The week opens on Tuesday 28 July and finishes on Saturday 1 August, with no rest day in between.
The front end of Goodwood's timetable is simple: gates at 11:00, first race at 13:50. The finish changes from day to day, however, ranging from 17:20 to 17:55, so anyone travelling should work from that afternoon's card.
High on the South Downs near Chichester, West Sussex, the course provides a test and backdrop quite unlike most British tracks. By this stage of the summer, the leading form lines from meetings such as Royal Ascot are also ready to cross.
Glorious Goodwood 2026 Schedule
| Day |
Date |
Festival Day |
Main Race |
| Tuesday |
28 July |
Goodwood Cup Day |
Group 1 Al Shaqab Goodwood Cup |
| Wednesday |
29 July |
Sussex Stakes Day |
Group 1 Visit Qatar Sussex Stakes |
| Thursday |
30 July |
Ladies' Day |
Group 1 Qatar Nassau Stakes |
| Friday |
31 July |
King George Day |
Group 2 King George Qatar Stakes |
| Saturday |
1 August |
Stewards' Cup Day |
Coral Stewards' Cup |
Tuesday: Goodwood Cup Day
Tuesday wastes no time, sending the leading stayers into a two-mile Goodwood Cup for the week's first Group 1. Staying is the obvious demand, yet runners still need enough pace to hold a useful position and answer when the tempo rises late on. The field often brings proven Cup horses together with younger stayers taking their first step into top-level company.
Goodwood Cup betting usually opens with win and each-way prices. Other options may be added once the final declarations are known.
Wednesday: Sussex Stakes Day
If one race defines the meeting, it is probably Wednesday's Sussex Stakes. The Group 1 mile has become Goodwood's flagship contest.
It takes place over one mile and can put the leading three-year-old milers against older, more established horses. Those clashes gave the race its familiar “Duel on the Downs” nickname.
Form from the 2,000 Guineas, St James's Palace Stakes and Queen Anne Stakes can provide useful background when the market takes shape. Age allowances, the likely pace and a horse's previous record at a mile can also affect the Sussex Stakes odds.
Thursday: Nassau Stakes and Ladies' Day
Thursday belongs to the fillies and mares, who meet in the Group 1 Nassau Stakes. Over a little more than a mile and two furlongs, the best three-year-olds take on older rivals and bring very different strands of form into one field.
The Magnolia Cup also takes place on Ladies' Day. This charity race features amateur female riders from the worlds of business, sport, fashion and media. It is a well-known part of the occasion, although the Nassau Stakes remains the day's principal professional race.
Friday: King George Stakes Day
Friday is built around raw speed, courtesy of the Group 2 King George Qatar Stakes.
Five furlongs leaves no time to waste. A slow start or a blocked passage can be costly, which brings early pace, track position and the prospect of a clear run into the discussion.
There is depth elsewhere on the card, notably the competitive Coral Golden Mile handicap and the Group 3 Bonhams Thoroughbred Stakes.
Saturday: Stewards' Cup Day
Goodwood saves one of the week's toughest puzzles for Saturday. Usually packed with runners, the six-furlong Stewards' Cup makes both pace and position difficult to untangle.
Its profile sometimes causes confusion, but the Stewards' Cup is a heritage handicap rather than a Group 1. Official ratings dictate the different weights, and recent sprint form is only one strand to follow; the draw, pace and a horse's previous visits to Goodwood can reshape the race. They will not make a notoriously open handicap predictable, but they do give the market some context.
