- Racing returns to Goodwood Racecourse with three Listed contests for the best fillies and mares.
- Season Opener takes place on Friday 1 and Saturday 2 May.
- Tickets and hospitality available to purchase at Goodwood.com.
Racing returns to Goodwood Racecourse this weekend with a host of exciting entries set to feature across three Listed contests on Friday and Saturday’s cards. With fair weather forecast, racegoers can look forward to top-class action with some of last season’s Classic and Group 1 performers heading to the Sussex Downs track.
Friday’s seven-race card is headlined by the Listed British Stallion Studs EBF Daisy Warwick Stakes, a mile-and-a-half contest for fillies. Previously won by Arc heroine Alpinista, the race has established itself as a key stepping stone for future Group 1 performers.
The Clarehaven operation of John and Thady Gosden boasts an impressive record in the race, with three wins since its inaugural running in 2011 - including last year’s success with Shaha. This year, the yard is represented by Crepe Suzette, who will bid to continue that strong record. Carrying the familiar pink silks of Normandie Stud, she is still seeking her first black-type victory, having gone close at Listed level and performed with credit in Group company last season, notably finishing third in the Group 2 Park Hill Stakes at Doncaster.
David O’Meara’s Ryka could prove a major contender, having already secured Listed success when last seen, drawing clear in the Prix Panacée at Toulouse.
An intriguing contender is KissmeHoneyHoney, an unexposed filly from the William Haggas stable. A winner on her sole start last September, she brings significant potential and shouldn’t be overlooked.
Saturday’s card raises the bar further, featuring two Listed contests including the rescheduled Chelmer Fillies’ Stakes, which has been moved from Chelmsford Racecourse for this season’s opener at Goodwood.
The Listed Chelmer Fillies’ Stakes, run over six furlongs, continues to attract high-quality fields. First awarded Listed status in 2019, the race has already produced top-level performers, including Group 1-winning sprinter Believing, who took the 2023 renewal.
This year’s edition has drawn 15 entries, with Fitzella setting a strong standard for Hugo Palmer. She brings solid Group race credentials, including victory in the Group 3 Princess Margaret Stakes at Ascot last season. Fitzella returned to action in the Group 3 Nell Gwyn Stakes at Newmarket, finishing fifth of 12, and now looks set to revert to sprint distances.
Hugo Palmer said: “I am very happy with the filly; she’s come out of the Nell Gwyn where she ran very well and is in good order. She’s also entered at Newmarket, and we’ll decide later in the week where she runs.”
Pearl Fortune impressed when landing the Listed Critérium de Vitesse at Deauville late last season. She reappeared in the Group 3 Prix Sigy earlier this month, but her chances were compromised by early interference leaving the stalls. Connections will be hoping for a smoother start if lining up in Saturday’s contest.
Ed Walker has entered two runners in this sprint contest with similar profiles, both in search of that all-important black-type success. Their juvenile form puts them firmly in the mix, with Princess Petrol, third in the Group 3 Sweet Solera Stakes last season, and Midnight Tango, runner-up in the Listed Empress Stakes, representing a yard in strong form.
The Listed Conqueror Stakes looks on paper to be the pinnacle lineup of the weekend with Group 1 and Classic form to the fore. Last year’s renewal went the way of Wathnan Racing’s Crimson Advocate, who followed up that success with Royal Ascot glory in the Group 2 Duke of Cambridge Stakes.
The Charlie Fellowes-trained She’s Perfect enjoyed a standout 2025 campaign and gave connections a heart-stopping moment at Longchamp Racecourse when passing the post first in the French Guineas (Group 1 Poule d'Essai des Pouliches). The race was subsequently awarded to the runner-up after stewards deemed that significant interference had occurred, resulting in a reversal of placings for the Basher Watts Racing syndicate.
Her season was later cut short due to injury, but connections return with renewed optimism for what they hope will be an exciting campaign at the top level.
Charlie Fellowes said: “We are delighted with She’s Perfect. This has been the plan through the winter.
“She’s obviously got experience at the track, and we think it’s a track that will play to her strengths. She seems in good order, we haven’t missed a beat with her so far this year.
“She has been away for a racecourse gallop and although we definitely think she’ll come on from the run, she should be pretty straight and hopefully this is a platform to bigger and better things for the rest of the year.”
The Juddmonte-owned BLUE BOLT, trained by Andrew Balding, adds further depth to the field, having followed her Listed win in the Distaff at Sandown Park with a runner-up effort in the Group 1 Sun Chariot Stakes to round off her 2025 campaign.
The field at entry stage also features Arisaig, trained by Charlie Johnston, who seemed to enjoy the track when recording a placed effort in the Group 2 Celebration Mile last season. Betty Clover bids to go one better than last year for trainer Eve Johnson Houghton in this contest, where she was denied by just a nose by the aforementioned Crimson Advocate.
Royal Ascot Sandringham winner Never Let Go, trained by Ed Walker, comes into the prospective field after finishing second in the Listed Snowdrop Fillies’ Stakes. She could reoppose that rival here in Pina Sonata, trained by James Fanshawe, who got the better of her on that occasion.
With strength in depth across the entries and a blend of proven Group performers and emerging talent, this weekend’s season opener at Goodwood looks set to provide a compelling and high-quality start to the Flat campaign.
-ENDS-
