6:55 Goodwood
This Class 5 handicap over six furlongs at Goodwood features a field of ten modest performers on good to firm ground. The KTB Fit ratings are tightly bunched at the top, with the selection holding a clear edge on course form and overall profile. Several runners are dropping in class or returning to a trip where they have previously shown their best, but the uncontested pace shape is likely to play a significant part in the outcome.
How the race shapes up
The pace shape points to a lone leader with little to pressure it, giving an uncontested lead that can prove hard for closers to peg back. Veil Of Clouds is the only prominent runner and should take up that role from stall 10, while the remaining nine are all held-up types who will be looking to come from off the pace. The key question is whether the leader can get an easy time up front on this track and whether the hold-up brigade can find the necessary burst to close the gap in the final furlong.
The KTB Fit ranking
- 1Perfect Location KTB Selection60/100Modest performer who has won once here from two runs and also has a win at this trip on his record.
- 2Rory Rocket53/100Modest performer who has run five times here without winning yet has placed on his last two visits to Goodwood.
- 3Northcliff52/100Modest performer with a solid career tally of 50 runs and five wins at today's trip.
- 4Veil Of Clouds52/100Modest performer who has shown consistent form this year with a recent win over this trip.
- 5Raffles Angel51/100Modest performer who has been consistent enough this year without winning.
- 6Sound And Vision48/100Modest performer who has shown bits of promise without winning since his debut success.
- 7Dark Alley47/100Modest performer who has shown bits of ability on good to firm ground, placing twice from four starts without winning.
- 8Newsreader44/100Newsreader is a modest performer who has been largely out of form this year with a string of poor efforts.
- 9Eightthreeone44/100Modest performer who has been placed on three of his last six starts and showed his best effort here when second over this trip on his only visit to Goodwood.
- 10Ararat37/100Ararat is a modest performer who has been on the go a long time and looks vulnerable from a mark that has been edging upwards.
The contenders
Perfect Location KTB Fit 60/100
Perfect Location is a modest performer who has won once here from two runs and also has a win at this trip on his record. Recent form has been patchy with a win sandwiched between some lesser efforts, and he is yet to place in two runs on good to firm ground. The trainer has a solid 14% strike rate at Goodwood from 88 runs while Rob Hornby is aboard. Usually held up and producing his effort late, he will be among those trying to come from off the pace in a race where the leader may get an easy time. Drawn in stall 9, his course success gives him a clear advantage over most of these.
Rory Rocket KTB Fit 53/100
Rory Rocket is a modest performer who has run five times here without winning yet has placed on his last two visits to Goodwood. He has won three times at this trip and showed his best form when successful on good to firm earlier this season. Gary and Josh Moore have a solid 12% strike rate at the track while Toby Moore is aboard. Dropping in class should help, and with a held-up run-style he will be looking to produce his effort late. His placed course form on recent visits suggests he can go well again if the gaps appear in the straight.
Northcliff KTB Fit 52/100
Northcliff is a modest performer with a solid career tally of 50 runs and five wins at today's trip. He has won four times on good to firm from 17 attempts so that ground is no problem, though recent form has been patchy with a string of placed efforts rather than wins. This is his first run at Goodwood and the trainer has no previous course record to call on. Usually held up, he will be another trying to come from off the pace in what looks a stiff task given the lack of course experience. Tom Marquand's 12% strike rate at the track offers some encouragement.
Veil Of Clouds KTB Fit 52/100
Veil Of Clouds is a modest performer who has shown consistent form this year with a recent win over this trip. Stall 10 at Goodwood is no help and the yard's solid 17% strike rate here from 84 runs offers some encouragement through Harry Davies. Going suitability remains unknown on only five runs. As the only front-runner in the field he is set to take up the running and could be hard to peg back given the uncontested lead on offer. His consistency this season makes him one of the main dangers if he gets an easy time in front.
