Goodwood joins Qatar sporting stable with record 10-year deal
QATAR has agreed the biggest sponsorship deal in British horse racing history in a move that will see Glorious Goodwood rebranded as the Qatar Goodwood Festival.
Under a 10-year partnership, Qatar is to increase prize money for key events at the Sussex racecourse including the Group One Qatar Sussex Stakes, previously won by Frankel and Kingman, which will see its prize fund grow from £700,000 to £1m.
The Group One Qatar Nassau Stakes, a midsummer highlight for fillies and mares, will now be worth £600,000, while the festival’s three featured Group Two races will have prize funds of £300,000.
The Qatar Goodwood Festival runs from 28 July to 1 August, and is the latest evidence of the oil and gas-rich Gulf state’s growing influence in racing – and wider sport.
“Goodwood is already one of the most iconic sporting festivals of the British summer season and we are delighted to be the title sponsor over the five days,” said Hamad Al Attiyah, president of the Qatar Equestrian Federation .
Goodwood’s owner Lord March said: “I am delighted that Qatar have decided to play a significant part in Goodwood’s position as one of the finest racing experiences in the world. Goodwood has, for more than 200 years, been about the best racing in the most English of settings, accessible to everyone.”