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Goodwood Racecourse News |
Goodwood May Meeting Approaching
15/05/06
Goodwood Racecourse hosts three days of quality racing during the popular May Meeting on Wednesday, May 24, Thursday, May 25, and Friday, May 26, which boasts four prestigious Listed contests and carries total prize money of £338,250.
The
West Sussex course offers a unique concession concerning entry fees for
Listed races at Goodwood, outside of the Festival Meeting in August,
which will be refunded for all horses that come under starter's orders.
Rod Fabricius, Goodwood's Managing Director and Clerk of the Course, commented: "Goodwood is delighted to be offering this concession again for the 2006 season - the third year we have done so.
"We are giving connections every possible encouragement to run their horses in Listed races at Goodwood and we look forward to welcoming good quality fields."
Thursday, May 25, sees the fourth year of the popular and successful "Boating Comes To Goodwood" day, featuring a pair of Listed contests on an entertaining seven-race card.
Goodwood's nautically-themed day hosts the £30,000 Listed Raymarine Stakes (3.15pm), backed by the world leader in marine electronics, and racegoers will be hoping for a similar result to last season when the Jeremy Noseda-trained Proclamation stamped himself a star in the making with an impressive victory in the mile contest under Frankie Dettori.
The colt added the Group Three Jersey Stakes at Royal Ascot at York before returning to Goodwood for one of the highlights of the entire season, the Group One Cantor Spreadfair Sussex Stakes over a mile, in which he beat the crack mare Soviet Song by half a length.
The five-furlong £30,000 Peters Plc Stakes (2.40pm), sponsored by Europe's biggest pleasure boat retailer, was won by the Richard Hannon-trained Boogie Street last season, and will be shown live on BBC Television along with the Raymarine Stakes and the opening £45,000 Sunseeker Heritage Handicap (2.10pm) over nine furlongs, supported by builders of the world famous Sunseeker motor yachts.
The Sunseeker Handicap, the most valuable race of the three days, is being run for the seventh time. For three-year-olds only, the winning margin has been less than a length in the last four years, demonstrating its competitive nature. The Willie Muir-trained Enforcer won in 2005, with Gatwick, who contested the Derby afterwards, successful the year before.
This is the second year that Goodwood will host the two Listed contests, which were transferred to the West Sussex venue during the construction of a Polytrack track at Kempton Park.
A further two Listed races take place on Friday, May 26, both of which will be shown live on BBC Television along with the first race on the card, the 11-furlong £12,000 Blue Square Handicap (2.10pm).
Actress Penelope Keith, star of the BBC sitcoms "To The Manor Born" and "The Good Life", is due to present the winning connections with the trophy for the £30,000 Listed Blue Square Festival Stakes (2.40pm).
The race marks a long association between the racecourse and the Chichester Festival Theatre, which stages a summer festival programme from April to September.
Keith is currently starring in the Richard Everett play "Entertaining Angels" at the Chichester Festival Theatre, which runs until Saturday, May 27.
The 10-furlong Blue Square Festival Stakes has a superb heritage and was won in 1993 by Red Bishop - with 1994 Melbourne Cup winner Jeune back in third - who went on to land the Hong Kong Vase and the Grade One San Juan Capistrano Handicap at Santa Anita, California.
The following year saw subsequent Champion Hurdle and Group Two Prix Dollar hero Alderbrook secure the prize, defeating a classy field that included Group Two winner Wagon Master, and Only Royale who later that season captured a second Group One Yorkshire Oaks.
More recently, the 2001 renewal went to trainer Marcus Tregoning's prolific Group race winner Mubtaker, while the 2004 contest was won by the same handler's Alkaadhem, who subsequently captured a Group Two contest in Dubai.
The £25,000 Listed Baker Tilly Trophy for two-year-olds, also on the Friday, was introduced last season and produced a fine inaugural winner in the shape of the Dandy Nicholls-trained Strike Up The Band, who returned to Goodwood to win the Group Three Betfair Molecomb Stakes at the Festival Meeting.
The three-day meeting gets off to a flying start on Wednesday, May 24, with the six-furlong EBF Maiden Fillies' Stakes (2.10pm) sponsored by CASCO (Commercial Aerospace Services Company Ltd).
The aeronautical theme continues with the £13,000 International Bureau of Aviation Handicap over a mile, and the seven-race card also includes the £15,000 seven-furlong Goodwood Aero Club Handicap (4.55pm), and the £18,000 five-furlong Goodwood Flying School Handicap (5.30pm).
