The result of the Qatar Handicap, race six on the final day of the 2018 Qatar Goodwood Festival on Saturday, proved to be decisive in the Leading Trainer Award battle.
Trainer Mark Johnston – ‘never been in favour’
The winner, Lake Volta, gave trainer Mark Johnston his fourth winner of the week, equalling William Haggas’ total.
However, Johnston has also had five horses finish second over the five days compared to Haggas’s one and this put the Yorkshire-based handler at the top of the trainers’ list. It is the 12th time that Johnston has won the Qatar Goodwood Festival trainers’ title and his third victory in succession.
He said: “It’s great. We come here every year – I kept telling Charlie (son and assistant) all last week, just like Royal Ascot, you’ve got to take the horse where it has got the best chance – you can’t save it for Goodwood.
We’ve come with a strong team so it’s great to come out on top again. It has been a little frustrating over the last two days – we’ve had a few second places – so it’s great to get this win. It is a big team effort.”
Ryan Moore – has had a good week
Ryan Moore, the Racing UK Top Jockey with five winners ahead of runner-up Silvestre de Sousa on four, has donated his £1,000 prize to the Stevie Fisher Trust.
It is Moore’s third Qatar Goodwood Festival title in a row and his fifth in total.
Moore, who also won a subscription to Racing UK and a deluxe Goodwood hamper, donated his £1,000 cash prize to the Trust, set up to raise funds for Stevie Fisher, a friend of the Moore family and Sire De Grugy’s former farrier.
Fisher, who suffered a debilitating stroke four years ago has now been left with “Locked In’ Syndrome”, which means he can only move his head and communicate via moving his eyes.
