Goodwood serves up another taste of Glorious quality

Saturday’s top-class race card includes the Group 2 £400,000 Betfair Celebration Mile, the Whiteley Clinic Prestige Stakes and the Betfair Summer Double Heritage Handicap.

The three back-to-back races should make for an enthralling start to racing on the second day of three been put together for the first time in many years.

The Celebration Mile is Goodwood’s biggest race of the season outside of Glorious and this year’s renewal is shaping up nicely. There were 14 entries left before final declarations and they included a number of stars of Glorious.

Sir Henry Cecil’s Chachamaidee, who won the bet365 Lennox Stakes at Glorious, has finished in the top three in her last ten starts.

Roger Varian’s Aljamaaheer finished an unlucky third in the RSA Thoroughbred Stakes at Glorious and may return to the Downs for the Mile.

Eight-year-old Premio Loco, a course and distance winner who was was fifth in the Celebration Mile last year behind winner Dubawi Gold, is in the frame.

Racecourse MD Waterworth is pleased with the potential line-up for the big race but stresses the whole weekend promises to be memorable.

“This is the first time we have added a Friday night meeting to the Saturday and Sunday and we’re giving it all the theme of a 1950s British seaside holiday. I’m looking out of my office at the beach huts as we speak!” he said.

“Saturday’s programme wouldn’t be out of place at Glorious. We’d expect between 10,000 and 12,000 in that day, and Sunday too.

“Saturday’s card is very, very strong and, as at Glorious, we have quantity in the entries as well as quality. “The Prestige Stakes has attracted some lovely two-year-olds and the Summer Double handicap will have a full field.”

Waterworth said Friday and Sunday would complement day two nicely.

Friday kicks off with the Chichester Observer Apprentice Stakes while the highlight is the Portsmouth News Stakes.

Sunday’s action on the track includes the Group 3 Greene King Supreme Stakes, for which entries included Ant and Dec-owned Primaeval.

Sunday also includes a ‘selling race’ which involves the winner being auctioned off in the parade ring.

Waterworth said: “Our May Festival, which involved three meetings being put together, worked very well. We’re confident these meetings will be just as popular and our aim is to make the August Festival an integral part of our calendar.”

For tickets, call 01243 755055 or visit www.goodwood.com

We’ll have tips for each day’s racing, and reports on the action, on this website on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.