The Peninsula
Since teaming up with the Qatar Racing and Equestrian Club (QREC) in 2015, the prestigious Qatar Goodwood Festival Meeting, or ‘Glorious Goodwood’, has not only been a platform for the elite in equine athleticism, but also a global celebration of racing due to the wealth of public who attend the superb, five-day spectacle.
With over £5.3m in prize money on offer across the five days, the International Festival commences today, where the highlight is the Gr.1 Al Shaqab Goodwood Cup. First run in 1812, the two-mile contest is worth £500,000 and has housed innumerable champion stayers over the years. This year, four-time winner Stradivarius (Sea The Stars) bids to regain his crown from last year’s hero Trueshan (Planteur), who offered dual-purpose trainer Alan King with a first Group 1 success on the level.
The curtain raiser in tomorrow's fantastic card is the Gr.1 Qatar International Stakes (PA). Run over a mile, the Group 1 contest for Purebred Arabians was first staged in 2015 and is the richest of its kind in the UK, thanks to a staggering £400,000 in prizemoney.
Also, the richest mile race (PA) in Europe, the Gr.1 Qatar International Stakes boasts 17-talented entries, including last year’s winner Lady Princess (General), Qatar Derby winner First Classs (Dahess), and the five-time Gr.1 (PA) winner, Hattal (Mahabb). A salient contest in the Arabian racing calendar, the Gr.1 Qatar International Stakes had been won on four separate occasions by a French-trained horse and on three separate occasions by a Qatari-trained runner.
Tomorrow's Gr.1 Qatar Sussex Stakes is amongst the world’s greatest mile races and has housed champions such as Too Darn Hot (Dubawi), Kingman (Invincible Spirit) and Frankel (Galileo) over the last 10 years. The £1m contest is expected to go the way of the unbeaten Baaeed (Sea The Stars), who is set to retire at the end of the season. Meanwhile, standing in the way of a ninth-straight success for Baaeed is the dual Group 1 winning three-year-old Coroebus (Dubawi), and, last year’s winner Alcohol Free (No Nay Never).
Thursday is all about the girls and the Gr.1 Qatar Nassau Stakes sees Nashwa (Frankel) head eleven entries for the £600,000 fillies and mares’ contest.
Three-year-old’s hold a fantastic record in the race and a repeat of Nashwa’s Gr.1 Prix de Diane winning performance could see the filly claim a second Group 1 under leading female rider Hollie Doyle. A race to savour, in which seasoned runners Lilac Road (Mastercraftsman) and Dreamloper (Lope De Vega) look the principal threats to Nashwa.
Friday and Saturday historically feature top-class handicaps, such as the Stewards Cup, a race which dates to 1840 and can often feature up to 30 runners over the six-furlong course. Friday’s Gr.2 Qatar King George Stakes is one of the calendar’s premium sprint races and was won last year by François Rohaut’s Suesa (Night Of Thunder). The French-trained sprinter is amongst the 32 entries for this year’s renewal, which includes the Al Shaqab Racing-owned Gr.1 winner Ebro River (Galileo Gold).
The final Group race of the week is the Gr.2 Qatar Lillie Langtry Stakes.
QREC continues to sponsor the prestigious Qatar Goodwood Festival with a 10-year deal, which, since it was cemented in 2015 has become one of the largest single sponsorship deals within British Horse Racing. Qatar Airways, as the regular official carrier of the Qatar Goodwood Festival, Qatar Tourism, Visit Qatar and Education Above All, partner QREC in this year’s renewal of the Festival.