Glorious Goodwood

Steeped in history and tradition, we delve into it.

As it's the week of the Qatar Goodwood Festival, better known as ‘Glorious Goodwood', we thought we’d shed some light on the history of this renowned meeting.

It's thought that Goodwood became 'Glorious' when a newspaper editor wrote a piece about King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra enjoying one of their many days out there. Truth be told, the origin of this well-known alliterative appendage has been lost over time.

The racecourse was opened in 1802 by the third Duke of Richmond, the year after he held a private meeting for officers of the Sussex Militia and the Goodwood Hunt. His grandfather (one of Charlies II's illegitimate sons) had previously fallen in love with that piece of land when riding over it with the Charlton Hunt.

The event became increasingly fashionable over the years, and was once described by Edward VII as 'a garden party with racing tacked on'. It was the very same man who set the trend for men to wear linen suits and Panama hats, a dress code that lasts until this day. Women, on the other hand, are recommended to don 'an effortless dress that feels fun but chic'.

As one of Flat's most prestigious events, Glorious Goodwood also has the distinction of being the first British course to have on-course commentary. This was in 1952.

The track itself is considered relatively complex. Prior to his retirement, Richard Hughes was said to be one of few to have mastered it, as did Frankie Dettori who had his first British winner here onboard the Luca Cumani trained Lizzie Hare in 1987. The track is set on 12,000 acres of stunning Sussex Downs scenery, owned by the Duke of Richmond...

...there are certainly few courses better suited to staging the hair-raising dramas of our 'Sport of Kings'.

Glorious!