Goodwood Managing Director and Clerk of the Course Rod Fabricius is looking forward to another successful May Meeting.
He said: "We are pleased to welcome back the aviation sponsors, CASCO and the International Bureau of Aviaton, to Goodwood for the first day of our May Meeting on Wednesday, May 24.
"The Thursday sees the return of "Boating Comes To Goodwood", which is a very successful themed raceday and popular with racegoers, after we had the disappointment of the day being abandoned last year.
"We are also very pleased to welcome on board Blue Square who will be sponsoring five races for the first time on the Friday, including the Listed £30,000 Blue Square Festival Stakes."
Blue Square Commercial Manager, Ben Warn, commented: "Blue Square, the leading online betting service in the UK, is proud to be sponsoring racing at Goodwood on Friday, May 26. We wish everyone at the course a good day's racing and happy punting!"
GOODWOOD'S OPENING DAY ON MAY 6
Goodwood's 2006 season opened with the revamped "Trials" fixture on Saturday, May 6.
Rod Fabricius commented: "We were very pleased with our recent fixture, which was undoubtedly a success.
"We had a good crowd of 7,300 and our tote betting turnover was well up on the previous year, although it was only the second time we have staged this early fixture.
"We were pleased with the outcome of the experiment of running the Listed Letheby & Christopher Predominate Stakes and the Listed 32Red.com Lupe Stakes.
"We feel that the Derby Trial in particular - the Letheby & Christopher Predominate Stakes - has worked in a way that it probably wouldn't have if we had staged it within 10 days of the Epsom Classic.
"Championship Point was a quite impressive winner and is clearly heading for Epsom.
"We don't see many dead-heats these days so the finish to the 32Red.Com Lupe Stakes between Rising Cross and Soft Centre was thrilling in its uniqueness, and of course the latter's owner, Philippa Cooper, sponsored the race for the previous two years through her Normandie Stud."
ONLINE EARLY BOOKING OFFER
Early booking discount prices are available for the Lennox and Gordon Enclosures for the Glorious Goodwood Festival - Tuesday, August 1, to Saturday, August 6. Bookings must be made by Thursday, June 1.
Annual Members - members of Goodwood Horseracing Club - are reminded that the cut-off point for early booking prices for day guest badges to the Richmond Enclosure during the Festival is also June 1, with badges available at a cost of £48 instead of £55 for those bought after that date.
Only Annual Members are able to purchase day badges for guests to the Richmond Enclosure during the Festival.
The advance booking office is on 01243 755 030 or visit www.goodwood.co.uk.
GOODWOOD'S MAY MEETING 2006
Wednesday, May 24
2.10 p.m. £8,250 CASCO EBF Maiden Fillies' Stakes 6f
2.40 p.m. £13,000 International Bureau of Aviation Handicap 2m
3.15 p.m. £11,000 Bernard Benham Birthday Handicap 7f
3.45 p.m. £18,000 Thomas Eggar Handicap 1m 4f
4.20 p.m. £11,000 Lovells Handicap 1m
4.55 p.m. £15,000 Goodwood Aero Club Handicap 7f
5.30 p.m. £18,000 Goodwood Flying School Handicap 5f
Thursday, May 25 "Boating Comes to Goodwood"
2.10 p.m. BBC £45,000 Sunseeker Heritage Handicap 1m 1f
2.40 p.m. BBC £30,000 Peters Plc Stakes (Achilles Stakes) (Listed)
5f
3.15 p.m. BBC £30,000 Raymarine Stakes (Heron Stakes) (Listed)
1m
3.45 p.m. £11,000 De Novo Stakes Handicap 7f
4.20 p.m. £5,500 Avon Inflatables Maiden Fillies Stakes 1m 1f
4.55 p.m. £7,000 Exhibar Maiden Fillies' Stakes 7f
5.30 p.m. £11,000 Finning Power Handicap 1m
Friday, May 26
2.10 p.m. BBC £12,000 Blue Square Handicap 1m 3f
2.40 p.m. BBC £30,000 Blue Square Festival Stakes (Listed) 1m 2f
3.15 p.m. BBC £25,000 Baker Tilly Trophy Stakes (Listed) 5f
3.50 p.m. £11,000 M-real Maiden Stakes 1m
4.20 p.m. £3,000 Blue Square Conditions Stakes 7f
4.55 p.m. £7,500 Blue Square EBF Maiden Stakes 6f
5.30 p.m. £6,000 Blue Square Apprentice Handicap 5f
