Glorious Goodwood. Day One – CopyBet
Glorious Goodwood is one of the best meetings of the year on the Flat and day one takes place on Tuesday at the Sussex track.
There are eight races at Goodwood from 13:20-17:30, with the Group 1 Goodwood Cup the highlight as Aidan O’Brien is double-handed in his bid for fifth success in the race.
Goodwood – Jonquil
It is often said that seven furlongs is a specialist distance and there hasn’t been a horse better suited to it in recent years than Kinross, who is looking for his third Lennox Stakes win after victories in 2021 and 2023.
He’s now an eight-year-old, though, and is older than your typical winner, while last year’s winner Audience hasn’t been anywhere near his best this season, so this looks a great opportunity for the three-year-old JONQUIL.
The Classic generation don’t have the best record in the Lennox, but not many have tried and you’d struggle to find one who brought stronger form claims than Jonquil, who comfortably won the Greenham before going down by just a neck in the French 2,000 Guineas.
That race was won in a fast time and has received plenty of form boosts since, notably from winner Henri Matisse, who chased home Field of Gold in the St James’s Palace Stakes, and third-placed Camille Pissarro, who landed the French Derby next time out.
Jonquil produced a high-class Racing Post Rating of 119 that day - a figure good enough to win nine of the last ten runnings of the Lennox - and will be much happier stepping back up in trip having found six furlongs on quick ground too sharp in the Commonwealth Cup last time.
He’s open to more improvement after just five starts, unlike his main market rivals, and looks tailor-made for this intermediate distance.
Goodwood – Defiance
Roger Varian looked unlucky not to land the Chesterfield Cup last year and looks to have a prime candidate to make amends this year in DEFIANCE.
He showed useful form when winning on his debut, beating subsequent Listed scorer Caviar Heights and Derby fourth Deira Mile, and was beaten just three-quarters of a length by recent Group 2 winner Bellum Justum on his reappearance last year.
Things didn't go to plan for him afterwards, but he was gelded ahead of this year’s reappearance and shaped as though he was back on track with a staying-on fourth from the rear in a handicap on Oaks day at Epsom.
That effort can be marked up as there was a significant bias towards prominent racers that day and he had just two runners behind him rounding the home turn. He finished well, recording the fastest final furlong of any rival.
He is drawn similarly to the last four Chesterfield Cup winners and is handicapped to win off an unchanged mark of 99.
Goodwood – Jakajaro
Sprints at Goodwood tend to be run at a fast pace and that should suit JAKAJARO, who was a big eyecatcher in an Ascot handicap last time.
Held up at the back by Jamie Spencer, the four-year-old travelled notably well and was just making his move to challenge when completely stopped in his run, ultimately finishing on the bridle in sixth.
He had shaped well the start before at Newcastle too, finishing a close fifth under more forcing tactics, and he looks well handicapped on the pick of his form last year when a Group-class sprinter trained in Ireland.