Goodwood Racecourse this week will host five days of thrilling equine action set against the backdrop of the beautiful Sussex countryside.
The Qatar Goodwood Festival – still popularly referred to as “Glorious Goodwood” – is one of the highlights of the flat-racing season.
It is a spectacle that has to be experienced. Fashion, combined with some of the greatest races in the world, go towards creating a great summer carnival. Here is a guide to each day of the Glorious Goodwood Festival 2019:
Tuesday (July 30th)
The Tuesday highlight is Goodwood’s newest Group One, the Goodwood Cup worth £500,000.
A rematch between Stradivarius (John Gosden) and Dee Ex Bee (Mark Johnston) will light the touch-paper and provide all the fireworks the fans want on day one of the Festival.
A length separated the pair last time out in the Gold Cup over two and a half miles at Royal Ascot, with Stradivarius just doing enough to thwart the Johnston runner.
Stradivarius is seeking a record-equalling third success in the Qatar Goodwood Cup following victories in 2017 and 2018.
The five-year-old is now unbeaten in his last seven starts and is still on target for the Stayers’ Million, with its £1-million bonus, for the second year running.
Also run on the opening day of the Festival is the Lennox Stakes.
There are currently 17 horses declared, including Zaaki (Sir Michael Stoute) who was supplemented last week for £15,000 following his nose second in the Summer Mile at Ascot on July 13th. The four-year-old has been installed as the favourite.
Last year’s French 2,000 Guineas runner-up Hey Gaman (James Tate) finished second in the Minstrel Stakes over seven furlongs at the Curragh last time.
That performance came on the back of wins in the King Charles II Stakes at Leicester and the Prix du Palais-Royal at Longchamp.
Wednesday (July 31st)
The Qatar Sussex Stakes is one of the highlights of the horse racing season, with prize money of £1 million attracting a world-class field.
This mile-long Group One race has previously been won by the world famous Frankel, the popular French grey Solow and in 2018, by Lightning Spear.
Circus Maximus (Aidan O’Brien) was supplemented for the Qatar Sussex Stakes at a cost of £70,000 last week, which has boosted the overall prize money for the race now to £1,059,250.
The three-year-old began this season by racing over further, including when sixth in the Derby, but relished dropping down to a mile when landing the St James’s Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot.
Lord Glitters was a closing third in this last year when given too much to do and must have a great chance of following up on his Queen Anne Stakes victory at the Royal meeting.
Thursday (August 1st)
The prestigious Group One Qatar Nassau Stakes is the highlight of the eight-race card on Thursday, worth £600,000. Previous winners include Ouija Board, Midday and Minding.
Unsurprisingly Aidan O’Brien is responsible for five of the 13 fillies and mares currently entered for the race.
Having saddled four previous winners of the Group One contest in Peeping Fawn (2007), Halfway To Heaven (2008), Minding (2016) and Winter (2017), the Ballydoyle genius seems intent on adding another Nassau to his tally.
O’Brien’s main hope appears to be dual 1000 Guineas heroine Hermosa.
The daughter of Galileo She finished runner-up to the French-trained Watch Me in the Coronation Stakes at Royal Ascot last month, and will be stepping up to a mile and a quarter for the first time this week.
John Gosden could saddle Mehdaayih and Terebellum, while Sir Michael Stoute is likely to challenge them all with Sun Maiden and Rawdaa.
Francis-Henri Graffard’s French Oaks heroine Channel and Mitsuru Hashida’s Japanese raider Deirdre add a truly international aspect to the race.
Friday (August 2nd)
The sight of a packed field of horses hurtling at speeds of over 40mph past the Goodwood grandstands makes the £300,000 Group Two Qatar King George Stakes one of the highlights of the entire week.
With three further Group races being held on the same afternoon, the Friday of the Qatar Goodwood Festival has to be one of the most enthralling day's racing in the entire calendar.
Battaash is again due to contest the five-furlong King George Stakes, a race he won in 2017 and 2018.
Battaash’s victory in 2017 resulted in him being named as the best five-furlong performer anywhere in the world that year in the Longines Rankings, while last year he set a new track record for five furlongs at Goodwood of 56.50s.
If he wins it in 2019, Battaash will become the first three-time winner of the King George Stakes.
Battaash’s possible opponents include the in-form El Astronaute and the Aidan O’Brien-trained Sergei Prokofiev.
Joining the field late for Friday's Group Two feature is Henry Candy's supplemented mare Rebecca Rocks, a Listed winner at Ayr last month.
Also taking place on Friday afternoon is the ultra-competitive Golden Mile.
The William Haggas-trained Seniority is attempting to claim back-to-back wins in the Golden Mile for Her Majesty The Queen, who owns the horse. The son of Dubawi has hinted that a return to form is on the cards in two recent starts since returning to Britain.
Saturday (August 3rd)
The Qatar Stewards’ Cup takes centre stage for the final day of the Qatar Goodwood Festival.
This historic race provides racegoers with the opportunity to witness 28 of the finest equine speedsters dashing down the Goodwood home straight in an attempt to claim the £250,000 prize. Previous winners of this famous sprint include Soba, Loch Song and Hoof It.
The six-furlong Stewards' Cup is one of the hardest sprint handicaps to win and trainer Declan Carroll came agonisingly close to landing it last season with Justanotherbottle.
Beaten by just a short-head last summer, Carroll's charge is rated 4lb lower than he was for the 2018 renewal, and has been allotted 8st 11lb for it this year.
The lightly raced five-year-old must be in with another good chance this time around and has been popular in the horse racing betting.
The best of luck with all your “Glorious Goodwood” gambles this week.
*Odds subject to change - correct at time of writing*
