The increasing globalization of Thoroughbred racing provides opportunities for horsemen to test their horses against the best across the world. The annual Breeders' Cup World Championships are the most obvious and highest-profile example of such an opportunity.
But the racing calendar provides other chances that provide their own unique experience.
One of those is the Goodwood Festival at Goodwood Racecourse in Chichester, England, July 28-Aug. 1.
Goodwood director of racing Edward Arkell said that North American connections have come across for the meet, and raising awareness and participation outside of the United Kingdom has been a point of emphasis for the past 10-12 years. It is an effort that has been gaining momentum.
The hope is two-fold. First, it generates higher-quality racing. Secondly, growing international competition outside of the first weekend in November also creates new fans.
"We need to see the best of the best racing against each other around the world through the seasons and allowing race goers and fans to engage in that top end of the sport that drives audience figures and encourages the younger generation to get involved in racing," Arkell said.
Goodwood takes steps to appeal to younger fans. After Friday racing during its June meeting, the track has a dance floor placed on top of the parade ring and winner's enclosure, along with a DJ above it. Those fans are betting on horses and then staying for the party.
There are obvious hurdles to drawing people from this side of the Atlantic Ocean. Getting a horse from the United States or Canada to England is not as simple as, say, getting horses from New York to Kentucky. But before connections consider making the trans-Atlantic journey, they want to know they have a horse capable of competing on the turf at "Glorious" Goodwood.
"You have to make sure that you have the right horse that's competitive," Arkell said, "because despite the fact it's huge fun and wonderful to be able to travel these horses, you don't want to turn up there and find that actually the competition is so strong that you're beaten plum last. I think it's sometimes disappointing, but I can understand why. But I think it's disappointing that sometimes people aren't prepared to travel if you've got the opportunity to travel a horse and see some amazing race courses and have some wonderful experiences around the world, that can often be a slight parochial outlook, that actually it might just be easier for us to stay at home. But we all want to see the best in the world competing against the best in the world."
Goodwood, as well as other tracks, all balance the concerns of horsemen wanting to make sure they have the caliber runner for the global stage and the affordability of travel. Bringing an overmatched horse from another country can discourage others from coming in the future. To that extent, Goodwood is open to discussing travel allowances with those coming from overseas to make the opportunity more appealing.
The Goodwood Festival also is home to three Breeders' Cup Challenge Series: Win and You're In races: The Nassau Stakes (G1), which provides a spot in the Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Turf (G1T); the Sussex Stakes (G1), which entitles entry into the Breeders' Cup Mile (G1T); and the Molecomb Stakes (G3) with automatic entry into the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint (G1T).
Trainer Wesley Ward is not a stranger to Goodwood. He ran Maven, a son of American Pharoah, in the 2019 Molecomb. Two years earlier, Happy Like a Fool was scratched from the Molecomb the morning of the race.
"It's downhill, which is unlike anywhere other than Santa Anita, when you go down the hill," Ward said. "But it's kind of a wild race. It's a very fast, obviously, if you're going downhill, and it starts up on top of the cliff and you go straight down."
Ward is familiar with English racing, having won a dozen times from 93 starts at Ascot Racecourse, with another 13 starts at other tracks around the country, including a win and three placings.
He pointed to Goodwood's festival falling in the middle of Saratoga Race Course's summer meet, which runs July 3-Sept. 7, as a potential hindrance. But, he said, once someone gets a taste of what Goodwood has to offer, they will want more.
"English racing is foreign to the majority of all trainers in America, with the exception of those who are from European countries that are now training here," Ward said. "But you know, once you experience it, it's engraved in their culture, and once you get a chance to go over to experience it, you're going to you're going to want to come back, and you're going to want to come back with success."
Arkell did say that there are a few U.S.-based trainers considering running members of their stables at Goodwood this summer.
Additionally, part of the Festival is the Magnolia Cup, a turf race involving "leading women from business, sport, fashion, and media to compete" for the benefit of a selected charity. This year, the 15th edition of the race, will feature its first American competitor, Audrain Motorsport executive Zoey Schorsch. According to Goodwood, "none of the competitors are professional jockeys," and each rider "must complete months of intensive training and pass rigorous qualification tests."
The Goodwood Festival is viewed as the farewell party to English summer racing. Arkell described it as a more relaxed version of the meet at Ascot Racecourse. For North American connections, it would be the perfect segue into the second half of the Saratoga meet, as well as Fasig-Tipton's The Saratoga Sale Aug. 10-11.
Just as Saratoga is the summer playground for the racing industry, Goodwood serves as its English counterpart. Except the vibes are distinctly different.
"It's a quintessentially English estate set high on the South Downs, and you look out one direction towards the rolling South Downs, the other to the coast to see beautiful, relaxed countryside, relaxed atmosphere," Arkell said. "And King Edward VII, when he came here, used to call it a garden party with racing tacked on."
The track is part of the nearly 12,000-acre Goodwood Estate that offers something for almost all tastes. In addition to Thoroughbred racing, guests can participate in flight lessons and experiences, race car driving, racing simulators, cycling, golf, and clay shooting. There is also tea and dining options, a spa, and a hotel. It is also near the beach.
One of Ward's favorite Goodwood memories was when he and his son got behind the wheel of a classic car.
"They invite all the owners and trainers ... to drive all these Lamborghinis," he said. "And my son, who was about 17 at the time, got to drive all these fancy race cars. It was just a great experience."
It still comes down to the world-class racing. Arkell said the festival provides North American horses a chance to "prove themselves to be true champions." Goodwood is also a meeting place for racing officials from all over to gather and conduct business.
"International visitors have probably never quite been to a meeting that's anything like Goodwood because it's a unique meeting in a unique setting," Arkell said.
Could someone exploring racing in a different jurisdiction spark a fire? Goodwood hopes so, and Arkell encourages those interested to find out.
Ward's glowing endorsement of Goodwood is one that VisitBritain, the country's tourism arm, might want to have a word with him.
"You're going to have a good time, that's for sure," he said. "It's a great place. For a horseman or racing enthusiast, it would be one of the greatest vacations you'd ever have."
