Goodwood's season set to end with a flourish

The curtain comes down on another vintage season of flat racing at Goodwood on Sunday.
Soto Sizzler wins at Glorious Goodwood - and may return for Sunday's season finale / Picture by Malcolm WellsSoto Sizzler wins at Glorious Goodwood - and may return for Sunday's season finale / Picture by Malcolm Wells
Soto Sizzler wins at Glorious Goodwood - and may return for Sunday's season finale / Picture by Malcolm Wells

The racecourse hosts its 19th and final fixture of 2018 and it could be one to remember for one jovkey and one trainer in particular.

If Frankie Dettori makes an appearance, one win will give him his 200th Goodwood winner – a feat only achieved very, very rarely before in the 200-plus-years racing has been held on the Downs.

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Meanwhile Mark Johnston – who has just claimed the record for the number of flat winners by any trainer in this country – is set to lift the track’s Dick Hern Trophy once again.

The Yorkshire-based trainer has an impeccable record at Goodwood down the years and has again been the racecourse’s top-performing trainer this year. He is well ahead of his rivals in the race to have the most Goodwood winners in the season, with 12 so far.

It’s a trophy he shared in 2001 and won outright in 2012 as well as last year.

Racing and Bavarian fun is heady mix at FontwellJohnston will be in honours at GoodwoodSunday sees seven races which attracted a whopping 182 horses ahead of Friday’s final declarations.

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Contenders include Qatar Goodwood Festival winners such as Feel Glorious – who defied odds of 125-1 at the track in August – and the locally-trained Soto Sizzler.

The NetBet.co.uk Alderbrook Handicap, a flat race for professional jump jockeys, will be held. Champion jockey Richard Johnson, dual Grand National-winning rider Leighton Aspell and Cheltenham Gold Cup-winner Paddy Brennan have all won this race in the past.

The season finale will also feature craft beers and real ales to sample, including Goodwood’s own new range. One of the three new beverages is the St Simon, a lager that takes its name from the 1883 Goodwood Cup winner, who reportedly continued galloping over Trundle Hill after his 20-length victory.

A hog roast will be the centrepiece of the East Parade Lawn, around which guests can toast marshmallows over fire pits. With hay bales and hand-crafted wooden benches to sit on, guests will be able to eat, drink and listen to a fiddle trio.

For more information or to purchase tickets, visit Goodwood.com or call 01243 755055