More than 100,000 horse-racing fans attended the prestigious 2017 Qatar Goodwood Festival during the course of the five-day event, helping maintain its reputation as one of the major sporting highlights of the ‘British Summer’.
Despite some wet weather, a sell-out crowd of more than 25,000 race-goers made it to the last day as top jockeys and horses competed in one of the highlights of the UK’s flat racing season.
Qatar Airways group chief executive Akbar al-Baker said, “Qatar Airways’ partnership with the Qatar Racing and Equestrian Club (QREC) has proved another winning combination for the Qatar Goodwood Festival, crowning a successful season for race-goers and horses alike.
“The UK is a very important market for us, so our association with the Qatar Goodwood Festival is always an excellent opportunity to engage with our premium customers and showcase Qatar Airways’ five-star products and services including our First Class seat, available on our A380 service between Doha and Heathrow.”
QREC general manager Nasser Sherida al-Kaabi said, “The success of the Qatar Goodwood Festival is always helped enormously by the partnership of Qatar Airways, which helps raise the profile of this magnificent event. We look forward to extending our partnership with Qatar Airways to ensure the airline becomes a firm fixture in the years to come.”
Goodwood Estate Sports managing director Adam Waterworth said, “The partnership between Qatar Airways and the Qatar Racing and Equestrian Club makes the Qatar Goodwood Festival a favourite with race-goers. And despite some inclement weather the sun came out on the last day and the meeting finished on a real high. That’s what Goodwood is all about – great racing, great weather, and a fantastic atmosphere.”
In this edition of the festival, world-famous jockey Frankie Dettori rode Al Shaqab Racing’s Al Jazi, trained by Francois Rohaut, to a victory in the L’Ormarins Queens Plate Oak Tree Stakes. 
Meanwhile, Tayf was the winner of the Qatar International Stakes. Tayf is owned by His Highness Sheikh Abdullah bin Khalifa al-Thani, trained by Alban de Mieulle and ridden by Olivier Peslier.
It was also a photo-finish at the Qatar Airways competition to find the best hat worn on Ladies’ Day. Leading style influencer Hermione Olivia chose an off-white hat adorned with lilies for its elegant simplicity, and its lucky owner won of a pair of return Business Class tickets from the UK to Doha, plus five-star hotel accommodation provided by the Qatar Racing and Equestrian Club. Entrants competed on Instagram using the hashtag #QatarAirways.
Multiple award-winning Qatar Airways was this year awarded Airline of the Year by the prestigious Skytrax World Airline Awards. It was the fourth time that it won this global accolade. Qatar’s national carrier offers a choice of 72 non-stop flights per week from London Heathrow, Manchester, Birmingham and Edinburgh to Doha and onwards to a network of more than 150 destinations worldwide. Qatar Airways will also start flying to Cardiff next year.