Al Shaqab Goodwood Cup
Group 1, Goodwood 15:35
£500,000 guaranteed,
3yo plus,
2m, Class 1   
Tuesday 29th July 2025

Trainers Quotes

It’s Ballydoyle who hold the strongest hand numerically—and perhaps form-wise too—with Jan Brueghel leading the charge. Fresh from landing the Coronation Cup at Epsom, he bids to prove his stamina at two miles, flanked by no fewer than seven stablemates. Chief among them, Illinois—ultra-consistent, hard as teak, and surely knocking on the door for a first Group 1 success after several near-misses at the top staying level.

Dubai Future brings the familiar royal blue of Godolphin into the mix for Saeed bin Suroor, having already bagged the Dubai Gold Cup in March. He’s joined by Al Riffa, a fascinating wildcard. A juvenile Group 1 winner over seven furlongs, he’s bred to get further and shaped like a stayer when runner-up in the Hardwicke at Ascot. If the trip suits, he could be the joker in the pack.

Among the most progressive types is French Master, who steps out of handicaps and into the spotlight after a tenacious win in the Copper Horse at the Royal Meeting. This is a different ballgame, but he arrives with a tailwind of momentum.

Old favourites add plenty of heart to the field. The evergreen Trueshan, now nine but still thriving, lines up for Alan King—his 2021 win in this very race still fresh in the memory. And don’t forget Quickthorn, who blew the field apart from the front in 2023. Hughie Morrison’s charge will no doubt look to repeat the dose.

So we’ve got classic winners, globetrotting warriors, and upwardly mobile dark horses. All roads lead to the Downs —this year's Al Shaqab Goodwood Cup promises to be a thriller.

SureWIn

Al Shaqab Goodwood Cup
(British Champions Series) (Group 1)
£500,000 guaranteed, 3yo plus, 2m, Class 1
19 entries
Going:

NO. FORM HORSE AGE WGT TRAINER JOCKEY (form as of Jul 02)
1 10-342 Al Riffa 5 9-12 Joseph O'Brien
2 395948 Continuous 5 9-12 A P O'Brien
3 4/1193 Dubai Future 9 9-12 Saeed bin Suroor
4 132320 Epic Poet 6 9-12 David O'Meara
5 11-211 French Master 4 9-12 John & Thady Gosden
6 221-12 Illinois 4 9-12 A P O'Brien
7 111-21 Jan Brueghel 4 9-12 A P O'Brien
8 21-272 Military Academy 4 9-12 John & Thady Gosden
9 416-34 Palladium 4 9-12 John & Thady Gosden
10 15121- Subsequent 4 9-12 Andrew Balding
11 30-354 Sunway 4 9-12 David Menuisier
12 212-34 Sweet William 4 6 9-12 John & Thady Gosden
13 4223-4 Trueshan 9 9-12 Alan King
14 72-152 Furthur 3 8-12 Andrew Balding
15 71-713 Galveston 3 8-12 A P O'Brien
16 14-419 Puppet Master 3 8-12 A P O'Brien
17 327-15 Scandinavia 3 8-12 A P O'Brien
18 21-122 Serious Contender 3 8-12 A P O'Brien
19 13-448 Shackleton 3 8-12 A P O'Brien

Odds catcher