Goodwood's flat season comes to end - preview and selections

The going is Good to Soft and the forecast is for cloud at the track. The action gets underway at 1.50pm and concludes at 5.20pm. You can find the latest odds at Boylesports.

The undoubted highlight on the card for racegoers is the £20,000 Inkerman London Handicap at 4.45pm. The 12-furlong event sees the return of the enigma Goshen who chases a fourth win on the Flat for Gary Moore. A dual winner over timber last term in the Contenders Hurdle at Sandown and the Kingwell Hurdle at Wincanton, he was last seen finishing third to stable companion Aggagio at Goodwood over two miles in May.

Ground conditions should be in his favour and this is clearly a pipe-opener before he gets his National Hunt season underway. However, all the same, it is fantastic to see Goshen in action and he has to be deeply respected.

William Buick will be crowned champion jockey at Ascot next week and brought up 150 winners for the season earlier this week. He rides Saratoga Gold who chases a hat-trick, whilst top-weight Soto Sizzler is a course and distance winner at the track who should go close if at his peak.

Torcello is at the bottom of the weights, but is another course and distance scorer, whilst Ajero also has winning form at the track, having won in good style over a mile and one furlong in July. Pride Of Priory has won three of his last four starts and impressed at Ascot back in August. He blotted his copybook in the Lanark Silver Bell, but remains open to more improvement.

Tritonic is another talented hurdler who finished fourth in the Christmas Hurdle last term, having previously won a competitive handicap at Ascot. He has won two of his 11 starts on the Flat and was last seen finishing second on the level at Newmarket in April. On To Victory completes the eight runners in what looks a fascinating contest at the track.

Elsewhere on the card, the Nursery Handicap at 3.35pm has a prize fund of £13,000 and features some interesting runners among the quintet. They included Eminency who impressed when beating the reopposing Chartwell House at Windsor in July. He has since gone on to finish fifth in a competitive event at Doncaster, with the form from that race working out very well. The winner Cold Case has gone on to win the Two-Year-Old Trophy at Redcar since, whilst the fourth Galeron landed the Goffs Million when last seen.

His rivals include Benacre who justified favouritism when doing the business at Epsom last month and is clearly open to more progression, along with Chartwell House. He opened his account at Epsom in August, but failed to back that up when beaten at Chelmsford on the All-Weather last time out. However, he remains interesting back on turf. The five runners are completed by Solutre and Kiss N Cuddle, both of whom also have winning form.

Goodwood Selections

1.50pm Royaume Uni

2.25pm Juruman

3.00pm Lovely Breeze

3.35pm Eminency

4.10pm Rathgar

4.45pm Goshen

5.20pm Stately Home