Not for nothing is Goodwood Racecourse in England widely regarded as the most beautiful racecourse in the world. It is picturesque beyond words and, of all the racecourses that I have been fortunate to have visited around the world, I believe that this marvel upstages them all.
How do we know that this is true?
Partly because few racecourses are located in such a beautiful part of the country, with the horses racing up rolling downs on the final straight — making perhaps one of the most scenic sights in sport.
Perhaps, only perhaps, Hong Kong’s Happy Valley is the one racecourse that comes pretty close to challenging Goodwood’s status, but it will have to settle for the runner-up position in my book.
The five-day Glorious Goodwood meeting is of the highest quality and the feature races cater to all types of horse. The track is both demanding and supportive provided the ground is on the good side, which in the most part it is.
Theoretically, the meeting is also the last of the summer sporting occasions following on from Royal Ascot and Newmarket’s July meeting. It’s a favourite haunt for socialites and fashionistas and this year was no different, with the ladies dressed to the nines and the men suitably attired in tailored lightweight suits.
In short, Glorious Goodwood is the spectacle of spectacles.
On a different note, this year’s meeting also saw one of the best Irish jockeys of the modern era, Richard Hughes, bid goodbye to the sport after 27 fine years.
It was an emotional day for Hughsie, who bared his soul in his column published on Saturday in the Racing Post.
“One more day, six more rides and then, for me, that will be that. For most people the countdown to this farewell has lasted for only two weeks, but for me this last fortnight has felt like an eternity. I have been overwhelmed by the reaction I’ve had from people at Goodwood and I have found it embarrassing. I genuinely did not realise the amount of publicity I was going to receive.”
Racing fans in the UAE will have plenty of reasons to remember Hughes fondly. Only four months ago he was seen at his brilliant best when powering Sole Power home to win the Al Quoz Sprint on Dubai World Cup day at Meydan.
The three-time British champion, who will continue his career as a trainer, went on record to say his finest moment came in 2013 at Santa Anita, where he won the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf for Charlie Hills.
“As I look back over the years, there have obviously been plenty of highs and lows, but many more highs,” he wrote. “I got a particularly great kick out of winning at the Breeders’ Cup on Chriselliam. This was a triumph on the world stage and I felt I gave a special filly a peach of a ride.
“The year before, I endured a nightmare at the same Santa Anita track on Sky Lantern. This time things worked out differently and that gave me an enormous amount of satisfaction.”
Satisfaction is the key word as Hughes bows out while still at the top of his career. How many sportsmen have shown the same integrity as Hughsie?
