Want to Know the Best Betting Tips for Glorious Goodwood?
Few racecourses anywhere in the world are as beautiful as Goodwood. Nestled high in the Sussex Downs, the picturesque course is always in pristine condition. It boasts wonderful facilities and offers racegoers superb viewing. Goodwood is a polished shining jewel in British horse racing’s crown.
The Glorious Goodwood festival offers racegoers a unique experience. ©GettyImages
And the centrepiece of Goodwood’s calendar is the Qatar Goodwood Festival. More commonly known as ‘Glorious Goodwood’, the meeting is similar in social stature to Royal Ascot. However, here Pimms, Panama hats, and linen suits replace the champagne, top hats, and tails. There is a garden party atmosphere at Glorious Goodwood.
The five-day festival boasts 13 Group races. They include three Group-1 contests: The £1 million Qatar Sussex Stakes, the Goodwood Cup, and the Nassau Stakes. There are also several valuable handicaps. In 2023, the Hong Kong Jockey Club’s World Pool will operate on the first three days of the festival.
When Is Glorious Goodwood?
The Glorious Goodwood meeting is staged annually in late July or early August – and often stretches over both months. The final race day of the five-day meeting is always a Saturday. Although it is not a Group race, this day’s highlight is the Stewards Cup. The six-furlong ‘heritage handicap’ was first raced in 1840.
One of the most anticipated betting races of the year, the Stewards Cup is a favourite with punters and bookmakers alike. A competitive ‘cavalry charge’ sprint featuring 28 runners on a straight track should deter punters. But they seemingly bet with confidence, and the Stewards Cup generates the highest betting turnover of the meeting. Bookmakers love to put their names to this contest. Coral currently sponsors the Stewards Cup. The Tote, William Hill, Blue Square – sold to Betfair in 2013 – and 32Red have previously been associated with the race. In 2014, the latter company courted controversy when changing the Stewards Cup name to the 32Red Cup. The unpopular identity change lasted just one year.
What Are the Best Glorious Goodwood Tips?
As ITV Racing broadcasts the Glorious Goodwood action, punters can enjoy outstanding betting offers. For example, bet365 promises it will not be beaten on price by Ladbrokes, William Hill, Paddy Power, Coral, Sky Bet or Boylesports.
But the best Glorious Goodwood tip has to be ‘shop around’. As one of the most prestigious meetings of the year, horse racing betting sites will strive to garner business by offering bonuses and incentives. Look out for enhanced odds, extra each-way places, and money-back specials.
With Goodwood handicaps, maiden races, and nurseries always attracting large fields, the Tote’s Jackpot, Placepot, Scoop6 and even Quadpot pools will bulge, and they normally pay handsome dividends.
Glorious Goodwood Day 1 Tips
Day one of Glorious Goodwood features the Group-1 Goodwood Cup. The two-mile marathon begins with the field running away from the grandstand, completing a loop, and then returning down the home straight.
Ascot Gold Cup winners often tackle this race, and its result is the best form pointer to the outcome of this contest. Kyprios won both contests in 2022, as did Stradivarius in 2018, 2019 and 2020. Yeats was another to complete the same-season stayers cup double in 2006 and 2008.
Favourites have an outstanding record in the Goodwood Cup. Every winner since 2016 started as the market leader except for 2017 when Stradivarius won the first of his four Goodwood Cups. That year he became the first and only three-year-old winner since the 1990 scorer, Lucky Moon.
Betting favourites blind is rarely a good policy, but our tips for Glorious Goodwood 2023 begin with supporting the shortest-priced runner in this contest – scheduled to start at 4.35 pm – that is not a three-year-old. The Lennox Stakes is the second Group race on the opening day of Glorious Goodwood 2023. It has not been a good race for favourite backers, And, interestingly, it has never been won by an overseas stable.
Tips for Glorious Goodwood Day 2
Many people’s idea of the race of the week, the Group-1 Sussex Stakes, takes place on the second day of Glorious Goodwood. French and Irish-trained horses appear on the recent winner’s list of the one-mile contest.
