A sensational 2024 Qatar Goodwood Festival for Mick Appleby saw the Oakham handler receive the top trainer award for the first time.
Appleby remarkably recorded four wins, a second and two thirds from his seven runners across the meeting, including taking Friday’s Gr2 King George Qatar Stakes with star sprinter Big Evs.
Kitai made virtually all to take Tuesday’s HKJC World Pool British EBF Fillies’ Handicap, while Big Mojo flew home to win the Gr3 Jaeger-LeCoultre Molecomb Stakes 24 hours later, a race in which stable-mate Mr Lightside finished third.
Ed Arkell presenting the award to Mick Appleby (Pic – Goodwood Racecourse)
Shagraan scored in Thursday’s Buccellati Handicap and the trainer sent out Billyjoh to place twice over the week, including taking third in Saturday’s Coral Stewards’ Cup.
Aidan O’Brien also sent out four winners from his select team of runners but was edged out due to Appleby’s superior record of placed horses. O’Brien’s four wins, headlined by Kyprios in the Gr1 Al Shaqab Goodwood Cup and Opera Singer in the Gr1 Qatar Nassau Stakes, were all for Coolmore Partnerships, helping them claim the leading owner prize narrowly from Wathnan Racing.
Appleby said: “It is great for everyone concerned – the whole yard, and all the owners who support us. I never dreamt we’d be able to do it here. I love Goodwood – I prefer it to Royal Ascot! I love it down here. The horses are running well and we keep getting better quality horses – it’s all down to the owners who support the yard, and long may it continue.
“I couldn’t have imagined it coming into the week. We were confident Big Evs would probably win but were not so confident about the others. We knew Big Mojo was pretty decent at home, but to come to the races and do it is a different matter.
“We’ve been able to show what we can do. Big Evs was definitely the highlight and it’s been a great week for everybody to do it at Glorious Goodwood. I would imagine there will be a party for the team next week.”
Oisin Murphy collected the prize for top jockey at the Qatar Goodwood Festival for the first time thanks to four wins, including a dramatic dead-heat on Spell Master in Saturday’s seven-furlong British Stallion Studs EBF Maiden.
Jouncy won the British Stallion Studs EBF Maiden over a furlong shorter on the opening day, while the jockey posted a double on Friday with Toimy Son in the Coral Golden Mile and Assailant in the Coral Play Racing-Super-Series For Free Handicap.
Murphy’s seven second places over the week saw him deny Ryan Moore, who partnered all four of the Coolmore/O’Brien wins and did not ride at the meeting on Friday and Saturday.
Murphy said: “I was very fortunate that Ryan Moore had to go to America – he rode four winners in three days, and it has taken me five days to ride four winners. I don’t know how many seconds I had – I know I had three today – so it was very fortunate that that Spell Master got up. Seconds are very painful and most of them were for Andrew Balding, so thank you to him and his team, and apologies that I didn’t win on more of them.
“I was second behind Ryan Moore as leading jockey at Royal Ascot, and it is nice to be the leading rider here. Thank you to Goodwood; they do a marvellous job, and the clerk of the course, Ed Arkell, has done a fantastic team job with his ground all week, so top marks.”
The final standings can be accessed here: https://goodwood2024.racenewslive.co.uk/
