Check out Andy Newton’s top horse racing selections for Friday, 31st July—Day Four of the five-day Qatar Festival, headlined by the explosive Group 1 King George Qatar Stakes.

The live ITV Racing coverage from Goodwood gets underway at 1:50pm, bringing five action-packed races straight to free-to-air TV.

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Andy Newton’s ITV Racing Glorious Goodwood Tips: Friday, 31st July 2026

 

• 1:50 – BELIEVEITANDUCAN / AGGAGIO
• 2:25 – TALK OF NEW YORK / FIVE WAYS
• 3:00 – TRIBAL CHIEF / RHOSCOLYN
• 3:35 – JM JUNGLE / TIME FOR SANDALS
• 4:10 – NAQEEB

🎧 WATCH: You can also catch Andy every week on the Final Furlong Podcast breaking down all the biggest weekend action.

Andy Newton’s GLORIOUS GOODWOOD Horse Racing Tips: Day Four ‘Race-by-Race’ Breakdown

13:50 – Coral Goodwood Handicap (2m 4½f) | ITV

BELIEVEITANDUCAN is the main selection in a wide-open contest over this marathon 2m 4½f trip on the flat.

He put in a brilliant performance to take the Northumberland Plate consolation race on the All-Weather at Newcastle last time out, and a 5lb rise in the weights feels more than fair.

That was only his eleventh career outing on the flat (with four wins already under his belt), so he fits the profile of a stayer who still has plenty of upside. William Buick was in the saddle for that last victory and rightly retains the ride.

Stamina over this extreme distance is a massive unknown for plenty in the line-up-including Royal Ascot’s Copper Horse Stakes sixth, Valiancy, who is stepping beyond 2 miles for the very first time.

In contrast, Joseph O’Brien’s Defiantly is proven over the trip after a agonizingly close second in the Ascot Stakes over 2m4f (up 4lbs today).

However, if you’re looking for one at bigger odds, Gary Moore’s AGGAGIO is well worth a small interest.

He knows Goodwood like the back of his hand, having lined up here 19 times and winning four.

This eight-year-old was actually sent off as the favourite for this very race 12 months ago (finishing 5th), but he returns today rated 7lbs lower off a very attractive mark of 79.

🥇 BELIEVEITANDUCAN
🥈 AGGAGIO
🥉 Defiantly

 

14:25 – Thoroughbred Stakes (Group 3) (1m) | ITV

TALK OF NEW YORK should be ‘spreading the news’ here if he runs anywhere near his true form.

This Godolphin colt boasts an official rating of 116, which puts him a massive 7lbs clear of his nearest rival on paper, Shayem.

He takes a welcome drop in class today after running a absolute blinder to finish third behind Bow Echo in the St James’s Palace Stakes, beaten just 1¾ lengths.

Prior to that, he scored impressive wins at both Newmarket and Sandown in the Heron Stakes, leaving Yazin well behind. Charlie Appleby has surprisingly never won this specific race, but it’ll be a shock if he doesn’t break that duck today.

As for the rest, Saber Strike looks a decent sort and wears first-time blinkers, but William Haggas’s colt still feels a touch raw to me.

Because of that, I’m taking a chance on the slightly more experienced FIVE WAYS to outrun his long odds.

Last season he placed fourth in the Group 1 Middle Park and won a Group 3 on the Kempton polytrack.

While he hasn’t completely kicked on since, his last outing at Chester (4th) was a step back in the right direction when stepped up to 7f-finishing ahead of recent Lennox Stakes third, Witness Stand.

Who knows-stretching out to a full mile today might just unlock a bit more improvement.

🥇 TALK OF NEW YORK
🥈 FIVE WAYS
🥉 Saber Strike

15:00 – Coral Golden Mile (1m) | ITV

TRIBAL CHIEF will definitely need to get out of the gates better today, as he can occasionally be his own worst enemy with a slow start.

Even after blowing the break last time out at Sandown, he still managed to stay on brilliantly to finish within 3¼ lengths of Indalo.

He’s 3lbs better off at the weights today and is a proven course-and-distance winner right here at Goodwood.

It might be a heart-in-mouth ride as he tries to weave through late, but you couldn’t ask for a better jockey in the saddle for that style than Jamie Spencer.

Crucially, he’s bagged stall 4-a huge tick considering 80% of the last 10 winners came from gate 8 or lower.

Looking at the main dangers, Ebt’s Guards was third in that same Sandown race and finished second in this very contest last year. He’s 8lbs worse off this time, but stall 3 gives him every chance.

Then there’s RHOSCOLYN, who won this race 12 months ago off a mark of 96 and returns today rated 92.

The David O’Meara yard absolutely loves targeting this race, winning 50% of the last six runnings.

Rhoscolyn goes straight onto the shortlist, though he does have a tricky wide draw in stall 21 to overcome compared to drawing 3 last year.

Course-and-distance winner Cerulean Bay rarely runs a bad race here either and warrants respect.

🥇 TRIBAL CHIEF
🥈 RHOSCOLYN
🥉 Indalo

15:35 – King George Qatar Stakes (Group 2) (5f) | ITV

JM JUNGLE landed this race 12 months ago, and in the unpredictable world of five-furlong sprinting, he looks like the safest bet to deliver again.

This division remains completely wide open, so I wouldn’t blame anyone for sticking a pin in the paper.

But what we do know about JM Jungle is that he loves Goodwood (boasting a 2-from-3 record here) and he looks to be hitting peak fitness at just the right time following a close third at York. Expect him to be flying home late.

Night Raider comes into calculations after solid wins in the Palace House and Temple Stakes this season, and could easily bounce back after a disappointing 10th in the King Charles III Stakes at Royal Ascot.

Course winner Rumstar deserves respect following a good win at Sandown, though it’s worth noting all his career wins have come at Group 3 level or below.

Jakajaro, American Affair, and Asfoora will all have their supporters, though at seven years old now, I just feel Asfoora might be on a slight downward curve.

The other one I want on my side is the 2025 Commonwealth Cup winner, TIME FOR SANDALS.

She finished a close third in this race last year (beaten just ¾ of a length) and gets a handy 3lb weight advantage over JM Jungle today.

While she hasn’t won since that Royal Ascot triumph in 2025, her recent efforts in the King Charles III and QE Jubilee Stakes show enough promise to suggest she’ll be right there down in grade.

🥇 JM JUNGLE
🥈 TIME FOR SANDALS
🥉 Night Raider

16:10 – Regent Seven Seas Cruises Bentinck Conditions Stakes (1m 1f) | ITV

NAQEEB absolutely loves it at Goodwood-with a record of 2 wins and 2 places from 5 runs—and I expect another massive performance from him on the Sussex turf.

Julie Camacho’s six-year-old was a narrow second to Boiling Point here back in May, but he enters 3lbs better off at the weights today. He has since posted a solid fifth behind the talented Zeus Olympios in the Group 2 Summer Mile at Ascot, beaten under three lengths. Regular pilot Ryan Sexton stays in the saddle.

Course winners Jonquil and Haatem are the obvious threats who can easily make their presence felt, but Naqeeb gets the top vote.

🥇 NAQEEB
🥈 Boiling Point
🥉 Haatem

 

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