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Aiden O’Brien saddles top stayer Illinois on opening day.
There will be plenty of thrilling action at Goodwood Racecourse this week. Picture: Alan Crowhurst/Getty Images
Goodwood in England – regarded as the most scenically beautiful racecourse in the world – hosts its famous Glorious Goodwood festival this week: over five days with three Group 1 contests.
One of the headliners is the Goodwood Cup, which tops Tuesday’s opening card and has attracted a small but elite field of eight stayers.
The world’s top trainer Aidan O’Brien won the Cup last year with the popular Kyprios and tries to strike again with Illinois (2.37) and Scandinavia (3.40) – who head the market from French Master (6.00).
A competitive Chesterfield Cup opens proceedings and Castle Cove (4.33) and Defiance (4.50) are expected to fight it out. Team Valor International’s colours, well known in South Africa, will be carried by Take Heart (12.00).
Wednesday contains a showstopper in the form of the Sussex Stakes, which sees the best of the current Classic generation clash with the older stars.
Six Group 1 winners are expected to line up, with Royal Ascot and Irish Guineas winner – and huge fan favourite – Field Of Gold (odds on), trained by John and Thady Gosden, heading the three-year-old contingent.
Rosallion (4.50), who was odds-on for the race last year before being ruled out at the 11th hour, could prove the big grey’s toughest challenge yet.
Ballydoyle will be represented by Classic winner Henri Matisse (6.00), while Docklands (22.00) adds yet more depth to the field after his Queen Anne triumph last month.
Glorious Goodwood is one of the most stylish race meetings in the world, with Panama hats, linen suits and summery frocks the unofficial fashion look. The racecourse is laid out in a curious loop along a ridge overlooking the beautiful Sussex downs. All of this makes for pleasurable TV viewing as one punts away.
