After a great day’s racing on day four of the Qatar Goodwood Festival, on ground described as Good to Firm, Good in places, Clerk of the Course Ed Arkell, having put eight millimetres on selected areas on the track through Thursday night, reports that there was not any additional watering through Friday night.
“It was a warm day on Friday and I should think we will probably be good to firm on Saturday morning,” said Arkell. “Friday’s times, apart from the King George, have suggested that we haven’t hit standard times, so we are going to leave the ground as it is.”
The final day of the 2018 Qatar Goodwood Festival is all primarily about speed – the day kicking off with the six-furlong Qatar Stewards’ Sprint Handicap, the consolation race for the day’s feature, the £250,000 Unibet Stewards’ Cup – but stamina is also on show in the one mile and six furlong Qatar Summer Handicap and the one mile and four furlong Gr3 Qatar Gordon Stakes.
Here are some markers to look out for:
2.50pm £75,000 Qatar Stewards’ Sprint Handicap (Consolation Race For The Stewards’ Cup).
The consolation sprint was won by a three-year-old last year off an official rating of 84 and from stall 12. There are four from the age group this time, including last-time-out winner Militia, rated 83 and drawn in 14.
The Jim Goldie-trained Tommy G, a three-quarter length second from stall 18 last year under David Egan, then claiming five pounds, has the services of Silvestre De Sousa this year. Goldie also runs Golden Steps, drawn 16.
Silvestre De Sousa – rides Tommy G
3.25pm £100,000 Qatar Summer Handicap.
The 1m6f handicap has been a Mark Johnston benefit race, the Middleham-based trainer having won the valuable staying handicap five times since a first victory with Scott’s View in 2002. He was successful last year with Solider In Action, who is aiming to repeat the feat. The son of Solider Of Fortune was ridden last year by Silvestre De Sousa and the partnership is maintained this time around, with De Sousa bidding for a third success in a row having also won on the Mick Channon-trained Elidor in 2016.
Johnston has five runners, and all the other trainers with runners (Amanda Perrett with two) are trying to win the race for the first time.
4.00pm £150,000 Gr3 Qatar Gordon Stakes
Sir Michael Stoute is easily the most successful trainer in the race with 10 victories to his name, including in 2016 with Ulysses and last year with the subsequent St Leger (Gr1) runner-up, Royal Ascot Hardwicke Stakes (G2) hero and King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Stakes (Gr1) second, Crystal Ocean.
This year he runs the well-bred and lightly raced Sun Maiden, who is by Frankel (whose half-brother Noble Mission won this in 2012) and is a half-brother to another of Prince Khalid Abdullah’s former Group 1 stars, Midday.
Sir Michael Stoute – great success in this race
A strong trial for the St Leger (in recent times six winners have gone on to add the final British Classic to their CVs) and Mark Johnston (two previous race wins) is represented by this year’s St Leger current ante-post third favourite, Dee Ex Bee, runner-up in the Investec Derby (G1) and third in July’s Grand Prix de Paris (G1) at ParisLongchamp.
4.40pm £250,000 Unibet Stewards’ Cup Handicap
The 2015 and 2016 winners, Dancing Star and Magical Memory, were both successful as three-year-olds – this year three from the age group are due to contest the big sprint, including Eirene, trained by last year’s successful handler, Dean Ivory. Ivory is also running last year’s winner Lancelot Du Lac (in stall 15 as last year) and the Stewards’ Cup was last won two years in succession by Sky Diver in 1967 and 1968, and by the same trainer in 1990 and 1991 when Richard Hannon won with Knight Of Mercy and then Notley.
Draw 11 has been the most successful stall position with two wins since 2007 – the Peter Hedger-trained Silent Echo, the 12/1 joint third favourite, is in the spot this time around.
The Andrew Balding-David Probert combination was successful in 2016 with Dancing Star, and the combination team up again with this season’s three-time winner Foxtrot Lady, 8/1 second favourite. Richard Fahey, who is due to saddle Growl, won the race with Superior Premium in 1998 (ridden by Robert Winston), and he, Ivory, Balding and David Barron (Coastal Bluff, 1996 and Gunmetal this year) are previous winning trainers.
Fahey also runs the 14/1 chance George Bowen (sixth in the consolation race last year) under five-pound apprentice Sebastian Woods.
The last apprentice-ridden winner was in 2010 – Billy Cray on the late Dandy Nicholls-trained Evens And Odds.
The only previous winning Stewards’ Cup jockeys in the race this year are Probert and Winston.
With the likely fast ground conditions, the six-furlong course record of 1m9.81s – set in September 2009 by Tamagin in the Listed Starlit Stakes – could be under threat.
5.15pm £30,000 Qatar EBF Stallions Maiden
Ryan Moore, the second-most successful current jockey at the Qatar Goodwood Festival (on 44 winners behind Frankie Dettori’s 67) was the meeting’s leading jockey at the Festival for the last two years.
Ryan Moore – rides Fox Power
He rides the debut runner, the King Power-owned Fox Power, trained by Richard Hannon, who was the leading Qatar Goodwood Festival trainer in 2015. Hannon also runs Glory, ridden by Martin Harley.
Mark Johnston, leading Qatar Goodwood Festival trainer for the last two years and leading trainer 11 times in all, runs two colts who are also making their career debuts – Sky Defender and West End Charmer.
