Jockey Hector Crouch has enjoyed trebles on back-to-back Saturdays at Newbury and Chester, and has a promising book of rides at Goodwood both Friday and Saturday.
Hector Crouch Goodwood Preview: August 28th 2026
Hector Crouch Goodwood Preview: Friday
I’ve got two days at Goodwood, starting with four rides for Friday’s evening card and Gobby Grace (4.35) in the opening 6f Maiden Fillies’ Stakes. Trainer Richard Hughes has enjoyed a great season, and he’s a good man to get them ready on debut.
Ralph Beckett’s Molo Del Palazzo (5.10) has been better than the bare form despite being a maiden from five starts and should improve for the application of first-time blinkers. I rode him last time out at Windsor and thought I was going to win, before him folding quite tamely in the closing stages. She should be fine on the ground, and I think she will run well despite the less-than-ideal draw in stall 12 of 13.
We’ve been trying to rebuild the confidence of Marianita (5.45) who had a bit of a traumatic debut when getting caught in the stalls at Kempton. She has struggled with her confidence thereafter, but is definitely talented and hopefully can prove better than her opening mark of 74 suggests.
Raffles Angel (6.55) has trickled down the handicap, and could be potentially well-treated from 2lb below her last winning mark. The yard had a good winner yesterday at Lingfield and trainer Jack Jones is enjoying a good spell of form.
Hector Crouch Goodwood Preview: Saturday
Saturday has the potential to be a very good day, starting with David Menusier’s Rhythm of my Heart (1.25) in the opening Novice Stakes over a mile. David’s tend to improve from their opening race, and given the fact she ran so well to finish second on debut tends me to believe there’s now a lot more improvement to come.
He could hopefully kick things off, but my best chance of a winner looks to be Forty Years On (2.00) in the 7f Handicap. She is a really top class filly, and gave us a great feeling when scoring impressively last time out at Newbury. She would have run at some of the big festivals but just hasn’t had her ground. She’s got dinner plates for feet and needs a bit of cut in the ground. Fingers crossed an 8lb rise hasn’t got to the bottom of her just yet.
Lord Melbourne (2.35) struggled a bit after his excursion to St Moritz but he’s another with a love of soft ground and has gone down 7lb in the handicap since his Epsom success on soft ground last year. He shouldn’t have any issues carrying that much weight, and he’ll be fine on any amount of soft ground.
Qirat (3.10) is a bit of an enigma given he’s a former Sussex Stakes winner – at a massive price – but showed it was no fluke when scoring at York earlier in the season. Eve Johnston Houghton’s Zavateri is respected – especially with his weight-for-age allowance – but Qirat is a very classy animal on his day. He’s shown a likeness to go from the front, so hopefully we can dictate things and be handy early doors.
I don’t know much about the debutant Queen of Scotland (3.45) but George Boughey is enjoying a fantastic season and I’m sure she’ll be ready to rock and roll on her first day at school.
Please note that the information provided in this Hector Crouch: August 28th Goodwood Preview article is for entertainment purposes only. We do not guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of the information provided. Any action you take upon the information on this article is strictly at your own risk, and we will not be liable for any losses and damages in connection with the use of our article. We do not encourage gambling and remind you to gamble responsibly.
18+ | BeGambleAware.org
