The penultimate day of the Qatar Goodwood Festival saw some exciting racing action with several blac-type races, including the Qatar King George Stakes (Group 2), which was won by Battaash.
The curtains will fall on the 2019 edition of the Qatar Racing and Equestrian Club (QREC)-sponsored Festival Saturday at Goodwood, which has been home for racing for over 200 years. The finale of the five-day Festival will be a seven-race card, including six races sponsored by Qatar.
On Friday, Battaash, with Jim Crowley in the saddle, had a record-breaking third successive win in the £312,000 Qatar King George Stakes (Group 2). The winning margin over the Martyn Meade-trained Houtzen was just three-quarters of a length, but it was a yet another impressive performance from the Charlie Hills-trained gelding. David Griffiths-trained Ornate was third. 
QREC CEO Nasser bin Sherida al-Kaabi presented the trophy to Battaash owner Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid al-Maktoum.
Mohamed bin Hamad bin Khalifa al-Attiyah’s Baghdad came very close to give the Qatari contingent a victory Friday in the L’Ormarins Queen’s Plate Glorious Stakes (Group 3).
Mark Johnston-trained Baghdad had led the throughout the race but was beaten in the last few strides as David Simcock-trained Desert Encounter, ridden by JP Spencer, and Sir Michael Stoute-trained Mirage Dancer, took the first two spots in the £100,000 L’Ormarins Queen’s Plate Glorious Stakes (Group 3).
Under Frankie Dettori, Baghdad made it to the frame in third.
Billesdon Brook, winner of the 2018 1000 Guineas at Newmarket, took the £80,000 Theo Fennell Oak Tree Stakes (Group 3) for trainer Richard Hannon and jockey Sean Levey. The four-year-old filly broke the Goodwood track record for seven furlongs in the process in a time of 1min 23.75s. She beat David O’Meara-trained Perfection by a neck, with the Stoute-trained Jubiloso in third.
Paul Cole-trained Duke Of Hazzard came from off the pace under PJ McDonald to beat Roger Varian-trained Turjomaan by half a length in the £100,000 Bonhams Thoroughbred Stakes (Group 3). Roger Charlton-trained Momkin was third.  
Beat The Bon’s victory in the £150,000 Unibet Golden Mile Handicap gave trainer Hannon the second leg of a double on the day. The three-year-old colt, ridden by Pat Dobbs, broke the course record for a mile in 1min 35.28s. He finished a length ahead of the Johnston-trained Vale Of Kent. O’Meara-trained Escobar was third. 
Homespin’s victory in the £25,000 Unibet Nursery Handicap was a fifth of the 2019 Qatar Goodwood Festival for trainer Johnston, and means Johnston has now trained a record 83 winners at the meeting in total over the years. Homespin was ridden by James Doyle and finished a length and a quarter in front of the Richard Fahey-trained Dylan De Vega. The Richard Spencer-trained Born To Destroy was third.
Varian-trained Aktau, ridden by Andrea Atzeni, won the £25,000 TDN Australia Handicap (Class 3). The Johnston-trained Sapa Inca was second while John Gosden-trained Harrovian was third.