This year’s Goodwood Cup provides a tantalising clash between the Royal Ascot winning pair Courage Mon Ami & Gregory, both represent the Gosden & Wathnan Racing teams.That pair will bid to extend the Gosden’s great record in this race after Stradivarius’ heroics but face stern competition from the likes of Emily Dickinson & Broome, who represent last year’s winning trainer, Aidan O’Brien. Coltrane will bid to avenge his Ascot Gold Cup defeat while Eldar Eldarov & Giavellotto bring plenty of class to the table.
Odds correct at time of posting – 9.50am 30th July
Race Trends + Statistics
- 10 of the last 12 winners were aged 4-6 (Cavalryman won at 8, Stradivarius won at 3 followed up at 4,5,6)
- 8 of the last 12 winners were favourites, 11/12 winners were in the top 3 in the betting
- 11/12 winners had at least 1 previous Group 1-3 win
- 12/12 winners had their last run within the last 42 days with half of those winners having run in the Ascot Gold Cup
- 9/12 winners had at least 1 previous run over 16 furlongs, 7/12 winners had at least 1 previous win over 16 furlongs
- 11/12 winners had at least 2 previous runs that season
Key Runners
COURAGE MON AMI
(John & Thady Gosden/Frankie Dettori)
A very exciting Stayer who took the Ascot Gold Cup on just his fourth start on his last run. That was his first run beyond 1m6f and his second start of the season. Perhaps crucially he’s had a start at this course on his penultimate start, winning over 1m6f in very good fashion before being sold to Wathnan Racing. Given the style of his latest success one couldn’t blame Anthony Oppenheimer for having regrets on that sale and he looks a huge player today with Frankie Dettori jocked up since early last week. The family do seem best o a sound surface, so anything softer than good would pose a question but this gelding is a huge player and will take plenty of containing.
GREGORY
(John & Thady Gosden/Jockey – 5/2 Best Price)
Another for Wathnan racing & the Gosdens who was previously owned by Normandie Stud. Much like Courage Mon Ami he looks to have a very bright future in the staying division and has been tipped for the St. Leger later in the season. Like the stablemate, he’s won around this track, over 1m4f before following up in the Queen’s Vase at Royal Ascot. He remains unbeaten after three starts and this three-year-old will get 10lbs-14lbs from the older horses in the field. Although the stats point to older horses being favoured in this contest his stable took this with a three-year-old in Stradivarius and will know what it takes.
COLTRANE
(Andrew Balding/Oisin Murphy – 11/4 Best Price)
Another who turns up after Royal Ascot, Coltrane has danced all the big dances for connections including on his latest start when going down all guns blazing to Courage Mon Ami. He was a shade disappointing in this contest last year when fourth behind the likes of Kyprios and Stradivarius and he looks to have some very strong rivals to collar today. Although beaten less than a length he didn’t seem to have any excuses (has won over the Gold Cup distance). He’ll need to pull out more today to play a hand at the finish and may need one or two rivals to falter.
EMILY DICKINSON
(Aidan O’Brien/Ryan Moore – 6/1 Best Price)
Fourth behind both Courage Mon Ami and Coltrane at Ascot in the Gold Cup despite being very weak in the market beforehand. Unlike Coltrane however Emily Dickinson did seem to have an excuse with the fast ground likely not playing to her strengths. She’s since come out and won very easily in the Curragh Cup, benefiting from both the soft ground and a good pace. Aidan O’Brien has always held her in high-regard and fancied her to go well in staying races this season but she’ll still need to find extra to come out on top today, though rain will help. She’s run at the track previously, having been sent off favourite for the Lille Langtry Stakes at the meeting last year.
ELDAR ELDAROV
(Rogery Varian/David Egan – 8/1 Best Price)
Another held in high-regard by his trainer, Eldar Eldarov was a Classic winner in 2022 taking the St Leger at Doncaster in fine style before coming up well short in the Long Distance Cup at Ascot on Champions’ Weekend. He seems somewhat versatile in terms of ground but probably won’t benefit from a slog in testing conditions, those type of conditions should stay away but he’ll need to find plenty on his two starts this season, taking second on seasonal debut behind Giavellotto before a midfield finish in the Ascot Gold Cup. He wandered late that day so it’s possible that 2m4f trip stretched him, this two mile trip will likely suit better but he still needs to step up to pose a threat.
Outsiders To Watch
GIAVELLOTTO
(Marco Botti/Andrea Atzeni – 10/1 Best Price)
A 100/1 winner on debut, Marco Botti’s Mastercrafstman Colt enjoyed a terrific season in 2022, improving nearly two stone and taking third place in the St Leger behind today’s rival Eldar Eldarov (suffered marked interference and promoted). The niggling worry is the two-mile trip is just on the testing side for his stamina reserves, with his best form coming over 1m6f. He finished well behind another of today’s rivals, Broome, in the Dubai Gold Gold Cup over 2m before returning to these shores with a taking success in the Yorkshire Cup, turning the tables with Eldar Eldarov & Broome. If he can continue that improvement, which is not totally ruled out with his Dam Sire being Galileo, and find more for this extra two-furlongs he could run a big race at bigger odds.
BROOME
(Aidan O’Brien/TBC – 16/1 Best Price)
Just short of top class over 1m4f in his younger days and that looks to be the case over this 2m trip also, though he stayed on very well to take the Dubai Gold Cup at Siskany’s expense at Meydan in March. Though his latest defeat in the Ascot Gold Cup can be forgiven, with the trip perhaps stretching him, he still needs to find more from somewhere, which at seven-years-old seems unlikely. However, he does bring some eye-catching back class to the table, including a Group 1 Win in France (1m4f), a runner-up berth in the Breeders’ Cup Turf and more. He’s versatile with regard to conditions having won his Group 1 on Soft and also took the Group 2 Hardwicke Stakes at Royal Ascot on Good to Firm. There’s a chance his Meydan run left it’s mark and he’ll need to show he’s none the worse for that, but could still outrun double figure odds.
TASHKAN
(Brian Ellison/James Doyle – 25/1 Best Price)
Unlike others in this field, Tashkan (33/1) is one in the field who just stays and stays all day. The further the better for him so it was encouraging to see him beaten less than a length over an insufficient 1m6f in the John Smith’s Silver Cup last time out. He’s another who will appreciate any and all rain that comes having missed both the Ascot Gold Cup & Yorkshire Cup due to fast ground. As a result of missing those engagements, that was his first run since April and he can be expected to come on for that outing. Though coming up short he has ran some great races at the highest level, including when 5th in the Ascot Gold Cup in 2022 and 3rd in the Prix du Cadran. At 33/1 he’ll likely be hunting out the back and looking to plug on late in the day under James Doyle and he can’t be totally ruled out from getting a slice of the action for placings.
Big-Race Verdict:
It’s extremely hard to ignore COURAGE MON AMI (5/2) for this contest. His credentials are rock-solid and he fits with plenty of the trends, aged four, having ran and won in the Ascot Gold Cup in June. He’s had two runs this season, including at this track, when winning on seasonal debut over 1m6f, proving he has the speed to deal with the cut back from the Gold Cup trip of 2m4f to today’s 2m along with an abundance of stamina in reserve.
SELECTION – Courage Mon Ami (5/2) WIN & Tashkan (25/1) E/W
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