Our man on the track reactions to a difficult opening day of the Qatar Goodwood Festival.
A very sad afternoon on the Sussex Downs.
Scandinavia rocks up to the top table in the staying division by winning the Goodwood Cup.
Zavateri shows guts to match his obvious ability to fend off Morris Dancer in the Vintage and Hollie Doyle is all smiles as she returns to the winners’ enclosure aboard Witness Stand in the Lennox.
Less than 40 minutes later, she’s aboard Trueshan in the day one feature and experiences the depths of despair this sport can deliver from out of the blue.
We all know the risks horses and jockeys take every time they go to post but to see the old warrior break down so badly in the Goodwood Cup was an unfathomable blow to the solar plexus. News that the injuries were life-ending was as expected as it was hard to digest.
The press room fell silent. That sickening feeling you'll struggle to shake off for the rest of the afternoon arrives.
Your thoughts immediately go out to his rider, trainer Alan King and all the staff at Barbury Castle who have cared for and nurtured him over the years.
And what years they were.
Three victories in the Long Distance Cup at Ascot, two Prix du Cadrans, a Doncaster Cup, a Goodwood Cup and a memorable Northumberland Plate.
Yet now he suffers the sort of injury every connection, every fan of the sport, dreads.
It will be no comfort to those closest to him right now, but the memories of those golden days and his longevity at the highest level, will live on long after the pain of Tuesday’s final chapter starts to ease.
