By Andrew Atkinson

THE Qatar 2019 Glorious Goodwood 5 day meeting gets underway on July 30 – with Ladies Day on August 1 the most glorious of the festival.

“The Qatar Goodwood festival is a beautiful week, and Goodwood is the most picturesque racecourse in the country,” said Italian jockey Frankie Dettori.

Top class racing, set in the Chichester, west Sussex countryside, will see leading trainers, including Sir Michael Stoute, Aidan O’Brien, Mark Johnston, John Gosden and Charlie Appleby, eyeing huge purses including the £600,000 Nassau Stakes G1 over 1 mile and 2 furlongs.

Glorious Goodwood, one of the highlights of the 2019 Flat racing season, staged during July 30-August 3, also features the £200,000 Richmond Stakes G2 over 6 furlongs, and the Lillie Langtry Stakes G2 over 1m 6f.

Goodwood racecourse, controlled by the Duke of Richmond, whose seat is nearby Goodwood House, became the location for the first flag start on a British racecourse in the late 18th century.