Written by Ramzy Kalam on 03 August 2026.

Wathnan's Double Crowns Goodwood's Final Afternoon

The final day of Glorious Goodwood arrived wrapped in everything the meeting promises: glorious sunshine over the Sussex Downs, world-class racing from the first race to the last, and the timeless summer style that has drawn crowds to this corner of England for two centuries. When the sun set on 1 August 2026, it did so on a meeting that had delivered one of its richest weeks yet for Gulf racing interests.
The five days produced some of the season's hugest wins for the Gulf.

The meeting's most valuable prize, the £850,650 Gr.1 Sussex Stakes, went to Bow Echo, owned in the name of the late Sheikh Mohammed Obaid Al Maktoum and trained by George Boughey. Wathnan Racing were rarely absent from the winner's enclosure, following Flora Of Bermuda and Wild Blossom home in the Oak Tree Stakes and the Alice Keppel Stakes with further wins for Exclusive Code and Silver Lake, before Archivist landed the Golden Mile under Hamad Al Jehani. Sheikh Ahmed Al Maktoum's Infraad and Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed Al Maktoum's Sword Salute added valuable handicaps of their own.

But Wathnan Racing saved the greatest for last. On the closing afternoon, Hopewell Rock and Evening Saigon struck within forty minutes of each other to complete a double that crowned the week, Evening Saigon's win in the Stewards' Cup a result racing adviser Richard Brown called central to what the operation is building. Shadwell's Al Aasy and Sheikh Ahmed Al Maktoum's Waardah both filled places to underline the scale of Gulf-backed involvement on the final card.

A Nose Settles It For Goodie Two Shoes

The Gr.2 Lillie Langtry Stakes was run over 1m 6f at Goodwood, where Goodie Two Shoes, a 7YO mare trained by Joseph Patrick O'Brien and owned by JP McManus, got up close home under Dylan Browne McMonagle to deny Santorini Star by a nose and collect £170,130.00 (US$226,273) of the £295,110.00 (US$392,496) purse. Sheikh Ahmed Al Maktoum's Waardah, ridden by Callum Rodriguez for Owen Burrows, finished third behind Tony Bloom and Ian McAleavy's Santorini Star, and the result marked a fourth winner of the week for the O'Brien stable at the meeting.

Dylan Browne McMonagle said he thought he might have lost the race before the photo confirmed his mount's nose in front. “I was quietly confident today she would get a lot closer to these fillies,” said McMonagle, whose mount was runner-up in last November's Melbourne Cup.

Evening Saigon Wins Wathnan's Cup

The Stewards' Cup was run over 6f at Goodwood, where Evening Saigon, trained by Hamad Al Jehani and owned by Wathnan Racing, was eased out from behind Dark Thirty by James Doyle before switching into the clear a furlong out to hold off Hugo Palmer's Stratusnine by a head, collecting £128,850.00 (US$171,371) of the £245,925.00 (US$327,080) purse. Charles Hills's Mitbaahy, under Jamie Spencer, edged Ryan Moore's Completely Random for third by a short head.

It was a second big handicap of the week for Al Jehani, who earlier won the Golden Mile with the Wathnan-owned Archivist . “Hamad has turned up and won two of the hardest handicaps to win all year,” said Wathnan's racing adviser Richard Brown. “When these results come off, it's just fantastic for Wathnan.”

Enfjaar Answers The Distance Question

The Gr.3 Glorious Stakes was run over 1m 3f 218y at Goodwood, where Enfjaar, a 6YO gelding trained by Roger Varian, made all under Ray Dawson to hold off Wathnan Racing's Opportunity, runner-up under James Doyle for William Haggas, with Shadwell's Al Aasy third for the same yard under Tom Marquand, as Enfjaar took on a mile and a half for the first time in his career and collected £62,381.00 (US$82,967) of the £108,207.00 (US$143,915) purse.

Al Aasy was chasing a hat-trick in the race for William Haggas. “It was a great ride from Ray,” said Varian. “You don't always want to be in front stepping up in trip, but there didn't look to be a lot of pace on, and we said if he broke on terms and relaxed, to ride the situation.”

Hopewell Rock Repays Wathnan's Faith

The Summer Handicap was run over 1m 6f at Goodwood, where Hopewell Rock, a 4YO gelding trained by George Boughey and owned by Wathnan Racing, was produced by Ryan Moore to lead a furlong out and hold off Joseph Patrick O'Brien's Small Fry by three-quarters of a length, with the same trainer's Aeronautic third, collecting £61,848.00 (US$82,258) of the £118,044.00 (US$156,999) purse.

Boughey's stable jockey Billy Loughnane was committed elsewhere at Newmarket, handing Moore the ride. “I thought he was one of our best chances of the week at Royal Ascot and, for some reason, he didn't show up,” said Boughey. “He looked super out the back today and got a super ride. Today was the big thing for Wathnan. He can probably step up into stakes company.”

Ghost Mode Survives A Wayward Finish

The Phase Eight Handicap was run over 7f at Goodwood, where Ghost Mode, a 3YO colt trained by Andrew Balding, raced up with the pace before Rob Hornby restrained him and asked for another effort two furlongs out, holding on by a length and a quarter in the closing stages despite hanging left without troubling the stewards, ahead of Stuart Williams's Ironwill and Hugo Palmer's We're Goosers in third, and collecting £38,655.00 (US$51,411) of the £73,777.50 (US$98,124) purse.
“He's a very talented horse and it's taken time to get him to settle and relax,” said Andrew Balding. “We dropped him right back to five furlongs at one stage; he was trying to do everything in a hurry. He tends to get a little lonely and was lugging left-handed, but I thought we were clear enough not to worry.”

