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HRI IRE Incentive Scheme Celebrates First Winner on British Soil

The first winner of Horse Racing Ireland's IRE Incentive Scheme in Britain was Imperial Fighter (Ire) (The Gurkha {Ire}) in the British European Breeders' Fund EBF Maiden S. at the Qatar Goodwood Festival on Saturday. The owner, Michael Blencowe, was awarded a €10,000 IRE Incentive voucher to spend on Irish-breds at Irish sales because Imperial Fighter is an Irish-bred. The IRE Incentive Scheme has now awarded a total of €450,000 in Irish sales vouchers to 36 individual owners since its inception in March of 2021. Additional British-based races that will be part of the new scheme will be announced in due course. For owners to be eligible to win a voucher, runners in relevant races need only be Irish-bred and Foal Levy compliant. For more information and a full list of IRE Incentive races, please visit www.itm.ie/IRE_Incentive.

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Buick and Balding Top Qatar Goodwood Festival

Jockey William Buick and trainer Andrew Balding were named the Qatar Goodwood Festival Leading Jockey and Leading Trainer, respectively, on Saturday.

Buick, who gets married on Sunday, had previously won the award in 2014. The 33-year-old's best rides of the week were Suesa (Ire) (Night of Thunder {Ire})'s win in the G2 King George Qatar S. and Saturday's G2 Qatar Lillie Langtry S. heroine Wonderful Tonight (Fr) (Le Havre {Ire}).

Buick said, “I'm delighted to be leading jockey at Glorious Goodwood. I knew I had some good rides. It is always a week you look back on and think there are one or two races you would like to have a go at again but, all in all, it has been a great week.

“I am really pleased, Suesa and Wonderful Tonight being the highlights. I had some nice rides coming into the week and was quite positive.

“I've now got my wedding tomorrow. I'm a bit nervous now but it should be a brilliant day and we're getting married at a church opposite where we live. Now I have got to get my head into my speech–all week I have been focusing on my job, now I am going to focus on tomorrow! It should be a great day. James Doyle is my best man.”

Balding's horses won two races on Saturday, giving him a total of five wins at the meeting, good enough to take the trainers' title. The Kingsclere handler sent out Alcohol Free (Ire) (No Nay Never) to scoop the G1 Qatar Sussex S. on Wednesday, the first time since Soviet Song (Ire) (Marju {Ire}) in 2004 a filly had won the iconic showpiece.

Balding said, “I thought we had a chance coming into today and we've had a couple of winners. We have targeted this meeting with the right horses. The ground suited most of them and it has been a good week.

“It was a special moment for us with Alcohol Free. She is a special filly and we really enjoyed it.”

At the conclusion of the five-day meeting, Jon Barnett, Goodwood Racecourse's Director, said, “We were delighted to have been the first major racing festival to welcome back full capacity crowds. The atmosphere on course has been fabulous throughout with a real buzz, particularly on Friday and Saturday where crowd levels were as good as we can remember with a sell-out capacity reached in a number of enclosures.

“The weather largely remained unsettled, but the racing stories and true 'Glorious Goodwood' experience shone through. Attendance for the week has reached 2019 levels, which was a fantastic year for us, with sales on food and beverage far higher than we would normally have anticipated as racegoers celebrated a return to the Festival.

“Finally, we must extend our sincere thanks to the Qatar Racing and Equestrian Club, who have been the headline sponsor for the seventh year. Without their support alongside our other official partners, including Unibet, this would not be possible.

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Diana Poser on Sunday

Sunday's G1 Henkel-Preis der Diana at Dusseldorf offers the usual puzzle, with Dr. Christoph Berglar's Amazing Grace (Ger) (Protectionist {Ger}), who was taken out of the G1 Prix de Diane due to her wide draw, possibly the standard-setter in the German Oaks. Successful in Hoppegarten's G2 Diana Trial May 23, the chestnut beat Noble Heidi (Fr) (Intello {Ger}) by 3/4 of a length on that occasion before finishing runner-up in the 11-furlong G3 Mehl-Mulhens-Trophy at Hamburg July 4.

First and second in this track's Listed Diana-Trial June 19, Palmas (Ger) (Lord of England {Ger}) and Normfliegerin (Ger) (Adlerflug {Ger}) are unexposed members of the cast, while Gestut Auenquelle's July 4 G3 Hamburger Stutenmeile winner Reine d'Amour (Ger) (Soldier Hollow {GB}) and Gestut Rottgen's Listed Mulheim Diana Trial scorer Alaskasonne (Fr) (Soldier Hollow {GB}) are other key protagonists.

Click here for the group fields.

