First day of Glorious is extra-special for Ed

Ed Arkell will never forget the opening day of the Qatar Goodwood Festival, his first Glorious meeting as Clerk of the Course, and he has a fabulous horse on which to hang the memory.
Stradivarius - star of the opening day / Picture by Malcolm WellsStradivarius - star of the opening day / Picture by Malcolm Wells
Stradivarius - star of the opening day / Picture by Malcolm Wells

Arkell's predecessor, Seamus Buckley, completed 23 years in the role, and witnessed some giants of the turf strut their stuff on his beloved Sussex Downs, and the new man's tenure has coincided with a huge performance by Stradivarius in today's G1 Qatar Goodwood Cup. The John Gosden-trained colt could win a £1m bonus next time he runs, which would go some way to cementing his place as another Goodwood great.

Arkell said: "It's been a great day for me and I'm really pleased - one down and four to go. Stradivarius's success was memorable and we were lucky to see him win here today - I should think he is on his way to becoming one of the great stayers.

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"You always remember the great horses, and when tying that in with Goodwood we have been lucky to see such legends as Frankel and Yeats, along with many others, running here. Maybe Stradivarius is one to add to the list."

Looking ahead to plans for the racecourse ahead of tomorrow's action, Arkell said: "I'm very pleased with the way the track has ridden today, with the ground just on the soft side of good - which has been borne out by the times of races.

"We won't be doing any watering tonight and I should think we will be back to good ground tomorrow. The jockeys have been happy with the going, and it's been a warm, breezy day, so the ground will just have tightened up a little."