Horse Racing

Goodwood Festival 2023 Betting Guide - Best Free Bets, Odds & Tips


The 2023 Qatar Goodwood Festival takes place on the idyllic West Sussex racecourse between Tuesday, August 1st and Saturday, August 5th, 2023.

If you’re looking for horse racing tips at the Glorious Goodwood festival then our resident tipsters are on hand to provide them!

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One of the highlights of the British flat racing season, the five-day meeting features three Group 1 races, the Qatar Sussex Stakes, Qatar Nassau Stakes and Qatar Goodwood Cup. Day three (Ladies Day) includes the Magnolia Cup for lady amateur jockeys, raising money for Wellbeing of Women.

Next to Royal Ascot, the Qatar Goodwood Festival generates the greatest horse racing turnover of the Flat season, with one of the biggest betting races of the year taking place on the final day courtesy of the Qatar Stewards Cup, a six furlong handicap in which a large field of sprinters will produce an iconic spectacle as they hurtle down the Goodwood straight.

When & Where are the Glorious Goodwood Races

Goodwood Racecourse is five miles north of Chichester in West Sussex and controlled by the family of the Duke of Richmond, whose seat is nearby Goodwood House. The Qatar ‘Glorious’ Goodwood Festival is the track’s highlight meeting of the year and second only to Royal Ascot among Flat racing’s summer festivals.

From Tuesday 1st of August until Saturday 5th August the five-day festival comprises seven races each day, including three Group 1 contests. The Qatar Goodwood Cup takes place on the opening day followed by the Qatar Sussex Stakes on the Wednesday and Qatar Nassau Stakes on Ladies Day Thursday. The third day also includes the Magnolia Cup, an event designed to raise money for the charity Wellbeing Of Women.

Along with Royal Ascot, the Qatar Goodwood Festival generates the greatest horse racing turnover of the Flat season with tens of millions of pounds bet on course, in betting shops and online. The big betting race on the final day (Saturday) is the Qatar Stewards’ Cup, a six furlong handicap in which a large field of sprinters will produce an iconic spectacle as they hurtle down the Goodwood straight.


Qatar Goodwood Festival Major Races

Tuesday, August 1

Qatar Lennox Stakes (Group 2)

This seven furlong contest for three-year-old’s and upwards is normally contested by horses just short of the highest class over 7f/1 mile. Nine of the last 12 winners were aged 3 or 4 while the previous 12 winners had an official rating of 110 or higher.

Qatar Vintage Stakes (Group 2)

The Vintage Stakes is a Group 2 race over a distance of 7 furlongs (1,408 metres), which is a distance considered a specialist distance by many, right in between sprinting and being a miler.

Qatar Goodwood Cup (Group 1)

The Goodwood Cup is a long-distance Group 1 race open to horses aged three years or older. It is run over a distance of 2 miles (3,219 metres).


Wednesday, August 2

Qatar Sussex Stakes (Group 1)

On of the most prestigious mile races run in Europe and won by some of the sport’s greats down the years including Frankel in both 2011 and 2012.

A good race for favourites with 8 of the last 12 obliging while the last 12 winners went into the race with a Group victory under their belt.


Thursday, August 3

Qatar Richmond Stakes (Group 2)

The Richmond Stakes is open to two-year-old colts and geldings and is run over a distance of 6 furlongs (1,207 metres).

Qatar Lillie Langtry Stakes (Group 2)

The Lillie Langtry Stakes is open to fillies and mares aged three years or older. In 2004, the race was renamed and elevated to Group 3 level. Lillie Langtry, a British actress who was a mistress of King Edward VII, was the inspiration for the name. Merman, the 1899 Goodwood Cup winner, was owned by Langtry but she couldn’t register the horse under her own name because she was a woman.

Qatar Nassau Stakes (Group 1)

Run over a mile and a quarter this top class contest for three-year-old and older fillies and mares usually attracts many of the best of their sex from around Europe.

