Goodwood Cup 2016

The G2 Goodwood Cup takes place on Thursday 28th July. Which horses have punters been betting on, in our ante-post market?

Big Orange

The 5-year-old Duke Of Marmalade gelding has proved a huge earner for connections, winning 3 G2 races already. He beat Second Step to land last season’s Princess of Wales’s Stakes and then won the 2015 renewal of this race at the expense of Quest For More. He defended his crown at Headquarters, earlier this month, winning the 2016 Princess of Wales’s Stakes by 2 1/2 lengths. Can he do the same, in this season’s Goodwood Cup?

Pallasator

Sir Mark Prescott’s Motivator-sired 7-year-old began the season well, winning the G3 Henry II Stakes and finishing almost 4 lengths ahead of the odds-on favourite Max Dynamite. He ran a poor race in the G1 Ascot Gold Cup and found trouble in-running in the Listed Esher Stakes. However, he’s more than capable of winning this if at his best.

Flying Officer

Finishes less than a length behind the winner (Mizzou) in the G3 Sagarao Stakes. Outclassed in the G1 Gold Cup at Ascot, but won the G2 Ascot Long Distance Cup last year as well as the Listed Rose Bowl (Newmarket). Remains a danger.

Others in contention include Trip To Paris, Curbyourenthusiasm, Commissioned, Clever Cookie, Sword Fighter and Sandro Botticelli. Oriental Fox, Astronereus, Wicklow Brave and Kinema are all appealing to each-way backers.

History Of The Goodwood Cup

This is a truly historic race that has been running for over two hundred years. The inaugural running took place in 1808 and was originally over a distance of three miles. The event immediately attracted horses from overseas and there were winners from France, America and Hungary in the nineteenth-century. Group status was awarded in 1971.

There are five jockeys who have ridden five winners of the Goodwood Cup. Jem Robinson piloted Fleur de Lis (1829), Glencoe (1834), Rockingham (1835), Beggarman (1840) and Charles the Twelfth (1842).

George Fordham rode Baroncino (1855), Rogerthorpe (1856), Starke (1861), The Duke (1866) and Border Minstrel (1883).

Steve Donoghue was aboard Queen’s Square (1919), Mount Royal (1920), Bucks (1921), Cloudbank (1925) and Brown Jack (1930).

The great Lester Piggott took the spoils on Gladness (1958), Exar (1960), Proverb (1974), Girandole (1975) and Ardross (1981).

Finally, Pat Eddery won on Erimo Hawk (1972), Valuable Witness (1985), Mazzacano (1989), Sonus (1993) and Grey Shot (1996).

John Scott is the leading trainer. Known as the Wizard of the North, Scott won with Hornsea (1836), Carew (1837), Charles the Twelfth (1841, 1842), Canezou (1849, 1850) and Sweetsauce (1860).

Yeats was a two-time winner of this event, although the Irish bay stallion’s victories did not come in back-to-back campaigns. The Aidan O’Brien-trained thoroughbred won his first Goodwood Cup in 2006 and won his second two years later.

His other notable successes were the Ballysax Stakes (2004), the Derrinstown Stud Derby Trial (2004), the Coronation Cup (2005), the Goodwood Cup (2006, 2008), the Ascot Gold Cup (2006, 2007, 2008, 2009), the Vintage Crop Stakes (2007, 2008), the Saval Beg Stakes (2007), the Irish St. Leger (2007) and the Prix Royal-Oak (2008). Yeates was named European Champion Stayer in 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009.