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Audarya in Good Form For Nassau

Breeders' Cup champion Audarya (Fr) (Wootton Bassett {GB}), who was second in the G1 Prince Of Wales's S. at Royal Ascot in June, is doing well in advance of the July 29 G1 Qatar Nassau S. One of the highlights of the Qatar Goodwood Festival, the 10-furlong contest appears a good fit for the GI Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf heroine.

Soviet Song (Ire) (Marju {Ire}) won the Nassau 17 years ago for Fanshawe, who said on Monday, “Audarya seems in really good form. We've had the Qatar Nassau S. in mind for a while and she's been training well since Ascot. The handicapper kept her rating at 117 after the Prince Of Wales's S., but I felt it was a really good performance. I hope she can improve again.

Added the trainer of his G1 Prix Jean Romanet victress, “She won her Group 1s at Deauville and Keeneland which are both flat tracks, but she did win a handicap at Goodwood over 1-mile as a 3-year-old where she proved she can handle the track. In terms of ground, she has run on everything. It was very testing when she won the Prix Jean Romanet at Deauville and they broke the track record on firm ground when she won the Filly and Mare Turf at Keeneland, she's very versatile.

“Circumstances have meant that we've had a few different jockeys ride her, but William [Buick] seemed to get on well with her in the Prince Of Wales's S. and hopefully he can ride her next Thursday.”

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Qatar Goodwood Festival Features’ Prize Money Returned to 2019 Levels

The Qatar Goodwood Festival, slated for July 27-31, will boast an increase in prize money for its three feature races, the racecourse announced on Tuesday. The G1 Qatar Sussex S. will once again be worth £1 million, while the G1 Qatar Goodwood Cup has total prize money of £500,000. Rounding out the three Group 1s with increased prize money is the G1 Qatar Nassau S., which will be worth £600,000. Overall, the five-day festival will offer over £4.8 million in prize money in July. In 2020, purses were reduced due to COVID-19. Goodwood's ts flagship meeting will be one of the first major racing festivals to welcome back significant numbers of racegoers, as the UK Government continues to loosen restrictions.

Adam Waterworth, Events Managing Director at The Goodwood Group, added, “Prize money is incredibly important for our owners whose commitment and support we value tremendously. They are vital to the livelihood of the sport, and we're delighted to be able to return our feature races to the levels we ran them in 2019.

“The last 12 months have been extremely challenging for the business as a whole with severe financial hardships. However, despite revenues remaining challenging in 2020, and the uncertainty around crowd numbers at some of our fixtures, investment in prize money has always been a priority for Goodwood, and we accept our role in trying to ensure the higher rated horses remain in training in this country, whilst also striving to attract some of the best thoroughbreds from further afield.

“We are incredibly grateful to our official title partner, the Qatar Racing and Equestrian Club, without whose support we would not have been able to offer these levels of prize money, and our other sponsors, broadcast, and betting media partners.

“Goodwood is very much looking forward getting racing underway this season. We will be welcoming limited spectators to the racecourse across May and June, when admission is likely to be limited to members, although hospitality experiences will be open to all.

“Ticket sales have been phenomenal for the Qatar Goodwood Festival. It's one of the best on sales we have known, and all being well, we anticipate hosting racegoers at pre-pandemic capacities come the end of July.”

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Permission Revoked For Goodwood Spectators

The British government on Friday morning withdrew permission for Goodwood Racecourse to host 5,000 spectators on Saturday as part of a pilot project for the return of fans to sporting events. A joint statement from the British Horseracing Authority, the Racecourse Association and Goodwood said it is believed the cancellation of the event is due to concerns about the national infection rate of coronavirus and is not a reflection of any concerns about Goodwood or the measures taken there. Racing will take place on Saturday behind closed doors.

