EXPERT RACING TIPS: GLORIOUS GOODWOOD

Bookmark this page for Glorious Goodwood tips. Rory Flanagan, delivers his best Goodwood tips ahead of this year’s Carnival. Rory has been betting on UK Racing for years and his insights will be free on the Betfair Hub. Get Rory’s Glorious Goodwood tips now featuring best bets, selections and analysis for every race on the card.

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Rory Flanagan

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Best Bets

Rory Flanagan

BACK: 1. Al Aasy (WIN) for 5 units (Rated at $2.00)

Al Aasy is simply a better horse than this lot. The knock on him is that he’s come up short last two runs and usually doesn’t respond to riding under pressure but he won this in a canter last year and has seven successes at G3 level. He should be stomping all over them on the bridle once more.
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Rory Flanagan

BACK: 9. Isaac Newton (WIN) for 5 units (Rated at $1.40)

Isaac Newton was just about ridden like a good thing on debut and the only horse good enough to get close to him was his experienced stablemate gifted the lead and rail. He sat 4-wide and missed in the narrowest of photos and looks set to go on with it now in a weak maiden. Physically he is an astonishing type and could be anything.

GLORIOUS GOODWOOD TIPS AND PREVIEW | SATURDAY AUGUST 2ND 2025

TRACK: Good to soft

Dry sunny weather meant the heavy track barely had a chance to set in. It’s on the improve and we may even end up with another upgrade back to good.

1. Al Aasy
4. Candleford
5. Meydaan
3. Arabian Crown

Betting Strategy

Rory Flanagan

8. French Duke
10. Aeronautic
3. Subsequent
13. Sam Hawkens

Betting Strategy

BACK: 8. French Duke (WIN) for 3 units (Rated at $3.00)

French Duke thundered down the outside at this meeting last year over 2400m. If he handles the step up to 2800m and settles there looks to be little chance of stopping him. He has freshness and restricted room first up at Royal Ascot as genuine excuses and I feel a galloping track for a massive horse drawn wide rather than buried the fence is the ideal setup.
I am suspicious they may save him here due to the ground, so if he does it becomes a 1u bet on Diego Ventura who should enjoy the wet.

Rory Flanagan

7. Term Of Endearment
2. Danielle
9. Waardah
3. Goodie Two Shoes

Betting Strategy

BACK: 7. Term Of Endearment (WIN) for 3 units (Rated at $2.60)

If you took away Term Of Endearment’s last run she’s probably looking more like a $2.60 chance here. It was a messy, tactical sit and sprint small field at Sandown and she was the sitting duck. Back to a bigger field, against her own sex in the race she won last year which was much stronger than this field she can land the double.

Rory Flanagan

3. Get It
11. Hammer The Hammer
9. Commanche Falls
1. Apollo One

Betting Strategy

Normally love this race and have a great record in it but this year is a lottery. No way of knowing how the track will play. Get It may be able to lead all of the way and his form is superb, franked everywhere but he’s got a huge crowd chasing him down.

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7. Consolidation
5. Hallasan
12. Mudbir
9. El Matador

Betting Strategy

BACK: 7. Consolidation (WIN) for 1 unit (Rated at $5.00)

Consolidation was a total forgive at Ascot, drawn wrong side but still beat 20 rivals home and finished 3rd of his group. Didn’t have tempo to bring him into it and should get that here down in trip 1400m which is the distance he won here at two starts ago. Disadvantaged Royal Ascot runners have been winning all week here.

Rory Flanagan

BACK: 5. Hallasan (WIN) for 1 unit (Rated at $7.00)

He can be a bit of a pig with all sorts of bad habits but his ability is well above this grade. He also only seems to fire on one particular type of going which is the slower side of good, or heavily watered firm ground. (All career wins, including defeat of Camille Pissarro)
Could be the ideal setup here at 1400m drawn low in a big field having hung behind a wall of horses looking for the rail. He’s too talented to be this price considering his form around good horses.

