Glorious Goodwood Betting Tips Today: Day 3 Most Backed Bets

Flann Sunna

Two starts, two facile wins, and both came with the hallmarks of a serious animal - a debut demolition job at Windsor followed by an even sharper display at Ascot in a Class 3 conditions event, where he was value at joint-favourite and still scooted 4¾ lengths clear. That's not a horse scraping home, that's one doing it on his own terms.

The Crisford yard has this Goodwood contest firmly in their sights - they've landed it before, and know exactly what type gets it done here: a horse with gears rather than one reliant on a fast break. Flann Sunna's turn of foot has been the difference in both starts, and with the ground set fast again, his form ties in perfectly. William Buick taking over in the saddle is a significant boost too, adding a jockey with a ruthless big-race record to a colt already doing everything right.

Bred by Blue Point out of a powerful ownership operation in Sheikh Hamdan Bin Mohammed Al Maktoum's colours, there's the physique and the pedigree to suggest this test won't be beyond him - it's simply the next logical step in what's shaping up as a serious campaign.

Enceladus

Enceladus looks the type to keep on improving, and today's step up to Group 3 company looks a logical next chapter rather than a leap into the unknown.

The Joseph O'Brien-trained colt has taken every step in his stride so far, following a maiden success at Cork with a striking victory in the ultra-competitive King George V Handicap at Royal Ascot, accounting for yesterday's winner Al Azd along the way. That form has since been given real substance, franked more than once by results out of the race behind him.

He's a colt who does it the right way - happy to settle, travel and produce a turn of foot rather than needing to dominate from the front, and that sort of tactical speed tends to translate well around Goodwood's undulations. The step up in trip today shouldn't be a concern given his pedigree, and with a fair break since Ascot, there should be more improvement to come. With connections firing on all cylinders in recent weeks, this looks the sort of ride to be following with confidence.

Friendly Soul

Back from a full year on the sidelines, the John and Thady Gosden-trained mare has needed just two runs to find her form again, and the manner of her latest effort was the real headline. Third in the Duke of Cambridge Stakes at Royal Ascot, she was denied a clear passage through the closing stages and still ran on into the frame - the sort of trip that typically costs more than a place. That form has since taken on extra substance, with the form franked by what's come out of the race behind her.

Stepping back up in trip today should play to her strengths, and there's a Group 1 pedigree to fall back on too - she was a smart winner of the Prix de l'Opéra as a juvenile, so the pattern-class engine has always been there. With Ryan Moore unable to buy a winner this week aboard the favourite, there's an opportunity to take him on with a mare who arguably has more upside on the book than the market suggests.

Call Margot

Call Margot arrives fresh for this after six weeks off, and the form book makes a strong case that she was unlucky not to already have a win in the bank.

Beaten a whisker in a valuable £39K handicap last time, finishing second of 16 despite being denied a clear run when it mattered most - the kind of trip that costs horses races rather than reveals a lack of ability. Since then, that form has only strengthened, with both the winner and third home franking the form with follow-up efforts. It's the sort of result that reads better with hindsight than it did on the day.

The booking of a promising apprentice is a real plus here, with his 5lb claim taking a bit more off her back at a stage where fine margins decide these races. Add in a head-to-head record against today's field that leans firmly in her favour, and a draw in stall 3 that keeps her right where the action is, and there's plenty to like about her chances of turning near-miss into victory.