Qatar Goodwood Festival Day 1 Preview

Glorious Goodwood begins on Tuesday afternoon with the first of five stunning days of top level Flat racing on the famous Sussex Downs. It’s a high quality opening day, with trainer Aidan O’Brien bidding for a third win in four years in the Group 1 Goodwood Cup.

They race at Glorious Goodwood on Tuesday from 13:20-17:30 with eight races in all, and our expert has picked out a trio of runners worth following on the card.

Tip 1: English Oak – Chesterfield Cup Handicap (13:20) @ 16/1

Though he has to prove his stamina for this mile-and-a-quarter trip, there is a chance that ENGLISH OAK could be dangerously well handicapped if he sees it out and builds on a return to form in his most recent outing. The Ed Walker-trained son of Wootton Bassett won the Buckingham Palace Stakes at Ascot over 7f last summer in decisive fashion off a mark of 99 having been well fancied to do so. 

He was confined to pattern races in four further runs last season, including the Lennox Stakes a this track over 7f, and came up short in those choppy waters. He returned at Haydock (7f, good) in April rated 108, largely owing to his Royal Ascot success, and toiled in four starts including the same contest in Berkshire last month. As a result, the handicapper relinquished some of his grip and has dropped him a combined 11lb to this mark of 97. He was second at Hamilton recently over 1m½f in a stiff test, and is now tried over the longest trip he has faced and with Christophe Soumillon an eye-catching jockey booking.

Tip 2: Illinois – Goodwood Cup (15:05) @ 6/4

Aidan O’Brien has won two of the last three Goodwood Cups with Kyprios but that superstar stayer is now retired and so the position is vacant. The Ballydoyle trainer has two strong candidates to take over as ILLINOIS and Scandinavia go for glory. 

Scandinavia looked good in the Bahrain Trophy Stakes at Newmarket recently but takes on proven Group 1 rivals now in his quest to become just the second three-year-old Goodwood Cup winner in the last 35 years, following in the hoofprints of the mighty Stradivarius who won the first of his four Cups aged three in 2017. Illinois, meanwhile, has few chinks in his armour. He’s yet to finish outside of the first three in 11 career starts and last month’s Gold Cup runner-up at Royal Ascot looks primed for success with Ryan Moore remaining faithful.

Tip 3: Adrestia – Coral Golden Rewards Shaker Handicap (15:45) @ 5/1

A lightning-fast five furlongs awaits the runners in the Shaker Handicap and a field of 22 runners are set to lock horns in his cavalry charge. Oisin Murphy is in super form and rides ADRESTIA for the stable of Simon & Ed Crisford. The rider has had more Goodwood winners than anyone else over the last five seasons.

He was on board as this Havana Grey filly won the Palace Of Holyroodhouse Stakes at Royal Ascot over 5f last month and again when she showed further improvement to be fourth in the Group 3 Coral Charge at Sandown, while taking on proven older rivals. She goes back handicapping now and could well be up to defying a mark of 97.