John Dunlop's Presbyterian Nun could star at Goodwood's Friday evening fixture

NEXT stop Glorious Goodwood but not before another of the new-look Friday evenings bring the June mini series to an end when Goodwood's third and final evening fixture of 2009 takes place at the picturesque Sussex racecourse tomorrow, Friday, June 19.

This month Goodwood Racecourse has been awash with various forms of entertainment from Samba dancers and fire performers to jazz bands and dancing horses and the consensus from all in attendance is that it has been a great success.

Goodwood Racecourse's Marketing & PR Manager Callum MacKay said today: "This year's evening fixtures have proved particularly popular and we are anticipating that more than 9,000 people will attend tomorrow's meeting, making it our highest attendance of the year so far.

"The new entertainment has been really well received, we want to be innovative at Goodwood and we know that to bring new people in you have to create a sense of occasion and entertain.

"We have resisted going down the route that other courses have taken by turning the racecourse into a music venue. Our approach has been to integrate the entertainment into the evening's activity and we have programmed activity so that it can move around the racecourse, making it much more engaging for racegoers.

"Whatever we do it should always be fun and surprising and we look forward to building the entertainment content in the future, although racing will always be at the centre of our product."

Racegoers can expect another treat for the evening fixture finale tomorrow, with more innovative entertainment to complement the action on the track.

MacKay continued: "We have some additional features on Friday with top fashion designers and models showcasing what should be worn this summer as well as some other unique and surprising activities."

Gates open at 4.30pm ahead of the first race on the card at 6.20pm, the nine-furlong Book In Advance For Glorious Goodwood Handicap, for which 16 horses have been declared.

The evening's feature race takes place at 8.30pm when 10 contenders line up for the 18,000 toteexacta Handicap. The weights contest over a mile and three quarters are headed by Presbyterian Nun, trained by Arundel-based trainer John Dunlop, a Goodwood Racecourse director, and owned by long-standing Goodwood supporter the Earl Cadogan, who received the Goodwood Lifetime Achievement Award last year.

Presbyterian Nun is returning to handicap company following a string of fine efforts in Group and Listed contests over the past year, including when third on her seasonal reappearance in a 14-furlong Listed contest at Nottingham in April.

The four-year-old home-bred filly was fifth in the Group Two Park Hill Stakes in Doncaster in September and ran another good race to be fourth in the Group Two Italian Oaks in June last year.

Marcus Hosgood, racing secretary to John Dunlop, said today: "Presbyterian Nun has not run for some time, mainly because she really wants some ease in the ground. We might be chancing our arm by running her on good to firm going on Friday, but we are hopeful that she can cope with it.

"She has some black type and she's rated 95, which could be a touch high for her back in a handicap, but she is a very brave and genuine filly. She's very consistent and it would be nice to nice to have a winner for the Earl Cadogan at Goodwood."

The field also includes include the lightly-raced Crackentop from the Ralph Beckett yard. The Generous gelding would be looking to build on his seasonal debut in the toteswinger Handicap at the course on May 30, when he filled the runner-up spot behind Red Merlin.

Course regular Goodwood Starlight may bid for a third victory at the venue, while others declared for the race include Yes Mr President from the Mark Johnston stable, the Henry Cecil-trained Sevenna and Greenwich Village, trained locally by William Knight.

The other races on the card are the nine-furlong Chichester Maiden Stakes (6.50pm), the six-furlong Goodwood.co.uk Maiden (7.25pm), the Taurus Waste Recycling Fillies' Handicap (7.55pm) over seven furlongs and the concluding Goodwood Handicap (9pm) over a mile.

Admission prices start at just 9, there is FREE car parking available and accompanied children aged under 18 are admitted FREE to all enclosures