The Goodwood 2023 preview & best bets | Saturday, May 20

What	The Goodwood 2023
Where	Morphettville Racecourse – 79 Morphett Rd, Morphettville SA 5043
When	Saturday, May 20, 2023
Prizemoney	$502,250
Distance	1200m
Conditions	Set Weights
2022 winner	Lombardo (19) \| T: Mick Price & Michael Kent Jnr \| J: Zac Spain (55.5kg)
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The Goodwood is the premier race in South Australia each year, and the 2023 edition has attracted a strong field of 17 sprinters vying for the $500,000 on offer at Morphettville on Saturday. Having won the race in 2021, Savatoxl will be looking to become the first two-time winner of the 1200m feature, while youngsters like Lofty Strike, Kallos and Zapateo will be looking to add Group 1 glory to already impressive records.

The Goodwood 2023 odds

Despite a poor showing in the Group 1 TJ Smith Stakes on a Heavy track at Randwick, the Julius Sandhu-trained Lofty Strike has opened as a $2.90 favourite with online bookmakers. With two Group 1 placings to his name already as a three-year-old, he may not get a better chance to win at the top level. Godolphin stablemates Zapateo ($6.50) and Kallos ($9) are the only other runners with a single-figure quote.

The Goodwood 2023 speed map

The speed map for this year’s Goodwood looks pretty straightforward with Savatoxl and Front Page both looking to set the speed. With the likes of Zapateo, Royal Merchant and General Beau drawn towards the outer half of the field, they will need a ton of luck to not be caught three wide the trip. Considering their low draws, look for Kallos and Another Award to hold prominent positions. Race favourite Lofty Strike will be lucky to have a horse behind him when straightening, but he will be the one hitting the line the best from the rear of the field.

Continue reading for HorseBetting’s top selections and $100 betting strategy for The Goodwood 2023.

The Goodwood 2023 Preview & Form

Kallos has been a different horse since being gelded. The four-year-old son of Medaglia D’oro has strung together three impressive wins to begin this campaign, including a dominant win last time out in the Group 3 RN Irwin Stakes. He settled midfield on that day on the back of a hot tempo and would go on to salute by over a length — putting two lengths on Another Award, who he meets again on Saturday. His two efforts at Flemington over 1000m showed just how good he is when settling off the pace, and despite returning duck eggs from two starts at 1200m, he looks poised to strike fourth-up in this. He will gain a cosy run throughout from barrier four under Ben Melham, and with a strong turn of foot under his bonnet, we expect Kallos to break his Group 1 maiden at the second time of asking.

Lofty Strike has been nothing short of impressive this campaign, outside of his complete forgive run in the TJ Smith Stakes last time out. First-up he thundered home at Sandown to win the Group 2 Rubiton Stakes over Uncommon James, before running that same horse to within a length in the Group 1 Oakleigh Plate. He would then go on to run second to In Secret in the Newmarket Handicap when finishing a touch better than I Wish I Win, who would go on to beat Giga Kick in the TJ Smith, so that type of form stands out like a sore thumb in this. The query we have against him is the tactical advantage he gives away to a horse like Kallos, but considering he has the strongest turn of foot in the race and brings in genuine Group 1 formlines, he is a deserving favourite — albeit one we are willing to take on.

We were with Savatoxl when he got the better of Free Of Debt in the Group 2 DC McKay Stakes last time out, and he has every right to feature in the finish on Saturday. He is going to look to break his rivals’ hearts out in front with a genuinely run 1200m, and considering he drops 3.5kg for this, he is going to take some running down. He is a six-time winner at the 1200m and looks to gain a relatively uncontested lead, so Caitlin Jones should have her rivals chasing throughout. If he is anywhere near his best, then the $21 on offer is laughable.

As always in Group 1 sprints, the chances do not end there. Another Award went within a length of claiming the Robert Sangster Stakes, and a repeat of that effort could see her claim The Goodwood. Zapateo is low-flying this campaign, and if Curran can repeat the effort that saw him salute in The Country Discovery two starts back, he cannot be discounted either.