Rory Flanagan

9. Isaac Newton
7. Exclusive Code
5. Corinth
8. Ghost Mode

Betting Strategy

Rory Flanagan

4. Alpha Crucis
15. Linwood
2. Treasure Time
3. Toimy Son

Betting Strategy

BACK: 4. Alpha Crucis (WIN) for 1 unit (Rated at $4.00)

Alpha Crucis loves Goodwood and is a three time winner from five starts here. Big gaps between runs is fine as he’s a fresh type and the juice in the ground brings in right into being worthy of favouritism. Didn’t get the race to suit at Epsom and can bounce back here

Rory Flanagan

BACK: 15. Linwood (WIN) for 1 unit (Rated at $7.00)

I’m of the opinion Linwood can amount to better things than handicaps. His four runs have all been superb: last on debut, passed most of the field into 4th in a strung-out field, then a pair of strong wins when inconvenienced in running before 5th in a Listed race when running in the worst ground and given an easy time to the line late on behind Luther (won American G2 yesterday)
He’s been off for a year since but if he’s fit and has retained his ability this tempo they’ll put on might just suit him perfectly to get over the top from the rear. You don’t book J P Spencer for a waste of time.

Rory Flanagan

GOODWOOD RACING TIPS

Racing was first established at Goodwood Racecourse by the third Duke of Richmond back in 1802. Today, Goodwood holds 19 meetings per year, headlined by Glorious Goodwood in late July. The Goodwood Festival, commonly known as ‘Glorious Goodwood’, features five days of first-class racing at Goodwood Racecourse, near Chichester (UK). The rolling West Sussex countryside provides a scenic backdrop to one of England’s, if not the world’s, most picturesque racetracks. The Group 1 Goodwood Cup, won for four years in a row (2017-2020) by superstar Stradivarius, is the highlight of the opening day. The history of the race is intertwined with the Melbourne Cup, with several winners competing in Australia’s greatest race, including Big Orange (who ran 10th in the 2016 Melbourne Cup), Brown Panther (eighth in the 2013 Melbourne Cup), Cavalryman (12th in the 2012 Melbourne Cup) and Yeats (seventh in the 2003 Melbourne Cup). For expert analysis of the time-honoured Goodwood Cup and all Goodwood tips, the Betfair Hub has you covered.

The Goodwood Cup kicks off the Group 1 action on day one, before the Sussex Stakes headlines day two. Known locally as the ‘Duel On The Downs’, the race has been won by several champions including Frankel, arguably the greatest racehorse of his generation. The mile contest was claimed two years running by Frankel (2011-2012), who retired unbeaten after a 14-start career. The Nassau Stakes for fillies and mares is the feature on day three of Glorious Goodwood, which is designated Ladies’ Day. The Group 2 King George Stakes, won four years running (2017-2020) by Charlie Hills’ sprinting superstar Battaash, is the marquee contest on day four; before the Stewards’ Cup – a cavalry charge down the Goodwood straight – brings the curtain down on the festival. For all your Glorious Goodwood tips, look no further than the Betfair Hub.

Goodwood is an unusual racecourse, with horses competing in races on the ‘Stewards’ Cup Course’ (straight six) running uphill for the first furlong, and mostly downhill thereafter. There’s a tight right-handed loop at the far end of the straight, featuring starting points for various longer distance races. These include the 1 mile 2 furlongs (2000m) ‘Craven Course’, the 1m 4f (2400m) ‘Gratwicke Course’ and the 1m 6f (2800m) ‘Bentinck Course’. The start for the 2m 5f (4000m) ‘Cup Course’ is positioned relatively close to the winning post, with the field travelling outwards on the straight, around the loop and back. Throughout the loop there are severe undulations and sharp turns, making betting a tricky proposition. Betfair’s international experts do the hard work so that you don’t have to, delivering their Goodwood racing tips for each feature meeting.