Goodwood race line-ups are small – but crowds are huge

That was perhaps the best way to sum up Goodwood’s three-day bank holiday festival, which saw thousands flock to the South Downs on Friday night and Saturday and Sunday afternoon to see 20 races and enjoy family entertainment.

In total, 32,000 attended – an increase on 2019, the last time the weekend was staged in its usual full form.

One issue that cast a bit of a shadow over proceedings is one that’s hitting the sport as a whole at the moment – a dearth of top-quality runners for the highest-grade races.

It was seen on Saturday when only five lined up for the Group 2 Celebration Mile – Goodwood’s biggest race of the year outside Glorious week – and only four ran in the Group 3 March Stakes.

It led to ITV Racing and the Racing Post highlighting the shortage of runners, and racecourse managing director Adam Waterworth was interviewed about it during ITV’s coverage from the course.

Opinion is racing seems to favour a reduction in the number of higher-grade races in order to improve the quality and quantity of the fields in those that are run.

At Goodwood, that could mean them losing one or two of the many Group 3 contests they stage throughout the year – something Waterworth said they’d be willing to do if it helped tackle the racing-wide problem.

The better news at Goodwood is that crowd numbers are holding up very well in difficult times.

In addition, racecourse bosses are hopeful of being able to boost prize money next season – which in itself should help draw stronger fields for the high-profile races.

The big winner of Goodwood’s three-day extravaganza was jockey William Buick, who rode an amazing five winners on Saturday and another three on Sunday.

His successes included victory in the aforementioned Celebration Mile on Jadoomi , in the March Stakes on Hoo Ya Mal and in the Prestige Stakes on Fairy Cross.

Friday night’s Chichester Observer Handicap was won – somewhat ironically – by The Daley Express, while Sunday’s feature race, the Group 3 Supreme Stakes, went to Double Or Bubble.

Next up at Goodwood are midweek meetings next Tuesday and on September 21.