Marking the halfway point of Glorious Goodwood 2025 is the day 3 card on Thursday, 31 July. Headlining the middle of the Qatar Goodwood Festival is the last of the meeting’s three Group 1 races in the Nassau Stakes over a mile-and-a-quarter for fillies and mares.
Only five run, but this is a small but select group of females. Taking on their elders are three three-year-olds that benefit from a generous 9lb weight for age allowance. Each of the younger trio represents Ireland with Royal Ascot heroine Cercene stepping up in trip for Joseph Murphy.
Joining her are two fillies from the powerful Ballydoyle operation of Aidan O’Brien in Prix de Diane runner-up Bedtime Story and Pretty Polly winner Whirl. Andrew Balding saddles the impressive Middleton Stakes scorer See The Fire, so narrowly denied in the Nassau last season.
Completing the field for the Glorious Goodwood 2025 day 3 feature is the John & Thady Gosden stable’s Running Lion. Besides the Nassau, there’s a Group 3 St Leger trial in the Gordon Stakes that produced last year’s Doncaster winner, while juvenile colts and geldings go for the Group 2 Richmond Stakes over six furlongs.
A couple of three-year-olds only handicaps complete the main card. Helping you get to grips with all the best of the action from the Qatar Goodwood Festival are our horse racing experts. They assess and analyse all the runners, so you don’t need to and produce shortlists for the feature contests and best handicaps of the meeting.
Combining knowledge of the form and the best prices from horse racing betting sites in the UK and Ireland, our experts seek value above all else. Read their latest thoughts from the Sussex Downs below with who they fancy and why.
Glorious Goodwood 2025 Day 3 Preview for Thursday, 31 July
1:20 – 1m 2f Kincesm Handicap
Dante’s Lad takes the step up in trip in stride, galloping powerfully down the outside to come home in front, landing the Royal Yorkshire Regiment Handicap in the hands of @TomMarquand 🙌 pic.twitter.com/GkF4BhzjOh
— York Racecourse (@yorkracecourse) May 31, 2025
As with the first couple of cards, the opener is tough. DANTE’S LAD is a horse in good form seeking a hat-trick, however, after cosy wins at York and Windsor. Success at different tracks suggests George Boughey’s runner could be a bit of each-way value despite a further 5lb rise in the weights.
While Dante’s Lad meets re-opposing runner-up Brise Noir off worse terms from Windsor, he only needed pushing out to score. Plenty of others including Brian Meehan’s charge look open to further progress, however. High Degree could be anything still after just three career starts and a last time out success.
Ralph Beckett looks to have laid Juddmonte’s Calla Lagoon out for this handicap debut after trying Listed company previously. Race trends suggests a break of 84 days is too long off the track, however. Newmarket second and third Parole d’Oro and Seagolazo are back against horses of their own age now and both shaped like going up in trip could work. The former has Ryan Moore on board now.
Fort George caught the eye when beaten by just a neck over a mile here in May doing all his best work late on. He could run well for Ed Walker upped a couple of furlongs. Topweight Best Secret represents Wathnan Racing, who definitely target this meeting. Similar comments apply to connections of Marhaba Ghaiyyath with the yard saddling four winners of this since 2013.
Even Nebras for the Gosdens isn’t out of this on handicap debut. James Horton dramatically steps another hat-trick seeker in Serenity Blue up in class for his bow in this sphere after minor novice wins around Nottingham and Redcar. It’s a tricky race for ruling many out of contention.
1:55 – 6f Group 2 Richmond Stakes
👑 #GoffsOrby 2YO GREEN SENSE attacks late @fgchantilly in the @Goffs1866 Gr2 Prix Robert Papin @JosephOBrien2, @simon_munir & Isaac Souede 👩🎓
The Starman filly (@HoStud ) sold @TheCastlebridge to @agentbloodstock ✨pic.twitter.com/TJp5gg40U9
— Goffs (@Goffs1866) July 20, 2025
Azizam caught the eye when a running on third in the Windsor Castle behind re-opposing winner Havana Hurricane. Eve Johnson Houghton’s colt has since been chinned in a valuable Sales race at Newbury, but that doesn’t diminish the Royal Ascot form really.
