Golden Mile Tips

Golden Mile Preview: Tips, Betting Offers and Odds

There aren’t many horse races as aptly named as the Golden Mile Handicap. This 1 mile race carries a winning prize in excess of £90,000 for winning connections so will prove to be a Golden Mile for whoever’s horse comes home in front. The race forms a very important part of what is arguably the strongest day of racing at Glorious Goodwood so is one to make time for.

Be sure to check out our tips for the King George Stakes too, whilst tomorrow see the Stewards’ Cup to the fore.

Golden Mile Tips

The Golden Mile is open to horses aged three and older. The last nine renewals of the race yielded three three-year-old winners so the younger horses in the field should not be automatically written off. A word of warning though – only back three-year-olds who already have experience of this type of race.

Look for the Right Blend of Youth and Experience

Backing a horse without a prior win over at least 1 mile is not a smart move. Punters should also back horses who have handicap experience, ideally against a big field and in an important meeting. The buzz generated by racegoers at Goodwood before the race will see some horses get worked up, whilst others will struggle with the lack of space that the field of 20 ensures.

Clon Coulis Has What It Takes

As important and popular as Glorious Goodwood is, it is not the biggest meeting of the British flat racing season. Royal Ascot attracts bigger crowds and provides more challenges for the horses away from the racing itself. The fact that Clon Coulis was able to deal with the big crowds and noise at Ascot to finish second in the 28 runner Royal Hunt Cup is a big plus for her.

David Barron’s five-year-old still looked to be feeling the effects of her Ascot exertion last time out at Pontefract but should be fresh enough on Friday after a three week break. Providing she arrives in good shape, she should be able to work her way steadily through the field before kicking strongly for home.

Key Victory the One For Each Way Money

Key Victory was also involved in the Royal Hunt Cup at Ascot. There is no getting away from the fact that his performance was nowhere near what was expected of him that day. Thankfully, the Charlie Appleby-trained four-year-old was much more like his old self next time out at Sandown.

Early last season, Key Victory was in the conversation for a Classic win. That never materialised and a trip to Dubai proved to be ill fated. He has shown signs of finally fulfilling his potential now he’s back in Britain and looks very well priced for an each way bet at massive odds of 25/1.

Betting Predictions

If Clon Coulis is to win the Golden Mile at 12/1 with bet365, she’ll need to show the quality on display at Royal Ascot rather than the meek performance we saw at Pontefract. This sort of big occasion could be just the thing to bring the best out of a refreshed Clon Coulis though, who has a genuine chance of winning.

It’s possible to make a case on any number of horses for an each way bet but the 25/1 that BetVictor are quoting on Key Victory look like the sort of value not to be missed.

Golden Mile Previous Winners

2018 – Seniority – jockey Ryan Moore, trainer William Haggas
2017 – Master The World – jockey Ryan Moore, trainer David Elsworth
2016 – Franklin D – jockey Ryan Moore, trainer Michael Bell
2015 – Belgian Bill – jockey Pat Cosgrave, trainer George Baker
2014 – Red Avenger – jockey Jimmy Fortune, trainer Ed Dunlop
2013 – Wentworth – jockey Richard Hughes, trainer Richard Hannon Snr
2012 – Fulbright – jockey Silvestre De Sousa, trainer Mark Johnston
2011 – Boom And Bust – jockey Hayley Turner, trainer Marcus Tregoning
2010 – Sea Lord – jockey Royston Ffrench, trainer Mark Johnston
2009 – Laa Rayb – jockey Jimmy Fortune, trainer Mark Johnston

Race History

One of the major highlights of the summertime racing scene is the excellent Glorious Goodwood Festival. Taking place over five days in late July/early August each year the festival is always one of the most anticipated and well attended of the season. Offering a plethora of Group class contests, there’s plenty of quality on show, but the handicap events are invariably right up their when it comes to the most popular betting heats.

Lying behind only the Stewards Cup when it comes to the meetings handicap contests is this event over the mile. First run in 1987 and open to all runners aged three and over, this heritage event is one of the big attractions on the fourth day of the meeting.

The race has maintained its official “Golden Mile” title ever since that inaugural running in 1987, but has been prefixed by a number of different sponsors over the years. Schweppes lent their support to the race between 1987 and 1997, after which time the betting companies took over. William Hill, totesport and Betfred have all provided backing, with Unibet taking over in 2018.

Handicap contests in general aren’t thought of as being the easiest of race types for punters to predict, and that has certainly proven to be the case in this race. Having missed the target in each of the first 17 editions, 2004 finally saw the first winning favourite in the Golden Mile, as the Frankie Dettori ridden Ancient World came home in front.

As popular as the win for Ancient World was, it was nothing comparted to that of Franklin D in 2016. Well fancied in the build up to the race and looking thrown in on the handicap, the public support began to snowball behind this one, resulting in him starting at odds of just 7/4. Thankfully for punters he got the job done, in the process becoming – as of 2018 – the shortest priced winner in the history of the race.

At the other end of the spectrum, there has been the occasional really big shock result. None bigger than the 1996 success of Moscow Mist at whopping odds of 66/1!

Whilst the race may “only” be a handicap affair, it has on occasion proved to be a steppingstone towards bigger and better things. Subsequent Group winners Waajib (1987) and Ancient World probably ranking an the classiest winners in the races history.

Not all runners in this race move onwards and upwards though. Some contenders return for another shot at the prize year after year. Topping the bill in this respect – and a real advertisement for the “if at first you don’t succeed” mantra – is the George Baker trained Belgian Bill. Eighth in the race in 2012 and 5th in 2014, he finally got his nose in front in the 2015 edition, becoming the oldest winner in the history of the race at seven years of age.

Mark Johnston is perhaps the modern trainer most associated with Glorious Goodwood success, and the positive results achieved by the Middleham handler certainly extend to this race. Landing a fifth success in 2012 with Fulbright, it is he who sits atop the trainers table as of 2018.

Prior to 2016 only Kevin Darley and Jimmy Fortune had managed to win this race on more than one occasion. Three years later we had a new outright leader in the all-time jockeys list…

Breaking his duck in the race when steering that colossal public gamble Franklin D to victory for Michael Bell in 2016, Ryan Moore then completed a rapid fire hattrick when coming out on top aboard Master The World for David Elsworth in 2017 and Seniority for William Haggas and The Queen in 2018.