2019 Glorious Goodwood: Goodwood Cup Odds and Betting Preview

The wonderful sport of Horse Racing is enjoying a stellar time in 2019. With so many highlights over the racing calendar already this year, now we can look forward to the ‘Glorious Goodwood’ meeting beginning from Tuesday afternoon at the West Sussex track.

Saturday’s epic battle between Enable and Crystal Ocean will have only whetted the appetite for further top-class action, and the upcoming five-day meeting will offer lots of competitive racing and huge prize monies on offer, so some of the best equine talent will be on show for the racegoers.

The first three days of the meeting host one Group 1 race, with the Nassau Stakes for fillies and mares on Thursday, added to the Sussex Stakes on the Wednesday. Our selection for the meeting comes with Tuesday’s Goodwood Cup to be raced over two miles, and it is the second leg of the Stayers’ Triple Crown, preceded by the Ascot Gold Cup and followed by the Doncaster Cup.

The small, but select field will show some recognisable horses, and promises to be a hotly contested affair despite the lack of numbers.

Event Date: Jul 30 –  Aug 1, 2019

History

The inaugural race of the Goodwood Cup was way back in 1808, and it was won on three separate occasions by Bucephalus, with the initial Silver Cup trophy being presented for the winning owners to keep following the hat trick win. The replacement trophy was a Gold Cup, and the first running for this took place in 1812. The race was originally contested over 3 miles, but it was later cut to 2 miles and 5 furlongs.

Several horses bred from foreign shores won the Goodwood Cup in the mid-19th century. Early winners for France included Jouvence, Monarque and Flageolet, and the United States was represented by Starke. A notable overseas victory came from Kincsem, a Hungarian filly undefeated in a career of fifty-four races, which highlights the cosmopolitan nature of the race meeting, which is still upheld to this very day.

The present system of race grading was introduced in 1971, and the Goodwood Cup was initially classed at Group 2 level. It was relegated to Group 3 status in 1985. The event was shortened by a furlong in 1990, and it was reduced to its current length the following year. It regained Group 2 status in 1995. In 2017 the status was raised again to Group 1 and the purse was increased from £300,000 to £500,000 and is a hugely important fixture in the staying calendar on the level.

Double Trigger won the Goodwood Cup three times in 1995, 1997 and 1998, and John Gosden’s staying star, Stradivarius has the opportunity to equal the esteemed record this week. Can he do it? Read on for our thoughts on the big race.

Bidding for Greatness

For those that were fortunate enough to witness the fantastic battle between Enable and Crystal Ocean at the weekend, it is fair to suggest that Frankie Dettori’s ride on Enable was pure class. The veteran pilot is at the very top of his game and he can add further Group 1 success here with the leg up on Stradivarius at Glorious Goodwood.

Unbeaten in his last seven starts, Stradivarius showed his wellbeing in 2019 by taking the Ascot Gold Cup last month with a battling performance over Mark Johnston’s Dee Ex Bee. It’s remarkable to think that Gosden’s leading stayer is still only a five-year-old considering his multitude of victories.

From a betting perspective, Stradivarius is a best-priced 4/5 chance with Coral and BetFred amongst others. The son of Sea The Stars loves the track, has the benefit of the best jockey in the saddle and has the best form on offer, and that trio of statistics makes Stradivarius a very worthy favourite indeed.

Meaningful Opponent

Group 1 races usually have some representation from Godolphin, and this race is no exception with Cross Counter being the hope of Sheikh Mohammed and trainer, Charlie Appleby. This emerging four-year old stayer was expected to be the biggest threat to Stradivarius at Ascot, but the son of Teofilo fluffed his lines and ended the race in fourth place.

There were mitigating circumstances however, as Cross Counter sweated badly pre-race and that could have had significant bearing on his overall performance. Appleby knows exactly what it takes to train winners at the very highest level, and Cross Counter is a very meaningful opponent to the odds-on favourite.

At a generally available price of 7/2, Cross Counter is one of the only real challengers to Stradivarius in this race, and he is likely to appeal to punters who do not wish to back odds-on horses.

Standing Dish

Dee Ex Bee has been upped in distance throughout his career, and now he could finally break the door down at Group 1 level. A pair of Group 3 victories earlier in the season at Ascot and Sandown was followed by an excellent effort to run Stradivarius to just one length in the Ascot Gold Cup at the Royal meeting.

The drop back to two miles will be no inconvenience to Mark Johnston’s stayer and he can definitely be involved in the latter stages of this race on the evidence of his form from this season. Dee Ex Bee is freely available 5/1 chance in the current betting, and if the race does not cut up further from its intended quota of nine runners, then the strong staying four-year-old is an obvious ‘bet to nothing’ for each-way purposes.

Other to Consider

To be truthful, after the leading trio in this race, the quality does tend to drop off somewhat. Aiden O’Brien is doubly represented in the race with Southern France and South Pacific. Southern France is the choice of stable-jockey Ryan Moore, but an eye should be kept on South Pacific, who could run a big race under a feather weight at 28/1 with Coral.

Dashing Willoughby and Wells Farhh Go are a pair of 16/1 chances for trainers’ Andrew Balding and Tim Easterby respectively. Both horses deserve to take their place in this race, but significant improvement is required if either is to figure at the business end of the race.

Conclusion

The top three horses at the head of the market at the obvious ones to focus on in this race. The net does seem to be closing on Stradivarius, as Cross Counter and Dee Ex Bee are worthy opponents in this race.

However, the favourite has produced arguably some of his best efforts at Goodwood in his career, and rates as the bet to win his third successive Goodwood Cup. Cross Counter and Dee Ex Bee are likely to battle out for minor honours in this race, and at the prices, Dee Ex Bee is the obvious choice for each-way calculations.

Best Bets:

• Stradivarius to win the Goodwood Cup at 4/5 with Coral
• Dee Ex Bee each-way at 5/1 with BetFred