The Peninsula
Qatar Goodwood Festival, the world-famous five-day racing carnival is one of the highlights of the flat racing season. Over 100,000 people flock to the world’s most beautiful racecourse to enjoy top class racing and entertainment, including four Group 1 races; namely, the Qatar International Stakes for pure Arabians, the Qatar Goodwood Cup, the £1m Qatar Sussex Stakes and the Qatar Nassau Stakes.
The 2019 edition of the event begins on Tuesday and will continue till August 3 as Qatar continues its generous support to the event, with prize money totalling over £5.5m.
Qatar International Stakes (Gr1/PA)
The entries for the Qatar International Stakes (Gr 1/PA) include top performers of the calibre of the H H Sheikh Abdullah bin Khalifa Al Thani-owned and Alban de Mieulle-trained Tayf, winner of this race in 2017 and Yazeed, winner of the Qatar Gold Sword this year, the His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Khalifa Al Thani-owned and Julian Smart-trained Ebraz, winner of the The Amir Sword this year, and the Al Shaqab Racing-owned and Thomas Fourcy-trained Amir Al Cham, winner of the Qatar Derby for 3YOs last year.
The quadruple features among the entries for the £400,000 mile contest to be run on Wednesday. The list also includes the F Rohaut-trained Muraaqib, winner of this race last year, the A de Watrigant-trained Taymour and the Frederic Sanchez-trained Hayyan.
Qatar Goodwood Cup (Gr1)
A rematch between Stradivarius (John Gosden) and Dee Ex Bee (Mark Johnston) is set to provide the best possible start to the Qatar Goodwood Festival. The two stayers head 13 confirmations for the highlight of day 1; the £500,000 G1 Qatar Goodwood Cup over two miles. A length separated the duo last time out in the G1 Gold Cup over two and a half miles at Royal Ascot on June 20, with Stradivarius coming out on top.
Stradivarius is going for a record third straight win in the opening day highlight. He has looked as good as ever in two starts this season, capturing the G2 Yorkshire Cup at York in May before a second successive G1 Gold Cup victory.
Dee Ex Bee had won two G3 contests over two miles in 2019 - Ascot’s Sagaro Stakes and the Henry II Stakes at Sandown Park.
Qatar Sussex Stakes (Gr1)
John Gosden’s Too Darn Hot is all set for the feature £1m G1 Qatar Sussex Stakes on Wednesday, July 31. The three-year-old registered his first victory of the campaign in the G1 Prix Jean Prat at Deauville on July 7.
Aidan O’Brien’s Circus Maximus has been supplemented for the mile contest. The three-year-old Galileo colt took the G1 St James’s Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot on June 18.
Qatar Nassau Stakes (Gr1)
The star Japanese Deirdre is set to run in the G1 Qatar Nassau Stakes over10 furlongs on Day 3. The five-year-old Harbinger mare, a G1 winner in Japan, is trained by Mitsuru Hashida.
Frankel’s three-year-old filly Mehdaayih will take her chance in the £600,000 run; a race her trainer, John Gosden, has won four times already. Meydaayih won the G2 Prix de Malleret on June 30.
Other black type races
There will be also three Group 2 races; namely, the seven-furlong Qatar Vintage Stakes and the seven-furlong Qatar Lennox Stakes on day 1 as well as the six-furlong Qatar Richmond Stakes on Day 3.
The Qatar Goodwood Festival will also feature five Group 3 races, including the Goodwood Markel Insurance Molecomb Stakes to on Wednesday, July 31. Trainer Joseph Patrick O’Brien has entered the Qatar Racing-owned Air Force Jet in this five-furlong race.