Goodwood Cup Day Prediction 2025: Who Wins? Tips, Preview & Outright Winner

🏆 Al Shaqab Goodwood Cup Prediction

Aidan O’Brien’s four-year-old colt, Illinois, is the ante-post favourite to win the 2025 Goodwood Cup. His current odds of around 1.73 imply a 57.80% probability of success, which is impressive given that there are 18 runners in total.

Interestingly, one of the most striking Goodwood Cup trends is that 13 of the last 20 renewals (65%) have been won by the starting favourite. Illinois also has experience racing well over two miles or more, having finished second to Trawlerman in the G1 Ascot Gold Cup on June 19th.

He did fade down the homestretch at Ascot, so he’s likely to be pushed close in the Goodwood Cup. However, although the 6.00-shot French Master has raced at Goodwood before, he’s never competed over two miles. Stablemate Sweet William has placed in seven of the eight races he has contested over two miles, but he trailed in fourth behind Illinois in the Gold Cup.

Overall, Illinois is our pick to win the 2025 Goodwood Cup, in what should be a keenly contested race. This is one of the most popular Goodwood tips ahead of the 2025 festival.

🏇 Al Shaqab Goodwood Cup Betting Preview

Next in our Goodwood Cup 2025 preview, we’re going to take a closer look at the most likely winners.

Here’s our expert analysis of the best 2025 Goodwood Cup runners and their most recent form. We’ve also included an odds comparison table for you to check out. Remember to read our full online bookmaker reviews before settling on a bookie.

Horse

Illinois

1.80

1.73

1.67

French Master

6.00

5.00

6.00

Sweet William

9.00

7.00

9.00

Horse

Illinois

1.80

1.73

1.67

French Master

6.00

5.00

6.00

Sweet William

9.00

7.00

9.00

Odds are subject to change. Stay updated with the latest prices from your favourite bookmakers.

1️⃣ Illinois

Illinois has never failed to place in 11 career outings since its debut at Curragh on October 7th, 2023. He has also finished in the top two in each of his last eight races, including three G1 outings at Ascot, Doncaster, and Longchamp.

His performance in the recent Gold Cup at Ascot was highly impressive, as he raced prominently throughout and ultimately finished second in excellent company. This was also his first outing over two miles or more.

His trainer, Aidan O’Brien, has a superb record in the Goodwood Cup, fielding four winners and five placed finishers in 18 attempts since 2005. Illinois is also likely to be ridden by the excellent Ryan Moore, whose runners have placed eight times in 15 outings since 2005 (53.33%).

• 1.80 at BoyleSports
• 1.73 William Hill
• 1.67 LeoVegas

2️⃣ French Master

The four-year-old colt French Master belongs to the John Gosden stable. This trainer has fielded eight runners in the Goodwood Cup since 2005, with every single one placing in the top three.

French Master is considerably less experienced than Illinois, but he has placed in four of his five career races to date (winning three). He ran superbly when winning the Class 2 Copper Horse Stakes at Ascot last time out, powering down the homestretch to finish 2½ lengths ahead of Caballo De Mar.

He also performed with distinction at Goodwood on May 24th. There, he won the C2 BetGoodwin Download The App Handicap, prevailing by a neck from Story Horse. This was his first run over more than one mile and four furlongs, and he’ll arrive at Goodwood in excellent form. He certainly offers value according to the Goodwood Cup odds from top Irish bookmakers below:

• 6.00 at BoyleSports
• 5.00 William Hill
• 6.00 LeoVegas

3️⃣ Sweet William

The seasoned Sweet William also belongs to the John Gosden stable, with the six-year-old gelding having completed 15 career races to date. Incredibly, he has placed in 14 of these since his debut in September 2022, winning on five separate occasions.

His record over two miles or more is particularly impressive, finishing in the top two five times (from eight races). Notably, this sequence included a second-place finish in the Al Shaqab Goodwood Cup last year, where he trailed his nemesis Kyprios by four lengths. He also won over 2m 2f at Doncaster on September 13th, 2024.

However, he placed fourth over 2m 4f in the Ascot Gold Cup in May, 19 lengths behind winner Trawlerman. He was also comfortably beaten to the line by Goodwood Cup rival Illinois, fading down the homestretch after holding second two furlongs out. Regardless, he offers excellent value as an each-way pick among Goodwood Cup betting enthusiasts.

• 9.00 BoyleSports
• 7.00 William Hill
• 9.00 LeoVegas

📊 Past Winners of the Goodwood Cup

Our Goodwood Cup betting guide wouldn’t be complete without a look at the past five winners of the race. Aidan O’Brien’s Kyprios has prevailed twice since 2020, and he was ridden successfully by Ryan Moore on both occasions. You can leverage this data to help inform your Goodwood races betting picks for 2025.