The glories of Goodwood

Long fellow: Piggott was a maestro in the saddle

BBC racing commentator Lee McKenzie profiles six of the names that have helped put the Glorious into Goodwood.

LESTER PIGGOTT, arguably the best-known British jockey of all-time, rode 197 winners at Goodwood during his career.

Some 117 of them were at the so-called "Glorious" meeting in late July and early August

In 1974, he rode no fewer than nine winners during the course of the week.

But Piggott experienced drama of a less welcome kind in 1994 - riding a horse called Coffee 'n Cream, his saddle slipped and the 58-year-old jockey took a nasty fall.

The maestro, as he will always be known, appeared to be badly injured at first but quickly discharged himself from a local hospital.

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Standing tall: Richard Hughes

RICHARD HUGHES is tall for a Flat jockey and his style is similar to Lester Piggott's - perched on the horse's back with his bottom in the air, showing perfect balance and control.

He also shares Piggott's brilliance in the saddle, demonstrating it at Goodwood two years running in that most competitive of races - the Stewards' Cup, a 30-runner sprint over the downhill six furlong track.

In 1999, he brought Harmonic Way from last to first in the final two furlongs and 12 months later he produced a similar performance to take the race again on Tayseer.

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Giant steps: Another Adrian O'Brien star

GIANT'S CAUSEWAY made an outstanding contribution to the 2000 Flat racing season.

And one of his many heroic victories came in Goodwood's Sussex Stakes, the most prestigious race of the Glorious meeting.

Trained in Ireland by Aidan O'Brien and ridden by Mick Kinane, he pipped the French colt Dansili by three-quarters of a length in a thrilling finish.

By the end of the season, he had recorded five "top-of-the-tree" Group One events.

The St James' Palace Stakes, the Eclipse, the Juddmonte International and the Irish Champion Stakes were the others.

He thoroughly deserved his affectionate nickname - the "Iron Horse."

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Trigger happy: At the double, then treble

DOUBLE TRIGGER's victory in the 1998 Goodwood Cup secured his place in the history books.

Until that day, no horse had ever managed to take the marathon contest three times.

His win in the 1995 race was particularly memorable because he beat his own brother, Double Eclipse (both trained by Mark Johnston) by a neck.

He also became one of the few to collect three Doncaster Cups.

The last of his wins in that race, in 1998, also turned out to be his final race and his adoring fan-club raised the roof - just as they had at Goodwood six weeks earlier.

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MARK JOHNSTON, the trainer of Double Trigger, lists Goodwood as his favourite meeting of the year.

It allows him to combine the serious business of training racehorses with the closest thing to a holiday he is able to have during the busy midsummer months.

A qualified vet from Scotland, he began training in Lincolnshire in 1987 and quickly established himself as one of the best young recruits around.

These days he is based in Yorkshire, nearly 300 miles from Goodwood.

But the long journey never deters him from sending several of his horses south to take their chance on the Sussex Downs.

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Prolific: Top trainer John Dunlop

JOHN DUNLOP, who first became a racehorse trainer in 1966, has since established himself as one of the most prolific members of his profession.

There are about 200 horses usually in residence at his yard in Arundel - just six miles from Goodwood.

It is no surprise, therefore, that his is a familiar face at the Glorious meeting, where his runners are often among the leading contenders.

However, his link with the venue does not end there - he is also a director of Goodwood racecourse.

His son, Ed, followed in his footsteps and is now a successful trainer in his own right - he saddled the first two home in the 2001 Irish Oaks.