Andrew Balding enjoyed a memorable Qatar Goodwood Festival, when Scorching Heat won the Qatar Stewards’ Sprint Handicap and became his third winner of the week. He also has three second-place finishes on the scoreboard.
The favourite burst into the lead inside the final furlong and won by three-quarters of a length from Tommy G and Son Of Africa, while Royal Brave was fourth.
The first four finished in the middle of the track, and Oisin Murphy, who rode the winner in the colours of Qatar Racing, said: “I didn’t know where the best ground would be, but when I cantered to the start I noticed tyre tracks or something similar in the middle, as though Jeeps had been there, and I just thought any divots that would be there might have been knocked down.
“I’ve no idea if that’s the best place to be, but that’s where I went.
“It’s great to ride a winner for Qatar Racing [he is retained as that organisation’s first-choice rider] and also for Andrew Balding. It’s a big team effort, and the staff put up with times when the horses are running good and bad - it’s fantastic they are being rewarded with winners during this big meeting.”
Balding said: “He’s a decent horse, but I’m delighted we even got into the race — I didn’t for a minute think we would. This is his sort of ground. He needs a strongly-run race, and it’s difficult to believe we haven’t been able to get cover for him before today. He won, and he needs things to fall right for him - the faster they go in front the better. Everything fell right for him today.
“These are difficult conditions on which to make up any ground, but if you are there with a chance with a furlong to go you are going to be difficult to get past.
“I should think he could be an Ayr Silver Cup horse this year, and, hopefully, a [Qatar] Stewards’ Cup and Ayr Gold Cup horse next year.”

JOHNSTON IS LEADING TRAINER
However, it was Mark Johnston who won the Leading Trainer’s Award, his 11th at Goodwood. Johnston’s two winners on the day — Soldier In Action and Dee Ex Bee — ensured that he surpassed Balding for the top award.
Soldier In Action got up on the line to beat Blakeney Point by a head in the mile and six furlongs Qatar Summer Handicap.
Later in the day, Dee Ex Bee won the seven-furlong Qatar EBF Stallions Maiden in style by two and a quarter lengths in 1m 28.62s.
“It means a lot to me to be leading trainer here,” said Johnston. “We always throw a lot of darts at the board, but we didn’t have as many runners as some people here this year as we were a bit thin on the ground. It is a big relief to get four winners. I was very worried about the rain, but the week has worked out well, better than expected.”
QNB London’s Hassan al-Hammadi presented the trophies to the winners of the race.
“The Festival is a huge success every year and it underlines Qatar’s role in such prestigious sports events,” he said.
“We are fascinated by what we have seen on the final day with such huge turnout due to the significance of the event in the UK. The racing and everything involved was brilliant by all means. Qatar’s name has been promoted very well here with dozens of thousands of spectators attending the Festival, which I expect will go from strength to strength with the continued Qatari sponsorship one year after another.”

CRYSTAL OCEAN STOUTE’S TENTH QATAR GORDON STAKES WINNER
Crystal Ocean put clear water between himself and four rivals to run out an impressive winner of yesterday’s G3 Qatar Gordon Stakes.
He became the tenth winner of the famous race for trainer Sir Michael Stoute, who won it last year with Ulysses.
Crystal Ocean, who is owned by Sir Evelyn Rothschild and was bred at his family’s Southcourt Stud, holds an entry in the G1 St Leger, and is clearly well-regarded by his trainer.
After the son of Cape Cross had beaten Khalidi by three and a half lengths, with Mount Moriah back in third, Stoute said: “We have loved this horse from early days - he’s a lovely stamp of a horse with a good mind. He goes on soft ground - we know that because he did so in the Dante - but today’s going was a big concern being among the worst you can get after such phenomenal rain.”

LANCELOT FIRST QATAR GOODWOOD FESTIVAL WINNER FOR IVORY
Hertfordshire trainer Dean Ivory saddled his first Qatar Goodwood Festival winner yesterday, and in one of the meeting’s feature races.
Victory for the Ivory-trained Lancelot Du Lac in the £250,000 Qatar Stewards’ Cup over six furlongs was a second win in the contest for jockey Frankie Dettori, who succeeded on Magical Memory in 2015. Dettori made plenty of use of seven-year-old Lancelot Du Lac, keeping clear of bunching before coaxing his partner home three-quarters of a length ahead of runner-up Aeolus. Upstaging was a further nose behind in third, a head in front of fourth-placed Growl.