Goodwood Cup upgraded to Group One status in pattern changes

The Qatar Goodwood Cup has been upgraded to Group One status and has been moved to the first day of the meeting.

Won in previous years by great stayers like Double Trigger, Persian Punch and Yeats, the two-mile test on August 1 was viewed upon by the EPC as "an obvious candidate" to become a top-level race.

The Goodwood Cup's elevation is part of a host of changes issued by the EPC to help "safeguard the future of the staying horse in Europe".

EPC chairman Brian Kavanagh said: "The EPC has agreed that it remains vital, now more than ever, that Europe supports a strong programme for horses racing over extended distances.

"No other part of the world provides a meaningful programme of races for such horses and some appear to have almost given up altogether.

"We agreed that it would seem sensible to have a European Group One over two miles in the summer, and the historic Goodwood Cup is well-positioned in the year, and was felt to be the obvious candidate.

"We also agreed that the overall stayers' programme needs to cement together well, with various other more minor gaps and enhancements which we've looked to address."

The EPC also announced the Queen's Vase at Royal Ascot will be upgraded from Listed to Group Two class, with its distance altered from two miles to a mile and three-quarters.

Kavanagh added: "The reduction in trip for the Queen's Vase should help to make it more of a target for a greater number of quality young horses.

"The European programme needs to be ambitious enough to capture people's attention and start to change behaviour, by making the breeding and buying of stayers a more attractive option.

"Our aim was to embrace a small number of meaningful enhancements to the Pattern for 2017, with scope for further developments in the years to come."

Other changes revealed by the EPC include the upgrading of the Loughbrown Stakes at the Curragh in September and the Eyrefield Stakes at Leopardstown to Group Three class.

The EPC also unveiled a three-year-old-only Listed race over a mile and five furlongs at Navan in May.

Goodwood move Cup to the opening day

Goodwood has announced a number of changes to the running order for the Glorious meeting in August, with three Group One events scheduled to take place on successive days.

It was revealed on Wednesday that the Goodwood Cup has been upgraded to Group One status this year, with the news prompting a rethink of the Goodwood schedule.

Officials have opted to move the Goodwood Cup, which will be worth at least £500,000, to the opening Tuesday of the five-day fixture, with the Sussex Stakes taking place on Wednesday as usual while the Nassau Stakes, which has recently been run on the Saturday of the meeting, now switched to Thursday.

The Goodwood team are hoping running the top-class events on concurrent days will provide a real focus to the midweek cards.

Alex Eade, Goodwood's general manager said: "Elevating the Qatar Goodwood Cup to Group One status is something that we have been very keen to happen for a number of years and we are very grateful to the BHA and the European Pattern Committee for supporting and approving our proposal.

"Alongside the other changes made to the Pattern, we hope our race will now cement its position as part of a high-profile programme for stayers across Europe and provide yet another tantalising clash of the generations on the beautiful summer turf of the Sussex Downs.

"There will be some other changes to the programme of races during the Qatar Goodwood Festival, which have also been approved by the BHA and the EPC and will bring a better balance to the week.

"These changes create a specific focus for each individual day, all part of our ambitious plan to deliver the best raceweek experience in the world. The changes will include switching the Group One Qatar Goodwood Cup to the opening day of the Festival on the Tuesday, positioning the Group One Qatar Nassau as the principal race on the Thursday and moving the Group Three Gordon Stakes to the Saturday.

"This will help us to grow attendances where we have capacity, which is not just beneficial to Goodwood, but also supports racing's objective of building its audience and profile.

"With our long-term partnership with Qatar, we are also able to significantly increase the prize money on offer this season and it is an important point that this new money will not just sit at the top end but trickle down to the grassroots of our race programme.

"The two ends of the sport do not exist in isolation and an ecosystem needs a balanced approach to ensure all parts of it remain healthy, supporting the whole."

The Glorious meeting takes place August 1-5 this year.