The British flat season is the gift that keeps giving. Hot on the heels of Royal Ascot and the Newmarket July Festival, the Sussex showpiece of the Qatar Goodwood Festival – forever referred to as Glorious Goodwood by all and sundry – looms into view.
Kicking off on Tuesday 30th July, and concluding on Saturday 3rd August, the Panama Hat-strewn spectacular crams 12 Group class contests into its five days in addition to a host of red hot handicapping action.
As with most high-class race meetings, the trio of Group 1 events generate much of the hype in the weeks preceding the event. More often than not, the showstoppers of the Sussex Stakes, the Nassau Stakes, and the Goodwood Cup deliver, with the 21st Century witnessing titanic displays from Frankel, Baeed, Ouija Board, Minding, and four-time Goodwood Cup hero Stradivarius.
Moving into July, the Group 1 pecking order is beginning to take on a more established look following events at Newmarket at Ascot. With many of the stars from the most significant early season events being lined up for a tilt at Goodwood gold, we look at how the headline acts are shaping up.
Al Shaqab Goodwood Cup Stakes – Tuesday 30th July 2024
Following a disappointing injury-interrupted 2023, the mighty Kyprios has returned with a bang in 2024. Wins in Listed and Group 3 events in Ireland suggested that O’Brien may be bringing this son of Galileo back to the boil. The colt then confirmed his return in sizzling style when – under an inspired Ryan Moore – he strode on by a length to reclaim his Gold Cup crown. Having won that event in 2022, Kyprios headed here to see off Stradivarius by a neck in a Goodwood Cup thriller. Two years on, he is a red-hot favourite to repeat the trick.
The betting would suggest that this may be a case of Kyprios first, the rest nowhere, with every other runner available to back at a double-figure price. However, racing is rarely as straightforward as that and potential dangers abound amongst the opposition.
The John Gosden duo of Sweet William and Gregory finished third and seventh at Ascot, with the latter patently failing to see out the 2m4f trip. Back down to 1m6f, better can be expected from the son of Golden Horn.
Elsewhere in the lineup, 2021 winner Trueshan bounced back to form at Sandown last time and could prove dangerous on soft or worse going, Joseph O’Brien’s Uxmal arrives seeking a hattrick having landed the Queen Alexandra Stakes, and 2023 St Leger hero Continuous may add a strong second string to the O’Brien bow.
Qatar Sussex Stakes – Wednesday 31st July 2024
The Day 2 highlight is invariably amongst the classiest one-mile contests of the season, and the 2024 edition looks set to live up to that billing.
Richard Hannon’s Rosallion takes top billing following his wins in the Irish 2,000 Guiineas and St James’s Palace Stakes. Now sitting on a rating of 122, he’s the one they all have to beat. However, if the son of Blue Point is even a fraction below his best, he will likely come up short in this stacked field.
Aidan O’Brien’s Henry Longfellow was only a neck adrift of Rosallion at Ascot and has solid claims of handing his trainer a seventh success in the race, whilst fellow Hannon inmate Haatem has only a head to find from the pair’s 1,000 Guineas clash.
Don’t forget about Notable Speech. The Godolphin runner lost his unbeaten record in the St James’s Palace Stakes but had previously looked a horse out of the top draw when staying on powerfully for 2,000 Guineas glory. Returning to a straight mile, he may bounce back.
Moving further down the list, the Simon & Ed Crisford-trained Quddwah is an intriguing each-way contender. A perfect three from three in his career to date, this son of Kingman impressed with his finishing effort when winning the Listed Paradise Stakes at Ascot and looks well worth this step up in class.
Qatar Nassau Stakes – Thursday 1st August 2024
The past 10 editions of this 1m2f affair have been shared evenly between the three-year-olds and older performers. Both camps look set to be strongly represented in 2024.
Aidan O’Brien’s Opera Singer leads the charge for the Classic generation as she steps up to this trip for the first time. A Group 1 winner as a juvenile, she returned with a third-place effort in the Irish 2,000 Guineas before improving to finish second in the Coronation Stakes, when running as though the additional distance of this race would suit. O’Brien has drawn a blank in this race since the success of Winter in 2017 but may have the right filly to regain the winning thread. Other three-year-olds to note include David Menusier’s Tamfana, who finished an excellent third over this trip in the Prix de Diane last time, and 2,000 Guineas heroine Elmalka, who should enjoy this step-up in trip.
The three-year-olds receive eight pounds from their elders in this event but may need every pound of that to defy current market leader Bluestocking. Hailing from the Ralph Beckett operation, which does so well with fillies and mares, this daughter of Camelot finished second in Group 1 company last season. Returning to the track as a four-year-old, back-to-back wins in the Middleton Fllies’ Stakes and Group 1 Pretty Polly Stakes suggest she is a significantly improved performer.
If Bluestocking fails to fend off the younger legs, they will still need to get the better of the John & Thady Gosden trio of Inspiral, Running Lion, and Laurel. Running Lion scored impressively over a mile at Royal Ascot and is a Listed winner over this trip. Inspiral bombed out at the Royal Meeting but landed a Group 1 event over this trip at the Breeders Cup and may be the one to beat back against her own sex. Laurel, meanwhile, finished behind Running Lion at Ascot but has long been held in high regard and should improve for what was her first start in 396 days.