Friday at Glorious Goodwood: Updates from Qatar King George Stakes day
Four down – one to go. And as Glorious Goodwood 2026 sprints towards the finish line, Friday brought another superb sun-soaked afternoon on the track.
The first three days had been ones for favourites in the big races – with the Group 1 contests all going to the market leaders, Scandinavia winning the Goodwood Cup, Boqw Echo the Sussex Stakes and Diamond Necklace the Nassau.
But Friday – in front of another huge crowd which has Goodwood bosses predicting the week’s numbers will be up three to four per cent on last year’s total – brought some unexpected outcomes.
Jim Goldie’s American Affair (12/1) prevailed in a thrilling G2 King George Qatar Stakes that saw the first four home spread right across the track in the closing stages.
With the field having split into two, American Affair raced prominently on the stands’ side under Paul Mulrennan, while Asfoora was handily placed on the far side in a group that included Rumstar and Time For Sandals.
The quartet all worked their way into challenging positions entering the final furlong and it was American Affair who found most to score by half a length from Rumstar (6/1). Time For Sandals (14/1) was a neck behind in third, with the same distance to Asfoora (14/1) in fourth.
This was American Affair’s first success since the 2025 G1 King Charles III Stakes at Royal Ascot, after which an injury forced him to miss the rest of the campaign.
Mulrennan said: “I thought I had won, but you never want to be too confident. Then Jason Hart was beside me and he was saying, ‘Well done, Paul’, so I was looking down at my number. What a horse American Affair has been.
“I was looking at this race and, on paper, it looked like there was going to be loads of pace. Within three strides, I winged the gates and I was there. I thought, ‘I have got him in a nice comfort zone now.’ He was happy.
“He probably would have beaten Battaash’s time, but I dropped my whip. On his day, he is very fast and this race has always been at the back of our minds because it is such a fast track. We have York now.
“He is another year stronger. He has had all that time off. There have been reasons why he has run bad this year, but he has done everything right today, so touch wood, he comes back from this good. We will enjoy today, but we have the Nunthorpe and possibly America would be nice.
“At this stage of the game, I have probably got more years behind me than in front of me, but I feel I am still going strong. It is very competitive, it is hard. I have only got one ride down here this week, but we have made it count.
“I have got my driver with me, Adele [wife]. The last time I won it was on Moviesta, Adele drove me then. I have won this race twice and I probably should have won it twice again – Easton Angel probably should have won and Moviesta was unlucky another year. So it has been an unlucky race for me and a lucky race for me, but we got it right today.”
Archivist (16/1) defied joint top weight and a rating of 105 to claim the Coral Golden Mile for Hamad Al Jehani and Wathnan Racing.
In a race with several hard-luck stories, Archivist was kept out of trouble with a wide trip by Callum Rodriguez and picked up nicely in the straight to defeat Cerulean Bay (12/1) by just over a length. Classic (18/1) was a nose further back in third, with Ancient Rome (33/1) fourth.
Successful in a Meydan handicap in March, Archivist finished 20th when sent off favourite for the Royal Hunt Cup on his European return last month.
Al Jehani said: “I knew that Archivist would be placed very well and, of my three runners, I would have chosen him as the winner today. Callum gave him a great ride, which was important in why we were the winners in the end.
“It is really important for us to have a winner at the Qatar Goodwood Festival. We are very happy with the result, for sure.”
Rodriguez said: “Archivist looked a great chance and then the draw [20] came out and I was a little bit worried, but it probably did us a favour because we got a good, smooth trip round and he felt good at every stage.
“I would say that the stiff, straight mile at Ascot probably does not play to his strengths. He is a very exuberant horse and the pace today really helped him. That was a good performance under top weight.”
Defiantly (11/4F) made amends for a head defeat at Royal Ascot with a dour staying performance in the Coral Goodwood Handicap over two and a half miles.
Having been positioned behind pace-setter St Mawes in a strung-out field, Dylan Browne McMonagle sent the Ascot Stakes runner-up for home with over half a mile remaining.
Defiantlypoured it on thereafter and never looked vulnerable to the closers as he galloped to a three-length victory. Berkshire Sundance (28/1) was second, with Gooloogong (100/1) five lengths further back in third.
