The Qatar Goodwood Festival gets underway on Tuesday and the opening race, the Coral Chesterfield Cup Handicap, sees last year's winner Take Heart return in a bid to retain his title.
Take Heart Back For More after Gritty Goodwood Win Last Year
Take Heart went into last year's race after making steady progress throughout the season. Ridden by Ben Ceon he took the lead at the furlong pole and despite the favourite Enjaar coming hard at him with a storming late run, he dug in and held off the challenge by a neck.
Back in 2024 Take Heart was trained by Johnny Murtagh. However, he has not repeated the same form and is now with David Menuisier. And rather than Ceon on board it will be Kieran Shoemark. Both trainer and jockey have enjoyed past successes at Goodwood, so they will be hopeful that they can bring the five-year-old back into form.
Take Heart 11/1 with bet365 to Repeat Win
Take Heart will go into the Chesterfield Cup Handicap off the same mark, 95, as last year. We think that he could well repeat his win of 12 months ago and his current odds of 11/1 at bet365 mean that he is an attractive each-way option too.
The Team Valor International & Steven Rocco owned horse was without a victory in 2024 when he won at Goodwood. And although his three outings in 2025 have produced only mediocre performances, he has not raced since May 9 at Chester. He has been with Menuisier since June 3, and it is possible that the new regime could help him re-discover his 2024 form. Starting with a good performance on a course where he has previously raced well.
There are other more fancied horses in the race according to the UK’s best horseracing betting sites. Check out the current odds with bet365.
| Horse | Odds |
|---|---|
| Castle Cove | 4/1 |
| Defiance | 11/2 |
| Jolly Jack Tar | 11/2 |
| Tony Montana | 10/1 |
| Take Heart | 11/1 |
| Grey Cuban | 11/1 |
| Masoun | 11/1 |
| Ancient Rome | 12/1 |
| Silawi | 16/1 |
| Shadow Dance | 16/1 |
| English Oak | 18/1 |
| Westridge | 18/1 |
| Bolster | 18/1 |
Odds correct on 28/07/2025 at 11:15. Odds subject to change.
We think that, given Take Heart’s previous victory in this race, he is a good value each-way bet for this one. For tips on the festival’s feature races, odds, information and more, check out our guide to Glorious Goodwood.