Rafe's Da Man Grows Up At Last

The EBF Maiden Stakes was run over 7f at Goodwood, where Rafe's Da Man, having his fourth start for Richard Hannon, beat Wathnan Racing's Charted Course by a length and a quarter, with Hugo Palmer's Speyside third, collecting £38,655.00 (US$51,411) of the £73,777.50 (US$98,124) purse.
“I've always liked the horse, but he's a Ghaiyyath; he's immensely talented but he was a little bit crazy, he wanted it all too quickly,” said Hannon. “Today he relaxed, he showed signs of that last time at Newbury, but he's a pretty good horse. It's all about next year really, there's a lot of daylight underneath him and he's always had a lot of scope.”

Crest Of Fire Times A Late Burst

The Shaker Handicap was run over 1m 1f 11y at Goodwood, where Crest Of Fire, trained by Jack Channon, squeezed through a gap a furlong out under Tom Marquand to lead in the final strides and hold off Richard Hannon's Boyfriend, with Clive Cox's Blue Courvoisier, who had set a steady pace throughout, third, collecting £25,770.00 (US$34,274) of the £49,185.00 (US$65,416) purse in the closing race of the meeting.

The result closed a seven-race card on which Wathnan Racing alone had produced two winners and two runners-up, with Shadwell and Sheikh Ahmed Al Maktoum both also placed, underlining the scale of Gulf-backed involvement at this year's meeting. Only a few years into British racing, Wathnan Racing left Goodwood having won at the sport's biggest fixtures, backed by trainers and stables across Newmarket and beyond. For Al Jehani and Wathnan Racing, Glorious Goodwood 2026 marked a definitive step forward.

The Gulf Ledger for Goodwood's final day: Wathnan Racing two winners from eleven runners across the card, Hopewell Rock (Summer Handicap, won, T: George Boughey) and Evening Saigon (Stewards' Cup, won, T: Hamad Al Jehani); two runners-up, Opportunity (Glorious Stakes, second, T: William Haggas) and Charted Course (EBF Maiden Stakes, second, T: Richard & Peter Fahey); seven unplaced, Sing Us A Song, King's Gambit, Realign, Garfield Shadow, Naval Light, Market Leader and Real Gain. Shadwell one from one, Al Aasy (Glorious Stakes, third, T: William Haggas). Sheikh Ahmed Al Maktoum one from one, Waardah (Lillie Langtry Stakes, third, T: Owen Burrows). Godolphin two runners unplaced, Valedictory (Summer Handicap) and Wild Desert (Phase Eight Handicap). Hamad Al Jehani's week: two of the meeting's biggest handicaps.

Qatar Lillie Langtry Stakes (Group 2) (Fillies & Mares): 1 Goodie Two Shoes (T: Joseph Patrick O'Brien / J: Dylan Browne McMonagle) | 2 Santorini Star (T: William Haggas / J: Tom Marquand) | 3 Waardah (T: Owen Burrows / J: Callum Rodriguez)

Coral Stewards' Cup (Heritage Handicap): 1 Evening Saigon (T: Hamad Al Jehani / J: James Doyle) | 2 Stratusnine (T: Hugo Palmer / J: David Probert) | 3 Mitbaahy (T: Charles Hills / J: Jamie Spencer)

Coral Glorious Stakes (Group 3): 1 Enfjaar (T: Roger Varian / J: Ray Dawson) | 2 Opportunity (T: William Haggas / J: James Doyle) | 3 Al Aasy (T: William Haggas / J: Tom Marquand)

Highclere Castle Gin Summer Handicap (GBBPlus Race): 1 Hopewell Rock (T: George Boughey / J: Ryan Moore) | 2 Small Fry (T: Joseph Patrick O'Brien / J: Oisin Murphy) | 3 Aeronautic (T: Joseph Patrick O'Brien / J: Dylan Browne McMonagle)

Phase Eight Handicap: 1 Ghost Mode (T: Andrew Balding / J: Rob Hornby) | 2 Ironwill (T: Stuart Williams / J: Marco Ghiani) | 3 We're Goosers (T: Hugo Palmer / J: Oisin Murphy)

British Stallion Studs EBF Maiden Stakes (Colts And Geldings Only): 1 Rafe's Da Man (T: Richard Hannon / J: Pat Dobbs) | 2 Charted Course (T: Richard & Peter Fahey / J: Jamie Spencer) | 3 Speyside (T: Hugo Palmer / J: David Probert)

Coral Rewards Shaker Handicap: 1 Crest Of Fire (T: Jack Channon / J: Tom Marquand) | 2 Boyfriend (T: Richard Hannon / J: Pat Dobbs) | 3 Blue Courvoisier (T: Clive Cox / J: Saffie Osborne)

International Racing

Wathnan's Double Crowns Goodwood's Final Afternoon

A Nose Settles It For Goodie Two Shoes

Evening Saigon Wins Wathnan's Cup

Enfjaar Answers The Distance Question

Hopewell Rock Repays Wathnan's Faith

Ghost Mode Survives A Wayward Finish

Rafe's Da Man Grows Up At Last

Crest Of Fire Times A Late Burst

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