Super Soldier just couldn’t reach Green Sense in the Prix Robert Papin over in France the weekend before last, meanwhile, when held a neck. Both of Burke’s runner should thus enjoy a strongly run six furlongs. Maximized disappointed last time, meanwhile, so Charlie Appleby reaches for first-time cheekpieces.
O’Brien pitches maiden Puerto Rico in here, but he needs improvement against a decent bunch from the home team. Beckett steps Egoli up on a hat-trick to Pattern company. Ayr specialist Underwriter must prove his form away from Scotland, but keep him in mind for juvenile races at the Western Meeting.
2:30 – 1m 4f Group 3 Gordon Stakes
MERCHANT takes the King George V Stakes for @TomMarquand and trainer @WilliamHaggas. Congratulations to connections. pic.twitter.com/5CcXFLkYB5
— Ascot Racecourse (@Ascot) June 19, 2025
Merchant steps out of handicap company now and switches to a St Leger trial. From his previous success at York, he now meets re-opposing runner-up Rahiebb off 8lb worse terms, but has clearly improved since. Roger Varian’s charge wasn’t disgraced when third in the Queen’s Vase last time, though, and that form has been franked by the fifth.
Ballydoyle’s Galveston and James Owen runner Wimbledon Hawkeye look more dubious stayers, meanwhile. Ratings topper Sir Dinadin wasn’t beaten far in the Irish Derby, but again his stamina gauge didn’t last. Windlord struggled to master an older horse lacking a run this season the last day, so that unconvincing Sandown success may have left its mark.
3:05 – 1m 2f Group 1 Nassau Stakes
Off these terms and based on the gutsy way she battled back to beat subsequent King George runner-up Kalpana, WHIRL is the one to beat. O’Brien has won this race, the Glorious Goodwood 2025 day 3 feature, five times in his career and all with three-year-olds. Whirl doesn’t get quite so much weight for age as in Ireland last time, but it swings the vote.
See The Fire ran very close in this event 12 months ago, and wasn’t disgraced when supplemented for and finishing third in the Prince Of Wales. Balding’s four-year-old now has a tough ask conceding 9lb to three talented youngsters, however. Cercene could have even more to offer over a mile-and-a-quarter, meanwhile.
Murphy’s stable star is actually second best on adjusted ratings, but was no match for Whirl as a juvenile. Bedtime Story shaped like she might be worth trying over a mile-and-half when second in the French Oaks, so this easy 10 furlongs might not be the time to catch her. Inconsistent Running Lion has a lot to do at weights.
3:45 – 5f Class 3 Handicap (0-95)
Some of our Sports4Causes owners were lucky enough to experience the thrill of having a winner at @Goodwood_Races last Saturday 👏🏻
Ruby’s Profit led her rivals from pillar to post under our ambassador Kieran Shoemark 🏆 pic.twitter.com/5euK7o3Xl0
— Sports4Causes (@Sports4Causes_) May 28, 2025
Ruby’s Profit was only beaten about four lengths in the Palace Of Holyrood House during Royal Ascot. This is much easier. Draw bias accounts for her defeat in the Epsom Dash when third off 93 and she reversed placings with the winner last time in any case. Many others have claims in a sprint where punters will need everything to go right.
The spectre of draw bias sits over all races of this kind. Old rivals Getreadytorumble and Kinetic Force take each other on over course and distance once again. It’s the latter receiving a 9lb pull with Jack Channon’s runner from that last encounter. On previous Chester form, however, there’s something to find with Ruby’s Profit.
Elsewhere, Mick Appleby won this last season with the useful Shagraan. He saddles Nad Alshiba Green in the same silks, who hasn’t missed the top three yet this term. The Man scored for Richard Spencer when last in action and he’s had a few winners in races like these of late, so is also of interest.
Ed Bethell’s Flourescence and Marty Hopkirk are two lightly-raced sorts in the line-up. David Loughnane books Oisin Murphy for the ride on the latter. Any number of others including three running in Dr Jim & Fitri Hay’s colours could have a say in the finish to this fiendishly difficult handicap.
