Glorious Goodwood, or to give it its official name - the Qatar Goodwood Festival, is one of the showpiece festivals on the summer Flat racing calendar in Great Britain, and it always draws in some of the best horses in training.
Well known for its picturesque surroundings and its top-quality racing, Glorious Goodwood understandably accounts for the majority of the racing headlines at the tail end of July.
Horse racing betting on the five-day event is almost on a par with Royal Ascot and there is plenty of worldwide interest in the races that take place on the famous Goodwood Estate.
Glorious Goodwood 2020: Schedule
The Goodwood Festival starts on Tuesday 28th July and runs through until Saturday 1st August.
Here is our daily guide to some of the feature races taking place this week:
Glorious Goodwood 2020: Tuesday
The highlight on the opening day is the Group 1 Goodwood Cup where Stradivarius will be bidding to make it four victories on the bounce.
Stradivarius is unsurprisingly an odds-on shot for this renewal after winning the Ascot Gold Cup for the third time last month. Aidan O’Brien’s Irish Derby winner Santiago appears to be his principle danger and will be stepping up in distance to make his bid.
Alan King’s dual-purpose performer Who Dares Wins steps up again after tasting Royal Ascot glory in the Queen Alexandra Stakes, while Nayef Road meets Stradivarius once more after finishing runner-up to him in the Gold Cup.
The Lennox Stakes on the same afternoon looks a competitive affair with Roger Varian’s Pierre Lapin hoping to bounce back from a totally underwhelming run in the Commonwealth Cup.
Sir Dancealot is attempting a hat-trick of wins in the race, whilst Paul and Oliver Cole’s Duke Of Hazzard is three from three at Goodwood and should not be underestimated.
Glorious Goodwood 2020: Wednesday
The Sussex Stakes is the main Wednesday feature and has previously been won by the likes of Frankel, Solow and Too Darn Hot.
Irish 2,000 Guineas winner Siskin heads the betting for the in-form Ger Lyons stable and he will be a tough nut to crack.
Marcus Tregonning’s Mohaather will be a popular pick after an impressive victory in the Betfred Summer Mile at Ascot, while another firm contender is Andrew Balding's 2000 Guineas winner Kameko who is returning to racing over a mile after finishing fourth in the Derby.
Also on Wednesday, the two-year-olds get a chance to strut their stuff in the Molecomb Stakes and the all-conquering Aidan O’Brien team are represented by Chief Little Hawk.
The colt ran with credit in the Windsor Castle Stakes at Royal Ascot and wasn’t beaten too far in a Listed affair at Cork last time out.
Karl Burke will be praying that Significantly can finally convert a string of seconds into a well deserved first place, while Ben Macdui should go well again for the in-form Kevin Ryan team.
Glorious Goodwood 2020: Thursday
The prestigious Group 1 Nassau Stakes is the headline race on Thursday with its impressive roll of honour that includes Ouija Board, Midday and Minding.
Fancy Blue comes here on the heels of her victory in the Prix de Diane at Chantilly with Donnacha O'Brien confident she can be a force against the older fillies and mares.
The Japanese-trained Deidre will be aiming to defend her Nassau Stakes crown, while Nazeef and Tawkeel line up with a whole load of wins behind their names.
Aidan O’Brien runs the consistent Magic Wand, and Sir Michael Stoute’s Queen Power and Amanda Perrett’s Lavender’s Blue are also in the mix.
The six furlong Richmond Stakes is always an eagerly awaited race and Roger Teal will be aiming to take home the spoils at the expense of the big boys with his Gussy Mac.
Admiral Nelson, Qaader and Yazaman all have live chances but it may just be that a lesser known stable takes this valuable Group 2.
Glorious Goodwood 2020: Friday
Friday's seven race card includes no less than four group races, with the feature being the Group 2 King George Stakes.
Top class sprinter Battaash has won the King George Stakes in each of the past three years and he is on the verge of creating more history with win number four.
Trained by Charlie Hills, the Sheikh Hamdan Al Maktoum-owned speedball has never once looked like getting beaten at Goodwood and for many punters he will be the banker of the week.
John Quinn’s Liberty Beach and Kevin Ryan’s Glass Slippers will be hoping to pick up the pieces in the unlikely event of Battaash doesn’t run up to form.
Last year's Coronation Cup and Hardwicke Stakes winner Defoe will be a warm order in the Group 3 Queen's Plate Glorious Stakes, while last year's winner Desert Encounter, Spanish Mission and Communique are also in the fray.
Also on Friday is the Group 3 Oak Tree Stakes. Boomer for the Tom Dascombe should be given consideration given that he is already a Group 3 course and distance winner.
Glorious Goodwood 2020: Saturday
Taking centre stage on the final day of the Goodwood Festival is the famous Stewards’ Cup. The race is essentially a six-furlong cavalry charge full of seasoned sprint handicappers bombing down the Goodwood straight. It’s not for the faint hearted!
The race tends to packed with lots of each-way value – it’s just a matter of hunting it down which is no mean feat.
At the time of writing the runners and riders for the big race are a little sketchy, but should they line up the following three horses have a great chance.
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The William Haggas-trained Nahaar came third in the Wokingham Handicap at Royal Ascot then followed up with a victory at Newbury. That form looks totally solid.
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Richard Hannon’s Watan has form that ties in with Nahaar and is probably a better grade horse than a handicapper.
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Summerghand was second in the Wokingham and has regained the winning thread for a trainer (David O’Meara) who is absolutely flying at the moment.
