Johnston and Murphy set to be crowned as Goodwood season ends

Oisin Murphy has had an excellent Goodwood season - including this win for Japanese horse Deirdre in the Nassau Stakes / Picture by Malcolm Wells

The 19th and final flat racing fixture of the season takes place and for one trainer and jockey, it will bring the honour of being crowned the racecourse’s top operators of 2019.

The title for top trainer –and the Dick Hern Trophy that goes with it – is set to go to Mark Johnston, who has won the accolade many times before and is the present holder.

He has sent 11 winners to post at Goodwood this season, including six during Glorious week. His only genuine rival for this year’s crown was John Gosden, who has had nine Goodwood winners but has no entries on Sunday at the time of writing. Andrew Balding and Ralph Beckett have each had six.

It’s a similar tale in the race to be Goodwood’s top jockey of 2019.

Oisin Murphy leads the way with 11 wins, while Harry Bentley has nine and James Doyle and PJ McDonald six each.

Murphy’s headline win this season was on Japanese horse Deirdre, who won the Group 1 Qatar Nassau Stakes at the Qatar Goodwood Festival on August 1.

Many of the frontrunners in the trainer and jockey stakes will be hoping for success on Goodwood’s final day, when racegoers will enjoy a ‘harvest and hops’ theme to celebrate the arrival of autumn.

On the track the action begins with Goodwood’s annual meeting for jump jockeys, the Alderbrook Handicap at 2pm.

A seven-race card ends with the Flying At Goodwood Handicap at 5.20pm.

Ahead of final declarations, there were a very healthy number of 177 entries across the seven races.

In between races, there will be live music, fire pits, hay bales, toasted marshmallows, and hog roasts

Under-18s go free, while adult tickets can be purchased from www.goodwood.com

Our Goodwood tips: 200 Cristal Spirit, 230 Stroxx, 305 Ivor, 340 Chatham House, 415 Damage Control, 450 Severance, 525 Ocean Paradise.