Goodwood Festival Day Five Blog | David Probert, Hugo Palmer & Jim Crowley
01 Aug 2025
It's a big day for our Coral Racing Ambassadors on the final day of this year's Goodwood Festival! Check out what they have to say about the chances of their rides and runners below.
DAVID PROBERT: 'I AM SURE HE WILL RUN A SOLID RACE'
13:55 Goodwood – Subsequent
Subsequent is a horse who stays well and enjoys cut in the ground. He won a Listed race around Ascot, and with his rating, he will need to carry plenty of weight on his back, which makes this a tough challenge for him. That said, he remains progressive, and I am sure he will run a solid race.
15:05 Goodwood – Seven Questions
Seven Questions is a keen going horse. He has been running over 5f recently, but is now up to 6f for the Coral Stewards’ Cup. I am pleased with stall 22. I hope he gets a strong gallop, which he should do in a large field like this. As always in these big races, you do need a bit of luck.
15:45 Goodwood – Dance In The Storm
This filly has never run on this type of ground before, so we will find out more about her here. The key to riding her is to get her relaxed in the early stages. She won at Sandown two starts back, and she remains lightly raced. Andrew Balding is in good form, so it’s a nice ride to pick up.
16:20 Goodwood – Phantom Watch
Phantom Watch has done very little wrong in his opening two starts. He was staying on strongly at Nottingham on his latest outing. Hugo thinks this step up in distance will benefit him. The aim will be to finish the race strongly, and hopefully that is enough to come home in the frame.
16:55 Goodwood – Urban Sprawl
Urban Sprawl is an uncomplicated horse who will enjoy the soft ground. He has had over 50 races already, so he knows what it is all about. I enjoy riding for Charlie Johnston as he leaves it all up to you. I am sure this horse will be competitive, especially with this low weight.
HUGO PALMER: 'HE IS OBVIOUSLY A CLASS HORSE ON HIS BEST FORM'
14:10 Newmarket – Ruby’s Angel
You would have expected to see more than five runners for this nursery at Newmarket, especially for the pot which is on offer. We’ve always liked our filly, and we have been patient with her at home to give her time to develop.
She ran well on her third start at Haydock. I was there that day, and it looked like a decent race. She did very little wrong and probably finished behind two smart horses. I am hopeful she will step forward again here.
15:45 Goodwood – Miami Matrix and The Waco Kid
Miami Matrix won well at Chester on his latest run. I still feel he is well handicapped despite going up 3lb for his win. He is not a very big horse. If you can handle Chester, you can probably handle Goodwood. I think he has a good chance of being in the mix.
The Waco Kid has to have soft ground. He looks the best I’ve seen him all year. Jack Nicholls will take a useful 7lb off his back, so that will help with the top weight. He is obviously a classy horse on his best form.
16:20 Goodwood – Lion Of Alba and Phantom Watch
Lion Of Alba is a lovely horse who we have high hopes for. If he goes on the ground, I can see him running a big race.
Phantom Watch has run well on both his starts over 6f. He has shaped like he will appreciate this step up to 7f. His father won the Horris Hill on Soft ground, so we think he will handle the conditions.
JIM CROWLEY: 'I HOPE WE HAVE A BIG CHANCE'
13:20 Goodwood – Al Aasy
It’s fair to say Al Aasy wasn’t always one of my favourites, but he most definitely is now! He’s a quirky fellow, but talented, and when everything falls right for him, as we saw at Sandown on his first start of the season, he can win decent races. The form of that victory has worked out well, but things haven’t gone for us on his two starts since, but as I say, that’s just him. We also saw the best of him when he won this race last year, so I’ll be looking to give him that sort of ride again. Goodwood is a great track for him as it keeps him interested, and if we get the luck in running and I can deliver him late, I hope we have a big chance, and he won’t mind what the ground is like either.
15:05 Goodwood – Elmonjed
I was keen for this horse to come here even before his win at York last week, so I’m delighted we line up. He never wins by far, as we saw last week, but he’s a clever horse who generally does enough. He has a five pound penalty for the York win, but I’m sure there’s more to come from him despite that. Runners have been coming up the stand side this week, so a draw in stall eight might not be ideal, but I’ve won this race before from a low draw, and can probably come up the middle here anyway. He’s in great form, and while this is a hard race to win, I wouldn’t swap this fellow and hope we can go very close.
15:45 Goodwood – Mudbir
This is a beautifully bred Shadwell colt who won well at Sandown last time, and I'm sure there is plenty more to come from him. He’s another who isn’t ground dependent, a rise of two pounds from the handicapper doesn’t look harsh, and I think he has a big chance on what could be an important day for the Shadwell team.
