One of racing’s most longstanding fun facts will get to go around for another year.

No horse has won a second Goodwood since Musket Belle way back in 1912, and it won’t be happening in 2025 either.

Royal Merchant (2023) and Benedetta (2024) are the only past Goodwood winners still in training, and neither of them will be at Morphettville on Saturday.

The absence of repeat winners is not entirely surprising given that for most of its existence the Goodwood has been a handicap. A win in the race one year would result in a higher weight the next.

In 2007 the SAJC opted to change the Goodwood from handicap conditions to set weights and penalties.

The move arguably had the desired effect (attracting quality sprinters) with some distinguished additions to the honour roll, notably Takeover Target (2009), Black Caviar (2012), Black Heart Bart (2016), Vega Magic (2017) and Santa Ana Lane (2018).

However, you could argue that of those five only Takeover Target and Black Caviar would have been weighted out of the old Goodwood Handicap.

Black Heart Bart and Vega Magic were Group 1 maidens when they won the Goodwood. Santa Ana Lane had won the Group 1 Rupert Clarke, but his best was ahead of him.

Regardless, the new-look Goodwood seems no easier for the defending champ than the old Goodwood Handicap. Of the seven Goodwood winners since 2008 to have backed up the next year, only Platelet (second in 2014) has finished better than sixth.

One thing’s for sure, the race has been no easier for punters at set weights and penalties. The 18 winners since the change have had an average SP of $16.61 (despite Takeover Target at $1.40 and Black Caviar at $1.05). The last eight Goodwood Handicap winners averaged a relatively civilised $9.