Of current trainers the race has been dominated in recent years by Aidan O’Brien and John Gosden.


Friday, August 4

L’Ormarins Queen’s Plate Stakes (Group 3)

This race is open to 4-year olds or older and run over a distance of 1 mile, 3 furlongs and 218 yards.

Qatar King George Stakes (Group 2)

This five furlong Group 2 contest is all about speed and has been won by the exceptionally fast Battaash for the last four years, though not last year and the star sprinter has now been retired.

Bombay Sapphire Glorious Stakes (Group 3)

The Glorious Stakes is open to horses aged four years or older. It is run over a distance of 1 mile 3 furlongs and 218 yards (2,412 metres). Originally called the Alycidon Stakes, it was first held in 1979 and was named after the successful racehorse Alycidon, who won the Goodwood Cup in 1949.

Bonhams Thoroughbred Stakes (Group 3)

The Thoroughbred Stakes is open to three-year-old horses only and is run over a distance of 1 mile (1,609 metres). Formerly known as the Surplice Stakes it was given listed status and renamed in 1998.

Golden Mile (Heritage Handicap)

The Golden Mile, a competitive mile handicap for three-year-olds and older, was first run in 1987 and is one of the richest races of its kind on the racing calendar. Last year’s winner was Prompting trained by David O’Meara and ridden by Harry Bentley.


Saturday, August 5

Qatar Gordon Stakes (Group 3)

Founded in 1902, the Gordon Stakes is open to three-year-old horses and is contested over a distance of 1 mile 3 furlongs and 218 yards (2,412 metres). The race is named after the Duke of Gordon, which is one of the dukedoms held by the Duke of Richmond who owns Goodwood racecourse.

Stewards’ Cup (Heritage Handicap)

Dating back to 1840 this six furlong sprint handicap is the big betting race of the final day of the Qatar Goodwood Festival. Only five horses have won the race of two occasions, the most recent being Sky Diver in 1967/68. Horses who ran well in Royal Ascot’s Wokingham usually go on to do likewise at Goodwood.


Qatar Goodwood Cup (Tuesday, August 1)

Dating back to 1812 the two mile Group 1 contest is four furlongs shorter than the Ascot Gold Cup but is usually the next target for the winner of that historic race at Royal Ascot.

Top stayers Persian Punch, Yeats and Big Orange and Stradivarius have won the race on two occasions this century but only Stradivarius and Double Trigger have completed the hat-trick.

Where To Watch The Qatar ‘Glorious’ Goodwood Festival

ITV1 will show live action from all five days of the festival. The channel is live on Freeview, Sky or Virgin 103. However, some of the later races will not be shown live on ITV and only available on subscription channel RacingTV.

ITV will show all their coverage online through the ITV Hub, available on the station’s website. Many bookmakers will also be offering a streaming service of Goodwood races for their customers while several other streaming options will be available, including through race-streams.com.

Qatar Goodwood Cup Recent Winners

YearWinnerAgeJockeyTrainer
2014Cavalryman8Kieren FallonSaeed bin Suroor
2015Big Orange4Jamie SpencerMichael Bell
2016Big Orange5Jamie SpencerMichael Bell
2017Stradivarius3Andrea AtzeniJohn Gosden
2018Stradivarius4Andrea AtzeniJohn Gosden
2019Stradivarius5Frankie DettoriJohn Gosden
2020Stradivarius6Frankie DettoriJohn Gosden
2021Trueshan5Hollie DoyleAlan King
2022Kyprios4Ryan MooreAidan O’Brien

Horse Racing Tips

From big events like Glorious Goodwood to daily action in the UK & Ireland, our horse racing tipsters have every angle covered. If you need help with the upcoming action on the track, check out our daily horse racing tips to see what our experts fancy to win.

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Craig Jones

Craig Jones

Content Manager on Freebets. Experienced punter, from back street, smoke filled betting shops in the 2000s, to state of the art, dedicated betting apps of the 2020s. Covering the gambling industry with expert opinion and looking at the latest innovations.