Steve Ryder picks out three to follow on day 1 of the Glorious Goodwood festival.
3:00 GoodwoodSee All Odds
Witness Stand 9/1 (0.5pt ew)
WITNESS STAND (best priced at 9/1) has won at this meeting for the previous two seasons including when beating Lake Forest by 2 ¾ lengths in this race last season. The Jamie Insole trained five-year-old benefitted from a wind operation to finish a head 2nd at Epsom in the Group 3 Diomed Stakes behind Ten Bob Tony. That rival has boosted that form since winning the Group 1 Queen Anne Stakes at Royal Ascot.
A below par run at Chester can be excused last time at listed level as Witness Stand was slowly away and trapped wide and this return to Goodwood will suit. He should run well once again under prominent tactics.
3:35 GoodwoodSee All Odds
Scandinavia 6/5 (2pt)
The Aidan O’Brien trained SCANDINAVIA (best priced at 6/5) is unbeaten in his six starts since the application of cheekpieces including in this race last season. The four-year-old was given the standard preparation for the Gold Cup winning both the Vintage Crop and Saval Beg Stakes before defeating Trawlerman by a head in a thrilling race at Royal Ascot.
Trawlerman will no doubt step forward for his first run for 243 days but he has shown his best form at Ascot whereas Scandinavia has proved versatile winning at six different courses on his previous six starts. He beat his stablemate Illinois in this race last year and he should prove hard to beat once again.
5:20 GoodwoodSee All Odds
Song N Dance 25/1 (0.5pt ew)
The Sean Woods trained SONG N DANCE (best priced at 25/1) split two subsequent winners at Ascot in May and can hopefully overcome a wide draw. The four-year-old finished behind Radiant Beauty, who has won a listed race at Pontefract since and is now rated 5lbs higher, and in front of Alobayyah, who won the Kensington Palace Handicap at Royal Ascot on her next start and is now rated 7lbs higher.
Song N Dance disappointed last time dropped back down in trip to 7f but as a result runs here off the same mark of 74 that she ran off at Ascot. Stall 12 is wider than ideal at this track over a mile but hopefully she can get a prominent position and she should outrun her odds with five places available.