Coral Racing Ambassadors, Goodwood Festival Day Five
DAVID PROBERT: 'I AM SURE HE WILL RUN A SOLID RACE'
13:55 Goodwood – Subsequent
Subsequent is a horse who stays well and enjoys cut in the ground. He won a Listed race around Ascot, and with his rating, he will need to carry plenty of weight on his back, which makes this a tough challenge for him. That said, he remains progressive, and I am sure he will run a solid race.
15:05 Goodwood – Seven Questions
Seven Questions is a keen going horse. He has been running over 5f recently, but is now up to 6f for the Coral Stewards’ Cup. I am pleased with stall 22. I hope he gets a strong gallop, which he should do in a large field like this. As always in these big races, you do need a bit of luck.
15:45 Goodwood – Dance In The Storm
This filly has never run on this type of ground before, so we will find out more about her here. The key to riding her is to get her relaxed in the early stages. She won at Sandown two starts back, and she remains lightly raced. Andrew Balding is in good form, so it’s a nice ride to pick up.
16:20 Goodwood – Phantom Watch
Phantom Watch has done very little wrong in his opening two starts. He was staying on strongly at Nottingham on his latest outing. Hugo thinks this step up in distance will benefit him. The aim will be to finish the race strongly, and hopefully that is enough to come home in the frame.
16:55 Goodwood – Urban Sprawl
Urban Sprawl is an uncomplicated horse who will enjoy the soft ground. He has had over 50 races already, so he knows what it is all about. I enjoy riding for Charlie Johnston as he leaves it all up to you. I am sure this horse will be competitive, especially with this low weight.
HUGO PALMER: 'HE IS OBVIOUSLY A CLASS HORSE ON HIS BEST FORM'
14:10 Newmarket – Ruby’s Angel
You would have expected to see more than five runners for this nursery at Newmarket, especially for the pot which is on offer. We’ve always liked our filly, and we have been patient with her at home to give her time to develop.
She ran well on her third start at Haydock. I was there that day, and it looked like a decent race. She did very little wrong and probably finished behind two smart horses. I am hopeful she will step forward again here.
15:45 Goodwood – Miami Matrix and The Waco Kid
Miami Matrix won well at Chester on his latest run. I still feel he is well handicapped despite going up 3lb for his win. He is not a very big horse. If you can handle Chester, you can probably handle Goodwood. I think he has a good chance of being in the mix.
The Waco Kid has to have soft ground. He looks the best I’ve seen him all year. Jack Nicholls will take a useful 7lb off his back, so that will help with the top weight. He is obviously a classy horse on his best form.
16:20 Goodwood – Lion Of Alba and Phantom Watch
Lion Of Alba is a lovely horse who we have high hopes for. If he goes on the ground, I can see him running a big race.
Phantom Watch has run well on both his starts over 6f. He has shaped like he will appreciate this step up to 7f. His father won the Horris Hill on Soft ground, so we think he will handle the conditions.
JIM CROWLEY: 'I HOPE WE HAVE A BIG CHANCE'
13:20 Goodwood – Al Aasy
It’s fair to say Al Aasy wasn’t always one of my favourites, but he most definitely is now! He’s a quirky fellow, but talented, and when everything falls right for him, as we saw at Sandown on his first start of the season, he can win decent races. The form of that victory has worked out well, but things haven’t gone for us on his two starts since, but as I say, that’s just him. We also saw the best of him when he won this race last year, so I’ll be looking to give him that sort of ride again. Goodwood is a great track for him as it keeps him interested, and if we get the luck in running and I can deliver him late, I hope we have a big chance, and he won’t mind what the ground is like either.
15:05 Goodwood – Elmonjed
I was keen for this horse to come here even before his win at York last week, so I’m delighted we line up. He never wins by far, as we saw last week, but he’s a clever horse who generally does enough. He has a five pound penalty for the York win, but I’m sure there’s more to come from him despite that. Runners have been coming up the stand side this week, so a draw in stall eight might not be ideal, but I’ve won this race before from a low draw, and can probably come up the middle here anyway. He’s in great form, and while this is a hard race to win, I wouldn’t swap this fellow and hope we can go very close.
15:45 Goodwood – Mudbir
This is a beautifully bred Shadwell colt who won well at Sandown last time, and I'm sure there is plenty more to come from him. He’s another who isn’t ground dependent, a rise of two pounds from the handicapper doesn’t look harsh, and I think he has a big chance on what could be an important day for the Shadwell team.
Coral Racing Ambassadors, Goodwood Festival Day Five
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