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Goodwood Cup: Previous winners and 2021 favourites
27 Jul 2021 at 14:46hrs | Views
Glorious Goodwood returns to Sussex with the opening day, boasting a highly anticipated race in the Goodwood Cup. The festival opens with its most prestigious start, where Stradivarius aims to continue his reign of dominance, expecting a fifth consecutive win in the Group 1 race.
Despite his shortcomings in the Ascot Gold Cup, John Gosden's horse will aim to gain redemption by capturing another Goodwood Cup, won by a length last year to continue his meteoric rise in flat racing. He comes in as favourite on the horse racing betting sites as five days of high-octane action commences upon the Sussex Downs.
Stradivarius has already cemented his legacy in the history books, but before he took the helm at the top of Goodwood, you'd have to go back to 2016 where Jamie Spencer's Big Orange captured a double win. He was retired in 2019 as an eight-year-old, suffering persistent leg injuries. He was beaten by less than two lengths in 2017 by Stradivarius in a poignant passing of the torch moment. Now, with favorable odds on him to capture another Goodwood cup, jockey Frankie Dettori believes his horse is capable of one last great run: "I have the pressure of doing it for him because I want him to be remembered as one of the greats.
"He's probably going to have one last shot at this so I just want to make sure that I get it right.
"It will be amazing. At the moment I don't want to think about if he wins, I just hope we can get him there in one piece and in the best form that we can."
Other notable winners include Brown Panther, owned by footballer Michael Owen, in 2013 and Grey Shot in 1996 who helped Jockey Pat Eddery ensure his fifth victory.
It was also revealed that close competitor Subjectivist sustained a season ending injury which will put him out of the Goodwood Cup. The three-time God Cup winner, whose panache and dominant strides would have provided stiff competition for Stradivarius, is out for the season indefinitely according to his trainer Mark Johnston. The horse received treatment on his leg after the Dubai Gold Cup. The news is certainly disappointing for the racing aficionados who were looking forward to a close race, now many may fear they have seen one of the heroes of the Gold Cup run for the last time.
Attention must also be paid to Spanish Mission, who continues his flourishing partnership with jockey William Buick. The pair secured victory in the Doncaster Cup in 2020 and have performed convincingly with the horse's strong stamina bolstering their performances at the Yorkshire Cup and Ascot Gold. The 32-year-old praised his horse highly in preparation for Goodwood,: "He hasn't got many blips in his career, and they're only when the ground is bad or just unfortunate.
"I'm a relatively experienced jockey now, so I know from previous years that this part of the season is when the really hard work starts. It's a time to keep focus and to not drop the ball."
As the sun sets on West Sussex this week, many await the start of this years Goodwood Cup to see if Stradivarius can make history and secure that coveted fifth consecutive victory, or an upset will be caused and a new champion crowned.
Despite his shortcomings in the Ascot Gold Cup, John Gosden's horse will aim to gain redemption by capturing another Goodwood Cup, won by a length last year to continue his meteoric rise in flat racing. He comes in as favourite on the horse racing betting sites as five days of high-octane action commences upon the Sussex Downs.
Stradivarius has already cemented his legacy in the history books, but before he took the helm at the top of Goodwood, you'd have to go back to 2016 where Jamie Spencer's Big Orange captured a double win. He was retired in 2019 as an eight-year-old, suffering persistent leg injuries. He was beaten by less than two lengths in 2017 by Stradivarius in a poignant passing of the torch moment. Now, with favorable odds on him to capture another Goodwood cup, jockey Frankie Dettori believes his horse is capable of one last great run: "I have the pressure of doing it for him because I want him to be remembered as one of the greats.
"He's probably going to have one last shot at this so I just want to make sure that I get it right.
"It will be amazing. At the moment I don't want to think about if he wins, I just hope we can get him there in one piece and in the best form that we can."
It was also revealed that close competitor Subjectivist sustained a season ending injury which will put him out of the Goodwood Cup. The three-time God Cup winner, whose panache and dominant strides would have provided stiff competition for Stradivarius, is out for the season indefinitely according to his trainer Mark Johnston. The horse received treatment on his leg after the Dubai Gold Cup. The news is certainly disappointing for the racing aficionados who were looking forward to a close race, now many may fear they have seen one of the heroes of the Gold Cup run for the last time.
Attention must also be paid to Spanish Mission, who continues his flourishing partnership with jockey William Buick. The pair secured victory in the Doncaster Cup in 2020 and have performed convincingly with the horse's strong stamina bolstering their performances at the Yorkshire Cup and Ascot Gold. The 32-year-old praised his horse highly in preparation for Goodwood,: "He hasn't got many blips in his career, and they're only when the ground is bad or just unfortunate.
"I'm a relatively experienced jockey now, so I know from previous years that this part of the season is when the really hard work starts. It's a time to keep focus and to not drop the ball."
As the sun sets on West Sussex this week, many await the start of this years Goodwood Cup to see if Stradivarius can make history and secure that coveted fifth consecutive victory, or an upset will be caused and a new champion crowned.
Source - Byo24Sports
