Listed Festival Stakes Goodwood Guide 2023

Roger Varian boasts one runner in this Goodwood event on Saturday with his horse El Drama. The five-year-old is winless since May 2021, where the horse won the Listed Dee Stakes at Chester and has been inconsistent in better company since. Most notable run was when the horse finished second to Baaeed in Group Three Thoroughbred Stakes here in July 2021 but has since finished second in Group One Jebel Hatta at Meydan, which provides encouragement.

El Drama was eighth in the Group One Dubai Turf at Meydan last time out when priced at 33/1 but can bounce back here in listed company, which should be a bit easier. Some other runners come here in better form but grouped experience can help for sure.

Paul and Oliver Cole send one runner to the Listed Festival Stakes at Goodwood on Saturday with their gelding Jack Darcy. The four-year-old began his career with back-to-back victories at Salisbury and Newbury in class five events before stepping into much better company since, finishing second in listed event at Deauville in the process. He most recently finished seventh in listed Kempton race in November and now makes reappearance onto the track after 178 days here.

Would be wrong to completely dismiss him here but others make more appeal on form and he would be a slightly surprising winner.

Andrew Balding sends one runner to the Listed Festival Stakes at Goodwood on Saturday with Imperial Fighter. The 107-rated gelding is winless since winning class two maiden on debut here back in 2021, ahead of Ring Of Beara. He was then thrust into much better company, finishing in the top three on four occasions but most recently was last of five in Group Two bet365 Mile and last of six in Listed Doncaster Mile during 2023.

The four-year-old is yet to replicate the form he showed last year and his most recent runs make others easier to back in this contest. Hayley Turner is booked to ride.

The duo of Charlie Appleby and James Doyle boast one runner in the Listed Festival Stakes with King Of Conquest, who arrives at Goodwood in good nick. The four-year-old has won his last two races, at Wolverhampton by half a length and at Newmarket by a head on reappearance this term. This will be the gelding’s first effort in listed company after those two successes and he looks worth a crack at this level, with those wins adding to his debut victory at Sandown in 2021.

Little bit more of a difficult test for him in this company but one that he can stand up to and a good run is expected. Difficult to say whether he can win with the favourite in top form and others with experience at higher levels, but certainly not dismissed.

Martyn Meade sends one runner to this event at Goodwood on Saturday with Epic Poet. The four-year-old arrives in top form, having finished in the top three on all seven runs so far, since his debut in 2021 at ParisLongchamp. The colt has won three times during his time in France, at ParisLongchamp (twice) and Compeigne (Listed Pelleas Stakes).

He makes his debut for Meade here and in the UK, which is likely to pose a bigger test for him but his record in listed events in France make for good reading and no reason why he couldn’t travel well. Tom Marquand is booked to ride.

James Horton has one in the Listed Festival Stakes at Goodwood on Saturday with Phantom Flight. The four-year-old has had a good start to his career so far, winning three times in 2022 at Redcar (C5), Haydock (C5) and York (C2), which was a five-length success over 1m 2f. He was a disappointing seventh on listed debut at Ayr on his last run in 2022 but returned in good shape this term to finish third in Listed Magnolia Stakes at Kempton last month, behind Rogue Millennium and Foxes Tales.

Has his third start in listed company here and that experience could help him go well here, especially given as he gave a good account of himself at Kempton last month. The favourite here looks strong but no reason why he can’t go well again.

John and Thady Gosden send one runner to the Listed Festival Stakes with their four-year-old unbeaten colt, Francesco Clemente. The four-year-old has won three out of three races so far in his career, winning at Newmarket in a class three on debut before a second victory at Sandown in a class four. He followed that with his best win yet, by a nine-length margin in class two Newmarket handicap last July before seasonal reappearance here on Saturday.

Francesco Clemente makes his listed debut in this Goodwood contest and while some have experience at this sort of level and higher, he can continue his unbeaten run here if returning with the same promise as 2022. The 11/8 favourite looks hard to beat on form. Frankie Dettori will do the steering.