David Armstrong, chief executive of the RCA, said, “The RCA is very disappointed to learn that the pilot event at Goodwood Racecourse scheduled for tomorrow has been postponed. We understand and respect the issues raised within the Prime Minister’s announcement and have always maintained that public health has been paramount to any event, be it racing resuming behind closed doors or with crowds. The work undertaken by the sport, and especially the Goodwood team, to bring the safety protocols to life has been very thorough and detailed. It is worth reiterating there were no concerns with the protocols put in place by the sport and Goodwood Racecourse and we wish them the very best for the final two days of the Qatar Goodwood Festival which will take place behind closed doors. The RCA will continue to work closely with government to plan future pilot events to welcome back crowds subject to the latest public health advice.”

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Britain: Goodwood Festival To Be Among Pilot Events Welcoming Crowds Back To Sports

British horse racing welcomes the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport's (DCMS) announcement that one of the pilot events to welcome crowds back to elite sporting venues in England will take place on 1st August at Goodwood Racecourse, as part of the Qatar Goodwood Festival. The pilot is part of the Government's fifth stage in the Return to Elite Competition protocol.

This is potentially an important step forward in the sporting economic recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic and the industry is grateful for the support of DCMS in selecting horse racing to be one of the sports to host a pilot event, two months after it returned safely behind closed doors.

The RCA-led Stage 5 industry working group have also worked tirelessly in recent weeks to enable this pilot event to take place, reflecting the unique characteristics of racecourses as outdoor sporting venues.

This event will be a pilot to implement new safety protocols developed by DCMS, the Sports Ground Safety Authority (SGSA) and Racing to implement new safety protocols to allow elite sporting venues to welcome back spectators. An event for 5,000 people, plus participants, has been designed for the safety of all participants and racegoers. Attendance will initially be offered to Goodwood Racecourse Annual Members and their guests. The day will be carefully planned in conjunction with the local government and other relevant bodies to ensure that the event carries minimal risk to attendees and the local community.

The sport recognizes the continued support of racehorse owners through this extremely challenging period and as part of the pilot, new initiatives which may increase the number of owners on course and increase the level of hospitality offered will be trialed.

For all racegoers attending the event, a code of conduct must be acknowledged and agreed in advance. This sets out expectations on the behavior and actions of everyone involved to maintain hygiene levels and social distancing, as well as outlining the facilities and initiatives put in place by the racecourse to enable this. Further information will be published in due course.

Following the pilot event, the Stage 5 industry group will conduct a thorough debrief to understand which measures worked well and which require further refinement.

Whilst collectively we share the excitement of all involved in hosting this event, it will not be possible for all racecourses to immediately follow suit and welcome crowds. This will be subject to a successful debrief, finalizing the extensive protocols involved and further permission granted from Government.

David Armstrong, RCA Chief Executive and Chair of the welcoming crowds industry group, commented: “We welcome the fact that horseracing is to be selected as one of the pilot events to welcome back crowds and my team and I acknowledge the great responsibility upon us.

“The safety protocols involved will be stringent and the Goodwood Racecourse team are in a fantastic place to implement them. The sport has come together to offer support to ensure the pilot event provides us with sufficient learnings that others may follow in time. These learnings will allow us to draft industry-wide protocols fir the wider scale return of crowds as soon as we are able.

“Crowds bring a wonderful atmosphere to a raceday and many businesses associated with racecourses are reliant upon them. I sincerely hope that all involved enjoy their day— our focus now turns to supporting the Goodwood team in what is a landmark day for the sport.”

Adam Waterworth, Sport Managing Director at the Goodwood Estate, commented: “We are delighted that the Qatar Goodwood Festival has been selected as a pilot event for the return of crowds. It marks an important day for the sports industry following a few challenging months.

“Our Annual Members have continued to support us throughout, for which we are enormously grateful. It is therefore fantastic to offer them the opportunity to witness racing on The Downs again.

“The Goodwood team will ensure the racecourse adheres to Government guidelines on social distancing and hygiene. We hope that this will be the next step in ensuring crowds for future sporting events.”

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