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Friday ITV Racing Tips: Best bets for Newmarket and Goodwood

The Newmarket Guineas Festival gets under way on Friday and the seven live ITV races, which include three from Goodwood, come under the scrutiny of Planet Sport experts.

Our seven picks are listed below, with the reasons behind them further down the page, while anyone considering a punt would do well to check out Planet Sport's Racing Live Centre as it houses the race cards for both Newmarket and Goodwood.

Selections:

Al Mubhir (13.30 Goodwood)

Subastar (13.50 Newmarket)

Noble Truth (14.25 Newmarket)

Atalanta's Boy (14.40 Goodwood)

Shine So Bright (15.00 Newmarket)

Silence Please (15.15 Goodwood)

Yibir (15.35 Newmarket)

13.30 Goodwood - Al Mubhir

A pahetic turnout of just 42 runners for the first day of Newmarket's Guineas meeting, with this 1m conditions stakes attracting a field of just four.

Of the quartet, Dawn Of Liberation is the hardest to fancy having finished well beaten when stepped up to Listed comapny at the Craven meeting and looking more like a handicapper.

Tuscan won a similar race to today's on the same afternoon but that was over 7f and he has his stamina to prove over this extra furlong, with his connections mentioning the Jersey Stakes as a possible aim.

New Kingdom stays at least this far but he has been beaten at odds-on on his last two outings and has yet to live up to his 800,000 guineas price tag, which leaves William Haggas' Al Mubhir.

The son of Frankel created a good impression when scoring over 7f on his racecourse debut here in October and is clearly highly regarded given his multiple Group 1 entries, which include next month's Irish 2,000 Guineas.

With his stable in good form - 8-31 (26%) in the last fortnight - he can hopefully get us off to a winning start and he's a bigger price than his two main rivals at the time of writing.

13.50 Newmarket - Subastar

Another four-runner affair and they are headed by Charlie Appleby's Nations Pride, who took his record to 3-4 when beating a couple of suspect stayers over this trip of 1m2f at Meydan in February.
Given the form of his stable he deserves to be favourite but Roger Varian's Subastar will be no pushover if anywhere near fit enough on his return to action - the market will provide a clue to that - and he's the value call.
It was a decent mile maiden he won in emphatic fashion here in September, when overcoming market weakness and with his rider only resorting to hands and heels late on.
Middle distances will be his bag this season and if he's to justify some fancy entries, including the Epsom Derby, he has to go close this afternoon.

14.25 Newmarket - Noble Truth

Likely favourite Noble Truth was heavily eased when finishing next to last in a Group 3 at Riyadh in January, having raced too freely early in his usual hood, and he is clearly better than that.
On his day, he's capable of some smart form, as he showed when winning his maiden over this track and trip on fast ground, before going on to finish a close-up second in a French Group 1 on heavy.
On that evidence, he might just prove too strong at the finish for his two main rivals here, Gubbass and Ribhi, both of whom might be happiest reverting to sprinting.

14.40 Goodwood - Atalanta's Boy

Raasel has obvious claims as the sole course and distance winner in the field for this 5f handicap, and he'll strip fitter for his opening run at Musselburgh.
But he does have a career-high mark to overcome and would have preferred more cut in the ground, so Atalanta's Boy is preferred at bigger odds.
David Menusier's seven-year-old has done all his winning over 6f, admittedly, but there's something about Goodwood that brings out the best in him - his record at the track stands at 5-8 - and he's not short of speed by any means.
He made all when winning here last August on fast ground and again led going easily over two furlongs out when scoring on his seasonal debut here last April, which also underlined his record when fresh.
Hailing from a local stable with a 23% strike rate (12-53) at the track, he looks well worth an investment for a valuable sprint he may well have been targeted at.

15.00 Newmarket - Shine So Bright

Andrew Balding's six-year-old hasn't won since his three-year-old days but he has been competing at a much higher level than this class 2 7f handicap, and he's handicapped to win it having been dropped to a mark of 98.
He was rated as high as 115 after winning a York Group 2 and we know he handles the Rowley Mile as he won the Free Handicap run here earlier in the same season, both times over today's trip of 7f and on fast ground.
With plenty of stablemates winning recently and with promising apprentice Harry Davies up and looking excellent value for his 7lb claim, he's going to take plenty of beating.

15.15 Goodwood - Silence Please

Balding's Silence Please has at least 3lb in hand over her rivals in this 1m4f Listed fillies' contest on official ratings, and she won't be stopping at the finish either as she's a strong stayer over the trip.
Formerly with Jessica Harrington, who trained her to win three times, she ran some creditable races in defeat last season, including when chasing home home Tarnawa in a Leopardstown Group 3, and this drop in class is what she needs to get her head back in front.
Her nearest rival in the betting, Save A Forest, would have preferred more dig in the ground, so William Haggas' Bartzella, who might have been unbeaten in three starts last season but for slipping on the bend at Thirsk, is feared most.

15.35 Newmarket - Yibir

Charlie Appleby's four-year-old can make his class count in this 1m4f Group 2 contest, albeit he's hardly a betting proposition at long odds-on.

He developed into a high-class performer last season with his finest hour coming at the Breeders' Cup meeting, and he wasn't beaten far in a Group 2 at Meydan in March, when racing further back than ideal.

His come-from-behind style of racing does put him at a disadvantage in races that become tactical, which might be the case this afternoon, but he has upwards of 11lb in hand over his five rivals and his stable could not be in better form.

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