Glorious Goodwood is one of the most prestigious meetings on the calendar, where some of the best equine talents in the sport line up to take each other on in the beautiful Sussex sunshine.
Glorious By Name, Glorious By Nature
So-called for the beautiful surroundings of the Goodwood racetrack, the 'Glorious' meeting takes place at the end of July and the beginning of August. Below we look at the big races of the week, and what horses to watch in 2023.
Goodwood Cup
The most popular race amongst fans and in racing betting for the week is the Group 1 Goodwood Cup, where Courage Mon Ami is the current favorite at 5/2 in 2023. Run over two miles, the race usually sees a rematch between horses that have previously run in the Ascot Gold Cup.
That is the case again in 2023, with Coltrane (3/1) and Subjectivist (11/2) just behind Courage Mon Ami in the Goodwood betting for the race. A winner of the aforementioned Ascot Gold Cup earlier in the summer, the youngster is set to face off against his Ascot rivals again and is expected to triumph once again.
Courage Mon Ami will be partnered by the soon-to-be retiring, Frankie Dettori, who will be looking to become the outright leading rider in the race with his sixth win, so the race has got plenty of interesting narratives around it.
Nassau Stakes
The fillies and mares will do battle in the Group 1 Nassau Stakes at the meeting. The 2023 renewal will see some French flare in the race, as the favorite for the race is the brilliant French-trained filly, Blue Rose Cen.
Looked after by the legendary French trainer, Christopher Head, Blue Rose Cen has just two defeats in her nine-race career to date and has been in superb form this season. This will be her first trip abroad, but if everything goes right in her preparations, she is going to prove tough to beat for the likes of Soul Sister, and Warm Heart.
Sussex Stakes
Won twice by the legendary Frankel, the Sussex Stakes is arguably the most prestigious race of the week at Glorious Goodwood. Some of the best 1-mile racehorses in history have run in the Group 1 contest, and it is usually the next port of call for horses that have run at Royal Ascot.
Once again that is the case in 2023, and this year's contest is dominated by one name, Paddington. Trained by the all-conquering, Aidan O'Brien, Paddington's only defeat came on his debut as a 2yo, and he has progressed at a rate of knots ever since.
Glorious Goodwood is one of the last big meetings of the flat racing season, and somewhat signals the passing of summer racing to autumn action. It is a fantastic meeting to follow for the top-class action on show and is a part of the season not to be missed.
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