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Battaash Goes For Fifth Straight King George Stakes At Goodwood

It has become a familiar sight on the Friday of the Qatar Goodwood Festival to see Jim Crowley in the famous blue and white silks of the late Sheikh Hamdan Al Maktoum's Shadwell Racing blitzing his rivals in the King George Qatar Stakes. This year, Battaash is back for more, and his trainer Charlie Hills paid tribute to the seven-year-old sprinter as he seeks to win the race for a fifth consecutive year at Goodwood Racecourse near Chichester, England.

“We've been very fortunate to have had Battaash in this yard. He's become a massive part of our lives over the last six years. The most important thing is to keep in one piece but we're happy with him at this stage.”

Having suffered a minor setback over the winter, he finished 4th in the King's Stand at Royal Ascot, a performance that left Hills delighted.

“Battaash has been good since his run at Ascot, and we've had no hiccoughs at all. I thought he ran a great race at Ascot, but they probably went a stride too fast which meant, on that track, it just found him out.”

“Goodwood, being a speed track, really suits him. He's a straightforward horse to train these days and we know which races to target him for. He's got a good routine and he enjoys his work which is the most important thing. He's still very competitive when you put a horse alongside him and as long as he's got that, then it's pretty uncomplicated with him.”

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Sheikh Hamdan Al Maktoum witnessed some great performances from Battaash at Goodwood, but this will be the first King George Qatar Stakes since his passing on what will prove to be an emotional day for connections.

“Battaash was very close to Sheikh Hamdan's heart. Over those five years, he begun to watch him grow. The day he won the Nunthorpe Stakes was a very emotional day. He was a massive supporter of the yard and we had a lot of success and great days together. He is sadly missed but it's great that his daughter Sheikha Hissa will take on the operation and I so hope Battaash can win at Goodwood for her.”

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O’Brien Gives Update on Goodwood Team

Aidan O'Brien will send a strong Ballydoyle challenge to the Qatar Goodwood Festival next week, and has a trio of colts ready to step forward in the G1 Qatar Sussex S.-Lope Y Fernandez (Ire) (Lope de Vega {Ire}), Order Of Australia (Ire) (Australia {GB}) and Battleground (War Front). Runner-up in the G1 Queen Anne S. at Royal Ascot, the MG1SP Lope Y Fernandez won the Listed Heritage S. at Leopardstown in April. GI Breeders' Cup Mile hero Order Of Australia was last seen in action taking the G2 Minstrel S. at The Curragh on July 18 and Battleground, a Group 2 winner, exits the G1 Prix Jean Prat on July 11 with a ninth-place run.

O'Brien said of the Coolmore partners' runners, “Order Of Australia has come out of the race [on Sunday] well. He cantered today and yesterday and he's very well. It's very possible that he could go. Obviously when he only ran at the weekend, we'd like to get him back in full work for four or five days and do the right thing for the horse.

“We have the choice of running here or going to the Lennox S., but at the moment we're thinking of the Sussex. He worked this morning and we were very happy with him.”

He added of Battleground, “He ran a very big race in Ascot. He was a little bit disappointing the last day, but he was drawn out on a wing and he's a horse that likes to get cover.

“We've been very happy with him since and we think Goodwood will suit him–we think he'll leave that run behind him and come right back to his Ascot run and better. It's very possible that he could go to the Sussex as well.”

The G1 Al Shaqab Goodwood Cup S. could also feature three from Rosegreen, with 2020 G1 Derby hero Serpentine (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), 2020 G1 Irish Derby victor Santiago (Ire) (Authorized {Ire}) and June 27 G2 Comer Group International Curragh Cup winner Amhran Na Bhfiann (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) all likely to start.

“We think coming back to two miles will help Santiago and Amhran Na Bhfiann the same,” said O'Brien. “There's a chance that Serpentine will run as well. We were thinking two of the three, we just haven't decided yet which two.”

O'Brien's G1 Tattersalls Irish 1000 Guineas one-two Empress Josephine (Ire) (Galileo {Ire} and Joan Of Arc (Ire) (Galile {Ire}), who subsequently won the G1 Prix de Diane, both hold an entry in the G1 Qatar Nassau S.

“The two fillies we were training for it [the Nassau] are Joan Of Arc, who won the Diane, and Empress Josephine,” said O'Brien. “Joan Of Arc has been progressing lovely all season and we've been looking at this with her for a good while. Empress Josephine could step up to a mile and a quarter to run [in] it as well. That's not definite, but it's very possible.”

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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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