David Ord was our man at the track at the Qatar Goodwood Festival and he reflects on the five days.
There are so many arguments within the sport of horse racing about control, and who has it, but the one element no party can lay claim to is the weather.
And for the Qatar Goodwood Festival it didn’t play ball.
When you’re soft, heavy in places the weekend before the meeting and even a John Kettley bespoke forecast can offer little room for optimism, you just have to strap yourself in and try to get through the week.
Ed Arkell and his team did just that in splendid fashion but the Wednesday deluge on already easy ground meant this was never going to be a festival of speed.
Strange Cup sets tone for week
Neither to be fair, is the Qatar Goodwood Cup but this year’s renewal, the all-the-way win for Quickthorn, somewhat set the tone for the week. It was a strange affair.
The plaudits went to Tom Marquand for the front-running, freewheeling ride. You don’t tend to win a Group One two-mile contest in the first six furlongs, but he did, grabbing the initiative and a ten lengths advantage that was never in danger.
Jockey cam for the race would have been a little undramatic – unless they also had the riders wired for sound. I wonder at what point the first expletive left the mouth of those in the chasing pack – after all they knew their fate some way out.
So what now for the winner? You sense that was his day in the sun (clearly not literally) this season but Nick Luck, the morning after the afternoon before, was trying to plant the seeds for an Arc bid in the mind of Hughie Morrison.
The trainer didn’t bite – initially – but the idea was blast out in front at ParisLongchamp and go as hard as you can for as long as you can because you never know what might happen. It’s the Quickthorn way after all.
Nashwa wins the big clash - but not the race
The big clash of the week came in Thursday’s Qatar Nassau Stakes as last year’s winner Nashwa and French superstar Blue Rose Cen squared up.
In the end home advantage and local know-how proved crucial, Nashwa seeing off her rival’s late thrust by a neck. The problem was Al Husn and Above The Cut had already crossed the line.
And that’s the thing with these big clashes... you build them up and take your eye off what’s lurking elsewhere.
Blue Rose Cen ran into significant traffic problems as Aurelien Lemaitre made a dart to go up the inside of Ryan Moore and Above The Curve and grab the far rail. In that moment both the battle and war were lost.
It’s to be hoped it's not an experience that puts the rider – or trainer Christopher Head – off from further darts across the Channel. The presence of their French 1000 Guineas and Oaks winner added plenty of interest in the build-up. Hopefully she’ll be back.
Thank goodness for Paddington
Paddington will be – possibly at York – although whether William Derby and the team have snared the man in the Bear costume to accompany him to God's Own County in August remains to be seen. I’m not sure what their budget is for children’s fictional characters and Bluey, star of the show on the excellent Family Sunday next month, won’t have been cheap. She’s at the peak of her powers right now.
The frightening thing is that Paddington might not be. He just keeps getting heavier and quicker according to Aidan O’Brien – rolling in and out of big races with barely a scratch on him.
He deserves extra credit for nabbing the Qatar Sussex Stakes loot too, the turbo having to be engaged shortly after turning in as Frankie Dettori and Inspiral made their dart for – at the time – the favoured stands’ rail.
Having seen her off he still had a furlong and a half to last out, on holding ground, and with a fresh challenger in Facteur Cheval. But as he does, he found for Ryan Moore again when he needed him to. Afterwards his jockey allowed himself to ponder out loud that he might just be the best horse he’s ever ridden.
When the showreel is produced to hail Paddington the racehorse before Paddington the stallion is launched, the Sussex Stakes is unlikely to feature too prominently in it. But at least he came, he saw and he conquered.
He looked magnificent in the parade ring beforehand, a horse thriving on competition and action. It’s so refreshing.
Quiet week for the big battalions
It was a quiet week in general for the master of Ballydoyle. The Sussex Stakes hero his only winner from six runners. Emily Dickinson came through to win ‘the other Goodwood Cup’ and finish second but the other quartet failed to shine.
He wasn’t alone.
Charlie Appleby’s strange season continued with just two runners, one in a handicap and Oak Tree Stakes third Dream Of Love.
John and Thady Gosden were busier but found winners hard to come by, Epictetus getting them on the board on the penultimate day while William Haggas threw a few darts and landed with one of them – and potentially a very significant one too.
Desert Hero won the Gordon Stakes and suddenly, in his first season as an owner in the Royal silks, The King has a Classic contender.
His racing manager John Warren was ready to press the launch button for Doncaster afterwards although about 20 feet away Simon Crisford was already plotting Leger revenge on the winner with Goodwood runner-up Chesspiece. He’ll devour another two furlongs at Town Moor.
There was much speculation at the turn of the year over the Monarch’s commitment to continuing the Royal involvement in racing – at least to the scale the late Queen Elizabeth II had expanded it to. And it’s unlikely he will – but there’ll still be a significant number of runners in the years to come in the famous silks.
Although whether Doncaster will have to vacuum the royal box for the second Saturday in September is likely to be an altogether different matter.
Gregory increasingly important for Dettori
This will of course be Frankie Dettori’s final St Leger in the saddle – as it was his final Glorious Goodwood.
It has to be said though the farewell world tour that had such momentum through the spring and early summer is beginning to chug a little.
There was a flying dismount from Kinross after he won the Lennox on day one, and he took to the air after Epictetus claimed the scamp of Nostrum but other plum rides were a little more difficult to find.
And it increasingly looks as though he’ll have his current small crop of A-listers to get through to QIPCO Champions Day with, alongside a scattering of support mounts.
If there is to be a second round of the Flying Discount sale (copyright Graham Cunningham) then a few more momentos need to be added to the Lennox one currently being prepared to ship to London.
Gregory in the Leger is looking an increasingly important ride for him.
Should we end with a bang?
They say you’re never more than six feet away from a rat in London, or 90 minutes from a fillies' handicap at Goodwood.
A five-day Festival takes some filling and by and large they manage it.
I do just wonder if the final day could do with pepping up a little. Previously home to the Nassau Stakes, the Group Two Lillie Langtry Stakes is now the chief support act for the Coral Stewards’ Cup.
But maybe we could make the final day racing’s festival of speed at Goodwood, returning loosely to where we started.
Move the Lillie Langtry and the mile-and-six handicap and bring across the Molecomb and King George Stakes.
Give the biggest crowd of the week high-octane action on the track with the most significant betting race of the week still centre stage.
Just a thought. After five days at Goodwood there’s always plenty of food for that.
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