00:33In summary though, it has been a very, very dry year so far hasn't it?
00:38Yes, the second dry summer period on record after 1976, which is obviously the dry, which
00:45means it's a big challenge for you.
00:47Yeah, a huge challenge.
00:48The team worked unbelievably hard.
00:50If you look at the statement track now, it's really, really good.
00:53We've still got just over a couple of nights ago.
00:56A little bit more to do.
00:58Last application, first life is going on.
01:00Some today, some tomorrow.
01:02And we're hoping that we're going to get some decent rain over the weekend, which looks
01:06quite promising.
01:07And then we can, you know, really push forward.
01:10And you need a decent amount of rain between now and the start.
01:13I don't know if you do.
01:14You know, we'll do it with irrigation if we have to, but a really good dose of rain does
01:19so.
01:20Much better job.
01:21Use.
01:22It'll always work a little bit more rainfall than the irrigation.
01:25A little bit more, but if the metal grass takes it up better, it'll give it a real flush
01:29and pull it on and give a good colour after it as well.
01:32And a week and a half away from the start.
01:35Does everything and everyone here feel ready?
01:38Ready for the challenge of the week?
01:40No.
01:41Nobody's ready.
01:42Nobody feels ready.
01:43But if we were ready, you know, nearly two weeks out, then we would be, you know,
01:46there'd be something very wrong.
01:47Yeah, it's all about the timing.
01:48Yeah, exactly.
01:49It'll all be, it'll all be perfect.
01:50And we'll all have it ready for the gates opening on Tuesday.
01:53All being well, we'll be sort of ready to go on Monday afternoon or Monday morning,
01:57and then it's just the final touches.
01:58And from what we know so far, it's looking like a pretty good week in terms of the racing
02:03that we'll see, some top class action.
02:05I want to talk you through a day at a time if I can.
02:08Yep.
02:09Starting on the Tuesday and kicking off with one of the big ones, the Goodwood Cup.
02:12Yeah.
02:13And entries for that do look very good, don't it?
02:14Yeah, entries looking very strong.
02:16Big contingent from Aidan O'Brien in Ireland.
02:19Probably got the favourite at the moment in Illinois.
02:22David Benouisier, based at Pullborough.
02:25Looks like he may well run Sunway, which would be great.
02:29And then a couple from Gosdams, one who we saw run at Royal Ascot.
02:33Oh, actually both that horse and Sweet William have both won here in the past.
02:37So really good to see those horses, you know, graduate from here,
02:40go on to other things and then come back for our big meeting.
02:43It just sort of shows that our race programming is...
02:45Doing what it should.
02:46Yeah, exactly.
02:47And the supporting race is on the Tuesday?
02:49Yeah, Lennox is a big one.
02:50Lennox is a big one.
02:51Lennox is looking very strong.
02:52A lot of entries still in there, so you'd hope we'll be nearly a full field size.
02:57And then that's as far as we know, entries-wise, they'll start entering for the other races on Wednesday.
03:02But you'd expect that we'll start with an ultra-competitive Chesterfield Cup, as always, and go on from there.
03:08And Wednesday is the big one of the week.
03:11Sussex Stakes, Ketal Sussex Stakes.
03:13And it looks like, you know, if everybody turns up that is, you're hoping it will turn up,
03:18that could be one of the best for years, couldn't it?
03:20Yeah, it could be.
03:21It could be a fabulous race.
03:22I was sort of sitting here this morning, working through it and seeing who was going to run
03:25and who might go elsewhere.
03:26And then slight curveball, Delacroix of Aidens, has collapsed in the market.
03:33So it looks like that might well come here, which I wasn't quite expecting.
03:37He's been running up at a mile and a quarter.
03:39Won the Eclipse, obviously, and we were thinking probably we'll go on to the International at York.
03:44But it looks like he might drop back to a mile.
03:46Yeah.
03:47So that's really exciting.
03:48Field of Gold, obviously, who was narrowly touched off in our guineas, won the Irish guineas
03:54very comprehensively under St. James's Palace.
03:57And then, you know, he's coming on here, joint-rated, top-rated horse in the world at the moment.
04:03So that's really exciting.
04:05And American or Australian horse, depending which way you want to look at it,
04:09it's only ever run in America.
04:11But he's now trained by an Australian trainer that's on his way to Australia.
04:15That's a truly international horse.
04:16Called Carl Spankler, who ran in the Queen Anne for older horses over mile of Royal Ascot.
04:21Definitely coming on here.
04:23They're really, really pleased with him.
04:25Lost a lot of weight since he ran at Ascot, which is a really good sign.
04:29A bit fitter.
04:30So he could be a really interesting horse.
04:32Yeah, and two or three others, Docklands, who did win the Queen Anne, coming.
04:37So, yeah, could be really exciting, actually.
04:39Really intriguing race.
04:40Other races on the Wednesday to look out for?
04:43Again, we'll wait and see.
04:44The entries will come in next Thursday, so a week today.
04:48And we'll go on from there and see.
04:50Thursday is the third group one of the week.
04:52The Nassau, one of your favourites?
04:53Yeah, one of my favourite races.
04:55You will actually be amazed here.