Raffles Angel KTB Fit 51/100
Raffles Angel is a modest performer who has been consistent enough this year without winning. She drops back to 6f having won four times at the trip and shows a solid record on good to firm. The trainer is 0-9 at Goodwood while this is the horse's first run here. Usually held up and producing her effort late, she will need the race to fall right in a contest where the leader may get first run. Hector Crouch's record at the track adds a positive note but the lack of course form is a concern.
The rest of the field
Sound And VisionKTB Fit 48/100
Sound And Vision is a modest performer who has shown bits of promise without winning since his debut success. He steps up to 6f for the first time today having failed to trouble the judge in two previous attempts at the trip, and the small overall sample makes the good to firm ground an unknown. The trainer strikes at 9% here from a big sample of runners.
Dark AlleyKTB Fit 47/100
Dark Alley is a modest performer who has shown bits of ability on good to firm ground, placing twice from four starts without winning. He has already won over today's trip and finished second in a similar race last time, though his only run here resulted in a midfield finish. The yard's modest 5% strike rate at Goodwood adds a note of caution.
NewsreaderKTB Fit 44/100
Newsreader is a modest performer who has been largely out of form this year with a string of poor efforts. He has run only once at Goodwood and showed little, while his record on good to firm is equally limited. The trip looks about right given a placed effort at this distance, but overall there are few current positives.
EightthreeoneKTB Fit 44/100
Eightthreeone is a modest performer who has been placed on three of his last six starts and showed his best effort here when second over this trip on his only visit to Goodwood. He has won once at six furlongs and has been competitive on good to firm, though he has not won in ten runs this year. The yard's modest 9% strike rate at the track adds a note of caution.
AraratKTB Fit 37/100
Ararat is a modest performer who has been on the go a long time and looks vulnerable from a mark that has been edging upwards. He has shown some competitiveness on good to firm ground and has won over today's 6f trip in the past, though his recent form has been patchy and he drops back in distance today. The yard's modest record here adds little confidence.
KTB verdict
Perfect Location is the KTB Selection. He has already shown his liking for this track with a win from just two runs and possesses the ability to land another handicap at this level when things fall his way. His held-up style will need the leaders to come back to him, but the uncontested pace shape may just play into the hands of those coming from off the pace if the front-runner overdoes things. Main dangers are Veil Of Clouds if allowed an easy lead, Rory Rocket with his recent placed course form, and Northcliff who has the best good-to-firm record in the field.
KTB Selection Perfect Location
Morning odds
Best available price per runner, captured 00:10 UTC, 28 Aug. These are a morning snapshot and will have moved — see the live racecard for current prices.
| Runner | Morning price | Bookmaker |
|---|---|---|
| Perfect Location | 12/1 | William Hill |
| Rory Rocket | 10/1 | William Hill |
| Northcliff | 5/1 | 7Bet |
| Veil Of Clouds | 2/1 | Bet Victor |
| Raffles Angel | 10/1 | Bet365 |
| Sound And Vision | 8/1 | Bet Victor |
| Dark Alley | 11/1 | Bet365 |
| Newsreader | 6/1 | 7Bet |
| Eightthreeone | 18/1 | Bet Victor |
| Ararat | 14/1 | Bet Victor |
This is the narrative read of the 6:55 Goodwood. For the live card — runner-by-runner stats, the full Fit Score breakdown and current odds — see the Goodwood racecard. New here? How KTB works explains the Fit Score and why we publish both.
Questions about this race
Which horse is likely to take the uncontested lead?
Veil Of Clouds is the only front-runner in the field and should take up the running from stall 10.
How many wins has Perfect Location recorded at Goodwood?
Perfect Location has won once here from two runs.
Which horse has the best good-to-firm record in the field?
Northcliff has won four times on good to firm from 17 attempts.
Has any horse in the field won over this trip at Goodwood before?
Perfect Location has a win at this trip on his record and has also won here.
Which trainer has the strongest strike rate at Goodwood among those represented?
Simon & Ed Crisford have a 17% strike rate at Goodwood from 84 runs.
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