Remarkably only one horse has ever won this race more than once. That distinction goes to the incomparable Frankel. Henry Cecil’s star met Canford Cliffs in 2011 – when the race was given the tagline ‘The Duel on the Downs’ – and it put Frankel in the super-star league. He won the race again in 2012.
There are two other Group races scheduled on the Day 2 card: The Molecomb Stakes – a Group-3 two-year-old contest – and the Oak Tree Stakes which is raced over seven furlongs by fillies and mares. The Hannon stable is the one to watch in the Molecomb. Representatives from the Wiltshire yard have won this race five times since 2009.
Glorious Goodwood Day 3 Tips
The prestigious Group 1 Qatar Nassau Stakes is the best of the eight races on Glorious Goodwood’s third day. It is worth £600,000, and previous winners of this race – restricted to fillies and mares – include Ouija Board, three-time winner Midday and Minding.
Recent results offer little indication of the destination of the prize in 2023. Whereas Minding was 1/5 when winning the contest in 2016, the Japanese-trained Deirdre was 20/1 when scoring three years later.
Perhaps the best policy could be to support the mount of William Buick. The horse racing history books show the Champion Jockey has won the race three times – and has been placed an additional three times – from just eight rides. To level £1 stakes, the rider currently shows a £24.50 profit.
Glorious Goodwood Day 4 Tips
Following months of intensive training, on Friday, 4 August, twelve dedicated amateur jockeys will take part in the Markel Magnolia Cup. The riders set to contest the charity sprint race include 72-year-old racing enthusiast and supporter of rehoming of racehorses, Caroline Miller. Qatar’s first female camel trainer, Maryam Al Jaber, and Roya Nikkhah – the Sunday Times Royal Editor – also have a mount.
Meet Caroline Miller, a 72-year-old participant of the Markel Magnolia Cup at @goodwood_races.
Advocating for girls’ education in Malawi 🇲🇼 with @EAA_Foundation & @Camfed, she’s proof that age is no barrier to changing the world. #RidingForEducation | #MarkelMagnoliaCup pic.twitter.com/6mn0ZcAaBB
— Education Above All Foundation (@EAA_Foundation) July 21, 2023
For the professionals, the Group-2 King George Qatar Stakes will see the world’s top riders partner speedsters in a race made famous by four-time winner Battaash. One of the biggest handicaps of the meeting, the Coral Golden Mile, also takes place on Day 4.
Here, representatives from the Johnson stables must be given serious consideration. The North Yorkshire yard has won the race five times. During the past two decades, 15 of the stables’ 34 runners were placed or won. Its four winners were all tasty prices – giving level-stakes punters a £18 profit.
Tips for Glorious Goodwood Day 5
The highest quality race on day five of Glorious Goodwood 2023 is the one-mile six-furlong Group-2 Lillie Langtry Stakes. Another contest restricted to fillies and mares; John Gosden has the best overall record in the race. His Newmarket stable is particularly strong in this division, meaning he could claim this race for a fourth time in eight years.
There are also five ultra-tough handicaps on the final day of Glorious Goodwood. The Stewards Cup tops the bill. Recent results suggest age will give no Stewards Cup runner an advantage (or disadvantage). But it is noteworthy that the last six winners all shouldered nine-stone one-pound or more.
Horses drawn as low as one and as high as 26 have won the Stewards Cup during the past decade. While there currently appears to be no draw bias, it would be wise to closely watch races earlier in the day to confirm your shortlist of selections is not potentially disadvantaged.
Things to Consider When Betting at Glorious Goodwood
Races up to six furlongs take place on a straight course. But Goodwood is categorised as a right-handed undulating track. Pronounced downhill gradients essentially make Goodwood a sharp track, and the five-furlong course is one of the fastest in the world.
Jockeys declare Goodwood to be a “tricky track to ride” as riders regularly encounter traffic problems, especially on the round course. The bend into the home straight is very sharp, and those held up regularly meet trouble in the straight, particularly when kept to the rail.
Consequently, Goodwood’s race day stewards are among the busiest in Britain. The exchanges that offer ‘in-running’ odds on Glorious Goodwood races regularly report losers backed at 1.03 odds and shorter.
