Goodwood still in fashion

The sea fret which sometimes rolls in from the Bognor coast can strangle a day's racing at birth, and the tight turns and sweeping undulations make this a track which can embarrass even the most experienced jockey.

Frankie Dettori was a fresh-faced 16-year-old speaking broken English when Lizzy Hare gave him the first victory of his career at Goodwood and, 15 years on, the Italian superstar will be looking for the two winners he needs to reach a hundred course successes.

"You need an athletic horse and a jockey who gets his tactics just right to win at Goodwood," he said. "Ascot will always be very special to me, but I've had some wonderful times at Goodwood and it was great to win the two Group One races of the meeting last year on Noverre and Lailani." Thankfully, not all of us have to follow Frankie by slimming down to 8st 6lb this week, and anyone planning a day on the Downs will find comparing the Royal meeting with Glorious Goodwood a little like comparing Posh Spice with Gwyneth Paltrow.

Ascot, though still unmissable in terms of the quality of racing on offer, can be a bunfight where fashion narrowly edges out form and wannabe celebrities see the racing as a quaint sideshow to fill the gap between a liquid lunch and an evening picnic. By contrast, Goodwood's style remains cool and understated in terms of clientele and entertainment.

One of the star attractions last year was Rory Bremner doing his stuff to the backdrop of a glowing sunset in the paddock, and clerk of the course Rod Fabricius feels everything is in place for another memorable Festival. He said: "Last year we asked Rory to do a brief set for our members but he ended up doing an hour and provided the ideal end to a great day's racing.

"This year the highlights centre around our Bicentennial celebrations, with a racing exhibition which will run all week before transferring to Goodwood House and the famous raceweek ball which will benefit Racing Welfare and the St Richard's Hospital Appeal Fund."

Back on the track, tomorrow's opening day features a major St Leger Trial in the Gordon Stakes supported by some some hugely promising two-year-olds competing for the Richmond Stakes and the Evening Standard Maiden.

Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson will skip pre-season training at Old Trafford if his dual Guineas winner Rock of Gibraltar carries his colours against Europe's top milers in Wednesday's Sussex Stakes, while Saturday reaches a thundering climax when 30 of the most turbo-charged sprint handicappers in training roar down the hill for the Stewards' Cup.

It's all live on the BBC, but those planning to be there are advised to roll up early for a five-day garden party where the punters outnumber the poseurs 10 to one.

Shrewd backers will be seeking every edge the market offers, while wily bookmakers will accommodate them knowing that even the most skilful plot can go awry thanks to Goodwood's uncanny knack of throwing up more trouble in running than a sprint finish in the Tour de France.

Step forward Barry Dennis, famed for his ability to spot dodgy favourites via his 'Bismarck' slot on Channel 4 and for his inyourface style when shouting the odds from the front row of the betting ring.

" So much depends on the weather," he said, "but Goodwood is definitely in the top five meetings of the year and I'll be turning over around 65 grand a day, rising to as much as a hundred grand if the sun shines all week.

"The punters will be trying to take our trousers down as usual, but jockeys are frightened to death of getting banned nowadays and bookmakers always have a chance this week because so many horses get trapped on the fence."

So stand by for plenty of hard luck stories on the track and plenty of partying off it at one of the most stylish meetings in the racing calendar.

In short, there couldn't be a better week to kick off as the Standard's new racing correspondent - and if the weather stays kind and the form book runs true it really will be glorious to be back at Goodwood.