and his prominent racing style will lend itself well to success back here, especially in a packed field like this, where many of his rivals will have to rely on some luck in running.
Day 1 acca
Everybody loves an accumulator at the major festivals and we will be pointing towards one on each of the five days this week. On day one, our treble pays 34/1 with LiveScore Bet.
Bet 1: Haffner to win the Vintage Stakes (14:25) @ 7/4
Haffner's potential for further improvement is evident and there was a lot to like in his no-nonsense Newmarket win earlier in the month.
Bet 2: Scandinavia to win the Goodwood Cup (15:35) @ 5/6
Scandinavia does not make a habit of winning by far and Ryan Moore felt he could have made things easier in the Ascot Gold Cup after Trawlerman got close near the line.
That veteran is having his first tilt at this race and while he is a course winner, the younger performer looks set for back-to-back wins.
Bet 3: Crazee Icon to win the Bolney English Wine Fillies' Handicap (17:20) @ 11/2
The hat-trick-seeking Annastarzy is not overlooked easily, but Crazee Icon is also on a treble and Andrew Balding's charge might just get it.
She has twice come from off the pace to win at Chester – no easy feat – and there is juice left in a mark of 80 at a track where she was second in one run as a two-year-old.
