The most backed bets via oddschecker on Day 5 of the Glorious Goodowood festival.
13:50 GoodwoodSee All Odds
Valedictory
Valedictory is bidding for a hat-trick, and everything about the way John Gosden has brought him along this season points to a horse peaking at exactly the right time.
Three wins from seven starts tells only part of the story - it's the pattern of his last two that catches the eye. He got the job done here at Goodwood over course and distance back in May, his first success in handicap company at this trip, then backed it up with another win at Newmarket's July meeting over today's 1m6f trip. That's a horse improving with racing rather than simply repeating himself.
Everything lines up today too: the stable is in form, the ground looks suitable, and he's already proven he handles this course and this trip better than most in the field. William Buick taking the ride adds further confidence, and with the step up in distance only likely to bring out more of his stamina-laden pedigree, there's little not to like.
14:25 GoodwoodSee All Odds
Al Aasy
Al Aasy is the type who simply refuses to read the script that says veterans should be winding down, and there's no reason to bet against a third straight win in this race.
Age is just a number for this one - the two-time defending champion of this exact contest, winning by a length in 2024 and then extending that margin to three lengths last year. Still only two runs into his season, he's shown the form hasn't gone anywhere: a clear second at Newbury on his reappearance, followed by a comfortable one-and-a-half-length success in a Listed event at Beverley that ticked every box ahead of today.
What really stands out is the weight of evidence behind him - the strongest established rating in the field, a course and distance record that edges out even his own in-form stablemate Opportunity, and a trainer in William Haggas who has this string firing on all cylinders. Tom Marquand renews the partnership too, and while there are capable rivals lining up to stop the hat-trick, none can match his blend of proven big-race pedigree and current form.
15:00 GoodwoodSee All Odds
Waardah
Waardah returns to the scene of last year's triumph, and there's every indication connections have been building towards exactly this moment all season.
She's had just the one run in 2026, but it was a smart one - a close second at Carlisle behind Estrange, who's since franked that form emphatically with an Irish Group 1 victory of her own. That's the form of a filly with plenty in the tank, not one short of fitness. Lightly raced and clearly kept fresh, the long gap between runs points to a filly being carefully saved for exactly this target.
Last year's win here was gritty rather than straightforward, taking it up two furlongs out and holding on by three-quarters of a length despite hanging under pressure - the kind of performance that shows she has the competitive edge as well as the class. That win did come on softer ground, and there's a question over whether quicker conditions today suit her as well, but with Owen Burroughs seemingly plotting this race as her big autumn (well, summer) target, and Callum Rodriguez continuing in the saddle for continuity, there's enough to suggest she can defy any concerns about the ground.
16:10 GoodwoodSee All Odds
Naval Light
Naval Light arrives with momentum on his side and connections that know exactly how to find winners at this meeting.
There's a clear thread running through his career here: second at this very festival last year behind the smart Stellar Sunrise, a horse who's since gone on to be rated well over 100 - form that looks better with every passing month. Since then he's gone from strength to strength, backing up a maiden success (also since franked by the runner-up winning again) with a comfortable Catterick handicap victory just 5lb below today's mark.
Bidding for the hat-trick now, he's two from two with Jack Nicholls on board and the young jockey retains the ride, with his claim taking a useful chunk off the weight. Representing the in-form Wathnan Racing operation, who've been cleaning up at this meeting all week, there's plenty of reason for confidence that the upward curve continues rather than stalls.
