Dubai horses seek Goodwood glory

Stradivarius bids to score an epic fifth win at British summer showpiece

By Leslie Wilson Jr

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Stradivarius, one of the legends of the turf, bids to rewrite his history by claiming a record fifth success in the G1 Goodwood Cup. — AFP
Stradivarius, one of the legends of the turf, bids to rewrite his history by claiming a record fifth success in the G1 Goodwood Cup. — AFP

Published: Mon 25 Jul 2022, 11:27 PM

The eyes of the racing world turn to the old English estate of Goodwood on Tuesday when the world’s most beautiful racecourse hosts its annual summer showpiece, a five-day extravaganza featuring a glittering array of top-class races and high-fashion.

Famously dubbed a ‘garden party with racing tacked on’, Glorious Goodwood’s splendid prizes have long been sought out by some of the world’s biggest racing owners, including the Dubai-owned Godolphin and Shadwell stables.


Between them, Godolphin’s twin handlers, Saeed bin Suroor and Charlie Appleby have won 35 races at the West Sussex track, with the former capturing the epic Goodwood Cup twice in succession with Schiaparelli in 2009 and Cavalryman the following year.

Appleby’s most recent success at the venue came in 2021 when Space Blues landed the G2 Lennox Stakes, one of the highlights on an outstanding opening day.


Tuesday’s action revolves around the G1 Goodwood Cup which was established in 1812 as a three-mile race and is currently run over a distance of two miles.

This year's renewal will see Stradivarius, one of the legends of the turf, bid to rewrite his history by claiming a record fifth success in the feature event.

The £500,000 race could well be the swansong to a glittering career for the delightful eight-year-old son of Sea The Stars, who is trained by John and Tady Gosden.

Stradivarius was narrowly beaten by Irish raider Kyprios after encountering traffic trouble in the G1 Gold Cup at Ascot last month. Kyprios reopposes and will bid to prove that he is the better horse by taking the Goodwood showpiece.

Last year’s Goodwood Cup winner Trueshan 2021 Gold Cup second Princess Zoe, and the much improved Coltrane also figure in the field.

On Wednesday, racing gets underway with the G1 International Stakes, the most valuable race for Arabian horses in the UK, which precedes Good the £1-million G1 Sussex Stakes.

The Magnolia Cup, a race that has raised over £1.8 million for multiple charities since its inception I 2011, opens the proceedings on Thursday.

The Nassau Stakes for fillies and mares is the third Group 1 contest of the week and provides the racing highlight on Ladies’ Day.

The final two days of the Goodwood Festival, Friday and Saturday, host two of the year’s most valuable and competitive handicaps: the Golden Mile and Stewards’ Cup.

Goodwood at A Glance

Five races to watch (UAE Time)

Tuesday, July 26

6.35pm £500,000 G1 Goodwood Cup 3200m

Wednesday, July 27

6.35pm £1,000,000 G1 Sussex Stakes 1600m

Thursday, July 28

6.35pm £600,000 G1 Nassau Stakes 1m 1800m

Friday, July 29

6.35pm £300,000 G2 King George Qatar Stakes 1200m

Saturday, July 30

5.45pm £300,000 G2 Lillie Langtry Stakes 2800m


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