Glorious Goodwood - DAY FIVE

Glorious Goodwood is over for another year
It's the end of a long. hot week at Goodwood / Picture by Tommy McMillanIt's the end of a long. hot week at Goodwood / Picture by Tommy McMillan
It's the end of a long. hot week at Goodwood / Picture by Tommy McMillan

The Unibet Stewards' Cup was the big race of the fifth and final day of the Qatar Goodwood Festival, with the Gordon Stakes part of the supporting cast of contests.

It was another day of blistering temperatures and brilliant racing.

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Here are our five tipsters' Saturday picks - which have left us with a four-way tie at the top of the standings. Two winners today for Ed Chamberlin have put him level on seven winners for the week with Dave Stevens, Adam Waterworth and me.

We'll be organising some kind of tie-break or bun-fight to decide which of the four get to nominate the charity which will get the £100 put up by Coral.

Here's how Saturday's action unfolded...

1.50pm Saturday's racing kicks off with the Qatar Stewards' Sprint Handicap, which goes to Tommy G (10/1) - a fourth win of the week for Silvestre de Sousa for trainer Jim Goldie.

That leaves de Sousa just one win behind Ryan Moore in the battle to be top jockey of the week here (five wins plays four).

Silvestre de Sousa heads for victory on Tommy G / Picture by Malcolm WellsSilvestre de Sousa heads for victory on Tommy G / Picture by Malcolm Wells
Silvestre de Sousa heads for victory on Tommy G / Picture by Malcolm Wells
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Winning trainer Goldie, who saddled Haweyethenoo to victory in the 2012 edition of today's feature race, the £250,000 Unibet Stewards' Cup, said: "Tommy G is a home-bred and was second in this race last year, when he ran a blinder.

"We thought the ground might be a bit quick, but I said to Silvestre to just let him roll and when he hit the rising ground, he kicked on

"When Silvestre became available, I thought it was perfect because he is jump and go forward type of horse. Silvestre is very good at that type of ride - he can get the rhythm into racehorses like that."

2.25pm And that's a double for trainer Jim Goldie - as Sir Chauvelin (12/1) wins the Qatar Summer Handicap. It's a first win of the festival for jockey Robert Winston, beating Ryan Moore on Melting Dew into second place.

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Goldie, recording his fourth victory at the scenic Sussex venue, said: "Sir Chauvelin ran in this race last year, when the soft ground didn't suit him, and he has been a great horse. He's an athlete and hopefully that will get him into the Ebor - we will give him a nice break before that.

"Robert got there a wee bit early. He could have delayed a bit more, but he has won and that is all that matters. Sir Chauvelin is a superstar, he is such a lovely horse. He has run really well this season and it's nice to come down here and win this event."

3pm Godolphin's Cross Counter wins the Qatar Gordon Stakes - breaking the course record time for a 1m 4f race in the process.

Jockey William Buick, who partnered Wild Illusion to victory in the G1 Qatar Nassau Stakes for Godolphin earlier in the week for the same trainer, Charlie Appleby, said: "It was a lovely performance from Cross Counter. Charlie has brought him on lovely and he's not the finished article yet, so there is more to come.

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"He has opened up a lot of doors with this win. He is going to stay in training and is only going to keep progressing. I think he is very talented and he put a long distance between himself and his rivals."

3.40pm 20/1 shot Gifted Master takes the Unibet Stewards' Cup, with a photo needed to confirm his win over Justanotherbottle. That's trainer Hugo Palmer's first Stewards' Cup and for jockey Jason Watson, it's certainly the biggest win of his fledgling career.

He has won all his handicap outings now!" said Palmer. "He was our first two-year-old winner of the year as a juvenile when he won at the Craven meeting in April, he finished his two year-old season rated 112 and he has been rated that at two, three and four and now at five and now he has just won a Stewards' Cup off top-weight.

"A huge word has to go to the jockey - I wanted a high draw but not perhaps as a high as we got and I told him that and to gravitate across to the middle of the track to where we thought the nicest ground was. Jason [Watson] wasn't remotely flustered when he was headed, he was strong, he was cool, he was calm - easy for a young lad to get going too quick."

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Watched in the crowd by his mum Jenny and dad Tim, Watson, who is just 18, said: "I'm just in shock. Gifted Master is such a brave and talented horse. I was very lucky to get the ride for a great trainer and a lovely owner. I got the ride on Gifted Master a couple of weeks ago. I was originally down to ride Foxtrot Lady, but my agent Tony Hind said it was worth riding Gifted Master in this race as he thought he had a good chance. This time last year, I was sat at home watching this on the television. I never thought I would win this race, let alone win it, so it is a great feeling."

4.15 The Qatar EBF Stallions Maiden Stakes is taken by Duke of Hazzard, ridden by David Probert for Paul Cole.

Cole, said: "Duke Of Hazzard ran really well in the Chesham at Royal Ascot, before finishing second in a hot maiden at Salisbury and we thought he had come on from that run. He drew away nicely there when he was challenged and he will probably go to Deauville for a Listed event now in about two weeks. It is worth a lot of money and I think he will improve for the step up to a mile. Historically, I've won a few races in the past here at Goodwood and it's great to be back in the winner's enclosure."

Meanwhile, Ryan Moore has donated his £1,000 prize to the Stevie Fisher Trust after being crowned top jockey at the Qatar Goodwood Festival today.

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Moore’s five winners saw him seal the Racing UK Qatar Goodwood Festival Top Jockey award, his third in a row and fifth in total. Moore, who also won a subscription to Racing UK and a deluxe Goodwood hamper, donated his £1,000 cash prize to the Trust, set up to raise funds for Stevie Fisher, a friend of the Moore family and Sire De Grugy’s former farrier.

Stevie suffered a debilitating stroke four years ago has now been left with ‘Locked In’ Syndrome. This means he can only move his head and communicate via moving his eyes.

4.50 The Qatar Handicap Stakes goes to Joe Fanning and Mark Johnston - the trainer's fourth win of QGF - with Vale of Kent.

Fanning said: "Vale Of Kent is a tough horse. He ran well at Goodwood the other day when he finished second. He pulls up a little bit in front but is a strong traveller, so I thought that he would win today. I thought that I had won a bit cosier than I did. Seven furlongs is a good trip for him."

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5.25pm And the final winner of the week is The Night Porter, at 7/1 a second victor of the week for Mick Channon. It was apprentice Scott McCullagh's first winner at Goodwood in the £25,000 Qatar Apprentice Handicap over nine furlongs.

The three-year-old son of Sixties Icon ran on strongly in the closing stages to score by a half-length. McCullagh said: "It's been a great week. I had a winner on Thursday at Epsom and to get a winner at Goodwood is a dream come true. At home, The Night Porter is a bit on it. I just wanted to jump out and get him relaxed and educate him.

"I came through them lovely and he won well. I've been with Mick Channon for two months and I couldn't have dreamed of a better start. It's a great help to have my Dad [Niall McCullagh] a Classic winning jockey on my side."

With that, 37 races (if you include the International Stakes and the Magnolia Cup) are done. 450 horses have tested themselves on the challenging Goodwood track and close to 100,000 race-goers have enjoyed the action.

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Thanks for following these updates ... look out for coverage of the festival in the Chichester Observer on Thursday, plus more reaction to the week on this website over the coming days. Incidentally, just 360 days to go til Glorious 2019...

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