Countdown on for Qatar Goodwood Festival 2018

The countdown is now on for the Qatar Goodwood Festival which runs for five days from July 31 to August 4. This great annual celebration of racing is one of social highlights in the UK. Elegant fashion, combined with some of the greatest races in the world, create a festival week like no other.The 10-year partnership with the Qatar Racing and Equestrian Club (QREC), now in its fifth year, has taken Goodwood to a new level in terms of its ability to attract top trainers and horses from around the world. Prize money has grown significantly since before the deal and there is an increasing number of international horses entering and running.Horses and Goodwood are inextricably linked, and it is his Qatari partners’ love of horses that The Duke of Richmond, Chairman of Goodwood Racecourse West Sussex, most appreciates. “What is really refreshing is that we are working with partners who truly value and prize the horse,” he said.“My mother was mad about Arab horses, and she created the dressage element here. We had the World Championships and Olympics here,” he explained. The Duke of Richmond has vivid childhood memories of summer days of racing.“The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh used to stay with my grandparents every year. They stayed Tuesday to Friday, and it was a big party,” he recalled.Speaking of His Excellency Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad al-Thani, owner of Al Shaqab Racing, The Duke of Richmond said: “Sheikh Joaan has a lot of vision. I think he feels that with Goodwood it is possible to do something exceptional. We have a good understanding.”The Duke of Richmond and his team also work closely with Hamad al-Attiyah, President of the Qatar Equestrian Federation (QEF). Established in 1979, QEF is dedicated to celebrating and encouraging the country’s equestrians. A member of the Federation Equestrian International (FEI) since 1980, QEF is focused on the advancement of good horsemanship, and good sportsmanship, in a family orientated environment.The Federation has a focus on building courage, confidence and commitment within its riders; and this dedication has catapulted Qatari athletes to the world stage. In recent years equestrians from the country have qualified for the Asian, Olympic and World Equestrian Games.Prize money for the Qatar Goodwood Festival now totals over £5.5million, with three prestigious Group 1 races and one Group 1 PA race taking place over the first three days of the meeting. The opening day, Tuesday, July 31, features the Qatar Goodwood Cup, a two-mile race with a rich history, which was last year upgraded from Group 2 to Group 1 status.The richest individual race of the week is the Qatar Sussex Stakes on Wednesday, August 1, with prize money of £1million. Some of the most celebrated trainers in the world saddle horses for this prestigious race and there is an unmissable buzz around the Parade Ring beforehand. Also staged on the Wednesday will be the Qatar International Stakes, a Group 1PA race for purebred Arabian horses. The field for this race typically lives up to the name, with horse travelling from France, the Netherlands and Qatar to compete.The third Group 1 of the week is the Qatar Nassau Stakes for fillies and mares, and in 2018 the entries include the winners of the 2,000 Guineas at Newmarket and the Oaks at Epsom. As well as the top-level races, there are a number of hugely competitive handicaps, including the Stewards’ Cup, in which nearly 30 horses will charge down Goodwood’s straight at speeds of around 45mph.