Stewards' Cup

Since 1993, the Stewards' Cup has been the betting highlight of the fifth and final day of the Goodwood Festival, a.k.a. 'Glorious Goodwood', staged annually in late July or early August. However, the history of the Stewards' Cup dates back to 1839, when it was conceived by politician and racehorse owner Lord George Bentinck; the inaugural running took place in 1840.

The Stewards' Cup is a Class 2 handicap run over 6 furlongs on the sharp, downhill sprint course at Goodwood and open to horses aged three years and upwards. With total prize money of £250,000, £155,625 of which goes to the winner, the Stewards' Cup is invariably well subscribed. Indeed, with a safety limit of 28, the race often resembles the proverbial 'cavalry charge', at the end of which close finishes and 'shock' results are not uncommon.

A total of five horses have won the Stewards' Cup twice, although the most recent of them was Sky Diver, who did so in 1967 and 1968. Three-time champion jockey Richard Hughes, who retired from race riding in 2015, remains the leading jockey in the history of the Stewards' Cup, with four wins. However, for the leading trainer, we need to look back to the nineteenth century, during which the 'Wizard of the North', John Scott, and James Jewitt both saddled four winners apiece. Down the years, notable winners of the Stewards' Cup have included Soba, Petong, Lochsong, Coastal Bluff and Borderlescott.