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Le Havre’s Wonderful Tonight In Charge In The Lillie Langtry

After the rain missed Saturday's fast-ground G1 King George VI and Queen Elizabeth S., Goodwood had an abundance of it in the interim to ensure that things fell in the favour of the re-routed Wonderful Tonight (Fr) (Le Havre {Ire}) ahead of Saturday's G2 Qatar Lillie Langtry S. Too keen early tracking the leader Makawee (Ire) (Farhh {GB}) on the soft going she needs, Christopher Wright's G1 Prix de Royallieu, G1 QIPCO British Champions Fillies & Mares S. and G2 Hardwicke S. heroine was eventually allowed to stride to the front by William Buick approaching three out. Crossing to the stand's rail, the 4-5 favourite was clear with quarter of a mile remaining but in the end had to work to score by two lengths from the vastly-improved Tribal Craft (GB) (Mastercraftsman {Ire}), with the smart Albaflora (GB) (Muhaarar {GB}) nine lengths away in third. “She is a lot stronger this year and has more speed, so this mile and six is the end of the world for her,” trainer David Menuisier said. “You have to break her stride the whole way, so you could probably get away with dropping down in trip to 10 furlongs now. She will probably have a run in the [Aug. 19 G1] Yorkshire Oaks, or maybe at Deauville in the [Aug. 22 G2 Prix de] Pomone, then likely the [G1 Prix] Vermeille [at ParisLongchamp Sept. 12] and of course the [Oct. 3] Arc.”

Buick echoed those sentiments and said, “I know she has won over this trip before in Paris last year, but I think she's a bit speedier now. She doesn't need to be running over this trip again. She's energetic and I was delighted to get a lead on her. We went slow and she took it up a fair way out, but has stuck on all the way to the line. She is a very good mover, so there is no real reason why she should want soft ground. Her form suggests she is better on it, but if it was good-to-soft or good ground, I wouldn't be worried. If the ground came up like this in the Arc, she is a class filly and you would have to give her a chance.” Oisin Murphy said of Tribal Craft, “It was a career-best and I am thrilled. Tribal Craft definitely improved for a change of tactics–being dropped in really suits her and she relishes these conditions.”

Wonderful Tonight, whose career trajectory took an upward turn when winning Deauville's 12 1/2-furlong G3 Prix Minerve on heavy ground last August, is a daughter of Salvation (GB) (Montjeu {Ire}) who also produced the stakes winner Penjade (Fr) (Air Chief Marshal {Ire}). The second dam is the Listed Lingfield Oaks Trial winner Birdie (GB) (Alhaarth {Ire}), who was responsible for three black-type performers headed by the GIII Providencia S. scorer Hostess (GB) (Iffraaj {GB}). Birdie is kin to the listed-winning Fickle (GB) (Danehill), in turn the dam of the G3 Dahlia S. winner Tarfah (Kingmambo) who produced the G1 2000 Guineas and G1 Epsom and Irish Derby hero and established sire Camelot (GB). Salvation's unraced 2-year-old colt Ak Ishan (Fr) (Recorder {GB}) was a €70,000 purchase at Arqana Deauville October by Haras de Montfort & Preaux, while she also has a yearling filly by the same sire.

Saturday, Goodwood, Britain
QATAR LILLIE LANGTRY S.-G2, £300,000, Goodwood, 7-31, 3yo/up, f/m, 14fT, 3:13.05, sf.
1–WONDERFUL TONIGHT (FR), 135, f, 4, by Le Havre (Ire)
1st Dam: Salvation (GB), by Montjeu (Ire)
2nd Dam: Birdie (GB), by Alhaarth (Ire)
3rd Dam: Fade (GB), by Persepolis (Fr)
(€40,000 Ylg '18 ARAUG). O-Christopher Wright; B-SARL Ecurie La Cauviniere (FR); T-David Menuisier; J-William Buick. £170,130. Lifetime Record: Hwt. 3yo-Fr at 14f+, G1SW-Fr & Eng, 10-6-1-1, $832,231. *1/2 to Penjade (Fr) (Air Chief Marshal {Ire}), SW-US, MSP-Fr, $376,306. Werk Nick Rating: A+++ *Triple Plus*. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Tribal Craft (GB), 132, m, 5, Mastercraftsman (Ire)–Snoqualmie Star (GB), by Galileo (Ire). O-Mr J C Smith; B-Littleton Stud (GB); T-Andrew Balding. £64,500.
3–Albaflora (GB), 132, f, 4, Muhaarar (GB)–Almiranta (GB), by Galileo (Ire). O/B-Miss K Rausing (GB); T-Ralph Beckett. £32,280.
Margins: 2, 9, 5. Odds: 1.80, 16.00, 4.00.
Also Ran: Divinely (Ire), Makawee (Ire), Believe In Love (Ire), Cabaletta (GB). Scratched: Golden Pass (GB), Traisha (Ire). Click for the Racing Post result or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.

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