Glorious Goodwood: A Damp Squid

Hi all,

This is the first of two columns reflecting on the Qatar Goodwood Festival. Today, I’ll be looking back at Saturday’s action. Tomorrow, I’ll cover the standout performances from the first four days and highlight a couple of horses for the tracker.

Despite turning a profit, I didn’t particularly enjoy Glorious Goodwood 2025. Trueshan’s tragic death on Tuesday cast a long shadow, followed by a 150/1 shock in the Sussex Stakes. Then Thursday brought 38mm of torrential rain, a flag start in a Group 1, and chaos on heavily watered ground. It all added up to one of the strangest—and least satisfying Glorious Goodwood’s I can remember.

I’ve never been a huge fan of Glorious Goodwood as a festival—it drags on two days too long and often feels padded—but I usually leave with a few proper races etched in the memory. Not this year. It was off-balance, like plenty of horses on the surface, and frankly, forgettable.

Betting Recap: Profit, Pain, and the Value Dilemma

From a betting perspective, Glorious Goodwood was far kinder than Royal Ascot—but it could’ve been better.

On Thursday, I passed on Best Secret and Coppull from a value standpoint. Coppull went off at 5/1 and won well and was a value price at that price. That’s the eternal tug-of-war: winners vs. value. Sometimes you dodge a bullet, other times you miss the bullseye. But if you’re in this for long-term profit, it’s value that matters.

Tuesday was more frustrating. I cut two live ones – 28/1 winner Brazen Bolt and 12/1 shot Dunum at Galway—from shortlists of three, choosing not to tip all of them. Naturally, the ones I left out won.

As Darren Power put it last week: “If I didn’t have bad luck, I’d have no luck at all.” That’s exactly how Tuesday felt.

I can’t complain too much though the punting went well with some big priced winners for subscribers including Fallen Angel returning to winning ways in Sunday’s Group 1 Prix Prix Rothschild at Deauville at tasty 9/1.

Glorious Goodwood: Saturday Recap

Heading into Saturday, I was hoping the Goodwood ground had dried out more than it had. It hadn’t. It was tacky—hard work for plenty of horses, including most of mine.

Here’s what I told subscribers on Friday about the 1m 6f handicap:

“If the ground dries out, I want to be with Aeronautic. But on easier ground, Sam Hawkens can continue his recent improvement and win again.”

Naturally, I went with Aeronautic. He ran well and grabbed third, but it was Sam Hawkens who got his ground and landed the spoils.

Ironically, in the very next race, one of the few soft-ground horses I’d backed Waardah won the Group 2 Lillie Langtry Stakes. More on that filly below.

Al Aasy had too much speed for his rivals in the Group 3 Coral Glorious Stakes that opened the final day of Glorious Goodwood. The 8-year-old who was winning the race for a second successive year has been called some names in the past. But he’s now won 11 of his 26 starts, with eight of those wins coming in Group 3 company. That’s a record most owners would be pleased with. He’s yet to win a higher class but there’s a chance he may be able to do so in the right race.

Waardah Stamps Her Class on Lilly Langtry Rivals

Waardah was stepping up both in class and distance on Saturday. The leap to Group 2 level didn’t worry me. On paper, it looked a weak renewal. And the extra half-mile? That looked ok, given she’s by Postponed.

She’s a filly going places. Dropped in early and ridden with confidence by Callum Rodriguez, she settled nicely, which was crucial over the 1m6f trip. When asked to move through the gears, she responded smoothly, hitting the front two furlongs out.

For an inexperienced horse, she may have hit the front a shade too soon. She didn’t do much when she got there—but when Danielle came to challenge a furlong out, Waardah dug in and found more when asked. In the end, she won by ¾ of a length and was pulling away at the finish.

She’s in the Yorkshire Oaks later this month. A return to 1m4f won’t be an issue, but she needs ease in the ground so unless it’s a wet few weeks, I’d be happy to see connections swerve York. Owen Burrows mentioned the Group 1 Fillies & Mares on Champions Day as a likely target. That looks spot on.

Hopefully Callum Rodriguez keeps the ride as the filly as he’s striking up a good partnership with the 3-year-old.

Two Tribes Dominates Stewards Cup

You don’t often see a Stewards Cup won with such authority, but Two Tribes turned Saturday’s race into a procession. Smashed in the betting beforehand, he hit the front a furlong out and powered clear of his rivals.

That alone would’ve been impressive. But seven days earlier, he was winning the International Handicap at Ascot over 7f. To come back a week later, drop to 6f, and win even more impressively? That’s some performance.

Before his Ascot success, his record was 1 win from 18 starts. Now he’s 2 from 2 in a week, having landed two of the summer’s biggest handicaps. That’s some turnaround.

Strike Red ran another solid race in second—he’s the type to pick up a good sprint at some point this season.

Jakajaro ran his usual race, finishing off well to take third without ever looking like he would win.  There were no excuses this time though.

Hammer The Hammer sent off the 9/2 as expected set out to make all. Leading the far side group, he was headed a furlong out and eventually finished 15^th. He just didn’t get home on this sort of ground.  That said if you had backed the favourite, you will be wondering why jockey Tom Eaves didn’t head for the far rail from stall 4. The horse who finished fifth Twilight Calls came through from that position.

Stands Side Runners Favoured

As for the draw debate? Saturday showed that being near the stands side was the place to be although in truth there wasn’t much in it. The first four home came from stalls 25, 21, 18 and 19. The supposed “golden highway” down the far side, which looked obvious on Friday, didn’t hold up. But my concern about being caught in the middle proved valid: runners from the second quarter of the draw are now 0 from 76 in the past 11 years.

Monday Racing

Following the conclusion of Goodwood, there’s a noticeable drop in quality racing in the UK until York’s Ebor Festival later this month.

Naas

The feature race on Monday is the Irish EBF Ballyhane Stakes (4:46) at Naas, a valuable sales race offering €108,500 to the winner. It’s one of those valuable juvenile sales races that pop up mid-summer/autumn and this looks a decent one.

Green Sense: Already proven at Group level. Runner-up to Lady Iman in a C&D Group 3 earlier in the season and returned to form with a Group 2 success at Chantilly 15 days ago. Disappointed in the Albany at Royal Ascot, but that run can be excused given the quick ground. Brings the strongest form to the table and represents a yard that won this race in 2022.

Jel Pepper: Made a smart winning debut at Goodwood and improved again when finishing third in the Group 2 July Stakes at Newmarket. That form has since been franked by the winner Zavateri in the Vintage Stakes at Goodwood. He’s been gelded since, and any improvement from that procedure should see him prove very competitive.

Good luck with your Monday best.

John