Trained by Joseph O’Brien, Defiantly is owned by an Australia-based syndicate and could be set for Stakes races after winning today off a mark of 98.
Browne McMonagle said: “Defiantly is a strong stayer. After his run at Ascot, he was always going to get the trip well. This is probably a bit of a faster track and, from halfway, you are running downhill, so I was keen to get rolling and get him into top gear. I knew if I put a few lengths between them from the half-mile down to the two, they would do well to get him because he was not going to be stopping.
“That was one thing Joseph O'Brien said: get him wound up plenty early and make plenty of use of him. He was spot on and the horse was not for catching. He is not that slow, he is just very lazy and laid back, and the more I ask him, the more he finds. I feel stepping up to this trip is a big help for him because he is able to get comfortable and into a good rhythm.
“I am not sure [about the Melbourne Cup]. I am sure the Australian owners and connections would probably be keen to do that, but I think this fellow is going to keep improving at this trip. He probably could come back to two miles, which would not be a problem for him, because he was very comfortable through the race and, every time you ask him, he is always there for you. I am sure he will be able to work his way up to a better grade as well."
Shayem (17/2) added another Stakes race to his collection as he upset 2/5 favourite Talk Of New York in the G3 HKJC World Pool Thoroughbred Stakes.
With three furlongs remaining of the mile contest, Clifford Lee sent his mount in pursuit of the pace-setting Catullus, leaving Talk Of New York and the chasing pack with significant ground to make up.
Shayemoverhauled Catullus inside the final furlong and had enough in the tank to deny a strong-finishing Talk Of New York, who reduced the deficit to a half-length. Catullus (10/1) was two and a half lengths further back in third.
Successful in the Listed Silver Tankard Stakes at Pontefract last year, Karl Burke’s winner lined up following a comfortable victory in the Listed Sir Henry Cecil Stakes at Newmarket.
Burke said: “We knew Billy [Loughnane] was going to go off at a nice gallop and Cliff was the only one really to keep tabs on him. Cliff is very good with his fractions. From three out, I could see we were closing and the others weren't. I thought we had a great chance from there.
“Last year, you would have said that he was a soft-ground horse, but he has proven otherwise this year. We had no qualms about the ground or the track, as he handled the undulations at Newmarket well.
Galen (3/1F) is set to add more stamps to his passport after taking a quality edition of the Regent Seven Seas Cruises Bentinck Conditions Stakes over nine furlongs.
The five-year-old performed admirably overseas last winter for Joseph O’Brien, including finishing second in the G2 Bahrain International Trophy and fourth in the G1 Hong Kong Cup.
Sent to the front by Dylan Browne McMonagle, Galen had his six rivals under pressure entering the final two furlongs and kept on gamely to fend off Boiling Point by a neck. Last year’s G2 Celebration Mile victor Jonquil was half a length further back in a bunched finish for third.
Revels (11/1) got up to beat Dubai Champion by a short-head in the Hawes & Curtis Nursery Handicap over six furlongs.
The form ties in with yesterday’s nursery winner Sword Salute, who Revels beat decisively on debut at Redcar before the duo finished down the field in the Listed Chesham Stakes at Royal Ascot.
Charlie Appleby will be hoping Into The Light (2/1F) can emulate his previous winner of the World Pool Bet With The tote Handicap, with the Newmarket trainer having taken the 11-furlong contest with subsequent G1 scorer Walton Street in 2017.
Fitted with first-time cheekpieces, Into The Light comfortably defeated Devil’s Peak by almost two lengths under William Buick to bounce back from a mid-field finish in the King George V Stakes at Royal Ascot.
Unexposed Wathnan Racing filly Silver Lake (4/5F) rounded off the action with a comfortable success in the British Stallion Studs EBF Fillies’ Handicap for William Haggas and Saffie Osborne.
Successful on her handicap debut over the same 10-furlong distance at Salisbury, Silver Lake led entering the final two furlongs and extended nicely to beat Lady Dora Mae by three lengths.
Below are links to Thursday’s Ladies’ Day action, when a huge crowd packed into the racecourse to enjoy eight races on the main card plus the Magnolia Cup.
Stick with this site over the final days of Glorious for all the news and views.