04:56I can't really talk you through the Nassau because I haven't looked at it properly.
04:59But again, Aidan has a strong entry in there with a couple of French horses.
05:05You know, it's a great race with those horses that are dropping back and didn't quite stay the mile and a half in the various oaks.
05:12And those horses that have been running in the guineas, stepping up to that little bit further.
05:16So, as always, it'll be a fascinating race.
05:18It never disappoints.
05:19You know, everybody will know I like the race.
05:22Absolutely.
05:23And the first year, of course, also brings the glitz and glamour of Ladies' Day, Magnolia Cup and some other good races as well.
05:31Yeah, some great races.
05:32You look at the Richmond Stakes, the Gordon Stakes.
05:35The Gordon Stakes winner Jan Bruegel went on to great things last year, won the St. Ledger and was favourite for the Melbourne Cup.
05:44And then ruled that for various reasons.
05:47He's come back, won the Coronation Cup over a mile and a half at Epsom earlier in the year.
05:52And will likely go our favourite for the King George at Ascot on Saturday called Doris.
05:58And then your King George is on the Friday, one of the highlights of Friday.
06:02Yeah, that again...
06:03It's a very strong card on the Friday, isn't it, as always?
06:05It is.
06:06The King George looks a really strong race again.
06:08Asfora, the Australian mare, coming back again.
06:10She's just touched on five big ebbs last year.
06:14Coming back with big mojo.
06:16Same trainer, same ownership, partnership, virtually the same breeding.
06:20Again, so that looks strong.
06:23You know, some other really good horses in there.
06:25So, again, quite a lot left in, so it could be quite a big seal, could be quite interesting.
06:29And Saturday, standing here is not a good idea on the Saturday because of 28 horses or however many it is,
06:35charging down in the Stewards' Cup.
06:37Always a sort of real spectacle of the last day, isn't it?
06:39Yeah, exactly.
06:40You know, fantastic last year with Get It, trained by George Baker, locally winning.
06:45He's gone on over the winter.
06:47Didn't do a huge amount over the winter.
06:49Then won a six furlong race at Ascot in probably May time, I think.
06:55Broke track record in the process.
06:57And then won the Woking Up, you know, one of the ultra-competitive handicaps at Royal Ascot.
07:02Coming back here, aiming to go back to back in the Stewards' Cup.
07:06Does interestingly still hold an entry in the King George, the group two on the Friday we've just discussed.
07:12But not that I'm aware of, he's going to run, but they may change their mind.
07:18But it would be fabulous to see him go again.
07:20And he's turned into one of the real star sprint handicappers of the country at the moment.
07:25And I think you've switched around one or two other races to make the Saturday card a little bit stronger, haven't you?
07:31Yeah, we did that last year and it seems to have worked.
07:34We moved the glorious stakes, the Mar 4 group three, from the Friday into the Saturday.
07:40To replace the Stewards' Cup consolation race, which just wasn't really working.
07:45And then we put on that new distance race that worked so well last year.
07:49And we looked at it on end to see the races in theory making the group two race.
07:53So that was really pleasing to see that that worked.
07:56And for you personally, you're eighth year here now, I think, isn't it?
08:00That's quite for the course.
08:01Terrifying.
08:02Eight years with my name above the door and ten years helping Seamus before that.
08:05Yeah, that's right.
08:06So does it get easier?
08:07Or does it get harder?
08:08Or is familiarity a good thing?
08:11Every year has its ups and downs.
08:13The longer you are somewhere, the more experience you have.
08:17So when these sort of bumps in the road come along, hopefully you know how to deal with them.
08:21We've got the most fabulous Grands team here at the moment, led by Andrew.
08:25And it really does make life so much easier when they're as good as they are.
08:29Apart from whoever's stripping around the stands at the moment probably means you can't hear me.
08:33Which might be a good thing.
08:34They've waited for us to come out, haven't they?
08:35Yeah, exactly.
08:36But no, they do such a good job.
08:38Really unsung heroes.
08:40They spend a long time, long hours out here.
08:43They're out walking still at half eleven last night, back in just before six this morning.
08:48It's what people don't see when they turn up on race day.
08:51Yeah, exactly.
08:52They don't realise quite how much has gone into making this surface what it is.
08:55Exactly.
08:56And they'll have a mile and bit of running rail to move before we race to create that forced rail that we always have in.
09:01They'll then have to move that overnight during racing.
09:03They'll be watering, tidying up, mowing.
09:06The track will get mown most nights.
09:08All the parade ring, pre-parade ring, etc.
09:11Yeah.
09:12Yeah.
09:13So we'll be looking out for the other race cars as they come at Nome next week.
09:16Exactly.
09:17And message to local people and racing fans is, if you've not got your ticket yet, get in here because they'll be packed out some of the days.
09:24Yeah, there'll be some fabulous racing and, you know, the Qatar Goodwill Festival, sponsored by Visit Qatar, will absolutely be a blockbuster again this year.
09:34Hopefully the weather looks like it at the long range forecast.
09:38It'll be about perfect.
09:39Warm, sunny, but not too hot.
09:41Well, good luck with the rest of the planning and we look forward to catching up with you during the week.
