The first of Goodwood
Racecourse's Three Friday Nights - this Friday, May 31 - is a sell-out.
Rudimental, headlining the
event after racing, are performing at Goodwood for the first time.
The Hackney electronic
music quartet have had an incredible year, with two chart-topping singles and a
number one debut album.
They said today: "We
cannot wait to be opening the first Friday at Goodwood. Festival season has
officially started and we are going to have the dance floor jumping."
The introduction of Three
Friday Nights has been one of most successful innovations at Goodwood in recent
years.
The evenings feature
horseracing followed by a DJ set performed by top artists. A quick change
transforms the parade ring from being horse-focused to a huge dance floor under
the stars, complete with laser show.
The first of the six races
on Friday is at 6.05pm (the gates open at 4.30pm). The Gordon's Amateur Riders'
Handicap is run over nine furlongs and has attracted 23 entries.
Simon Walker, champion
Flat male amateur for the eighth time in 2012, is likely to partner
Wordismybond for trainer Peter Makin or Bloodsweatandtears for local handler
William Knight. The 40-year-old has enjoyed three winners at Goodwood so far
during his riding career.
The feature event is the
£14,000 British Stallions Supporting British Racing EBF Fillies' Handicap
(7.45pm). There are 21 entries for the six-furlong dash. This race is followed
by the 12-furlong Levy Restaurants Handicap (8.15pm & 15 entries) and the
concluding TFN Fillies' Maiden (8.45pm & 29 entries) at a mile.
Seamus Buckley, Goodwood
Racecourse's Clerk of the Course, commented this afternoon after walking the
course: "Following 15 millimetres of rain today, the going is now Good to
Soft. The GoingStick reading is 7.4.
"There is warmer and
drier weather predicted from tomorrow and I expect the going will not be far
off Good on Friday evening."
Though Rudimental are sold
out, Three Friday Nights continue on June 14 with Groove Armada's Andy Cato,
who has chosen the day to release an 18-track collection entitled, 'Time and
Places' - an audio reminder of the history of the past 20 years of British
dance music culture, and June 21 with Trevor Nelson whose collection album held
the number one spot for five weeks in the UK.
Tickets are available at
the moment from www.goodwood.com but booking in advance is
strongly advised to avoid disappointment.
LAST
WEEK'S MAY FESTIVAL ENDS UP FINE
The three-day May Festival
at Goodwood Racecourse, in the second year of its reincarnation, concluded on
Saturday (May 25) with a tremendous card featuring the £50,000 32Red Handicap,
won by the Sussex course's Racing Ambassador Hayley Turner on You Da One, and
two £40,000 Listed events, the 32Red Festival Stakes and the Tapster Stakes
which went to Frankel's brother Noble Mission.
You Da One, who made all,
was Hayley Turner's third Goodwood winner of 2013 and she shares the top spot
among the jockeys with Kieren Fallon.
Local trainer Amanda
Perrett enjoyed a 100 per cent record at the May Festival, saddling three
runners and gaining three victories thanks to Saucy Minx, Arch Villain and Head
Of Steam
Two other trainers also
have had three winners at Goodwood this year - Sir Michael Stoute and the
leading trainer at the track, Richard Hannon, whose double on Friday was
completed by Magic City, part-owned by Sir Alex Ferguson, in the seven-furlong
Reheat Handicap.
The excellent racing and
good weather delivered a large crowd on Saturday, though the weather was not as
kind on the first two days
The total attendance at
the May Festival came to 23,000, which was up to expectations.
Adam Waterworth, Goodwood
Racecourse's Managing Director, reflected: "But for the disappointing
weather on the first two days, the May Festival would have attracted 25,000
racegoers. We were still pretty pleased with the attendance over the three days.
"We applied for Group
Three status for the Tapster Stakes last year and, with Noble Mission winning
this year, we will do so again at the end of the season.
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