GLORIOUS GOODWOOD GALLERY: Johnston and Hughes can celebrate - so can racecourse's bosses

Trainer Mark Johnston was happy - the Middleham handler had sent seven winners to post during the festival, making not only the top Glorious Goodwood trainer for the eighth time in his career but also a strong contener to finally wrestle the Dick Hern Trophy from Richard Hannon’s grasp.

Jockey Richard Hughes was happy - although he had ridden only four winners during the week, a little below the number he hoped for and less than half of the nine he managed in 2010, one of those wins was in Saturday’s Group 1 affair for the Markel Insurance Nassau Stakes on The Fugue, the John Gosden runner that William Buick snubbed in favour of the favourite Izzi Top.

And Goodwood officials were happy - their crowd figure for the week had broken the magic 100,000 barrier for the first time in a few seasons and was up by three per cent on last year in a summer when first rain and then the Olympics had threatened to take away some of their custom.

See this week’s (August 9) Chichester Observer for dozens of pictures from Ladies’ Day and the rest of Glorious Goodwood - see how many famous faces you can spot ... and see if you can spot yourself.

It was fitting that Johnston and Hughes were the festival’s top operators - you’ll struggle to find two characters i racing who are more popular with race-goers on the Downs.

Johnston saddled at least a winner on each day of Glorious - including one, Landaman, who literally ended the festival as he had begun it - winning the first race on Tuesday and the last race on Saturday, the QIPCO Future Stars Apprentice Handicap.

Johnston’s success continued all week and included a Group race triumph in the Audi Richmond Stakes for Heavy Metal and Fulbright’s success in the £125,000 Betfred Mile.

His other win on Saturday - the one that clinched the Glorious title - came when Kieren Fallon guided 100/30 contender Steeler home in the Nat West Ahead For Business EBF Maiden Stakes.

Johnston missed the final day as he was travelling to America, but his wife Deidre was in attendance, and she said: “It has been a lovely week and it is smashing to win the championship again as it is a meeting we always target. All the family comes down for the week - the boys and my parents - so it is a big week as a whole.

“The stable had been quiet for a while but we had two winners on the Friday and five winners on the Saturday last weekend which gave us hope that the horses were starting to run better - and it was even more encouraging that those winners were in valuable races.

“We came here and then won the first race and haven’t looked back. I’d say that Heavy Metal providing us with our first Group winner of the year and Fulbright’s big win would be the highlights.”

Commenting on his third consecutive Racing UK Glorious Goodwood jockey title, Hughes said: “I must be making the right decisions - or at least I was until my latest race. The Group 1 topped it all, especially for John Gosden who helped me when I was a young lad having problems.”

Goodwood MD Adam Waterworth was delighted by the success of Glorious and by the week’s crowd figures, which showed increases on the corresponding fixtures last year on all but one day. Saturday’s crowd was 23,781 - the biggest of the week.

Waterworth said: “Saturday was a fantastic finale to Glorious Goodwood. Richard Hughes was crowned Racing UK Glorious Goodwood Top Jockey for the third consecutive year, with his victory on The Fugue in the Markel Insurance Nassau Stakes proving a real crowd-pleaser.

“We are also delighted that trainers,who year after year support Goodwood from far and wide have done so well as we really appreciate their support.

“Mark Johnston, who trains in Yorkshire, is the top trainer at Glorious Goodwood for the eighth time, while Scotland’s Jim Goldie has won the £100,000 Blue Square Bet Stewards’ Cup with Hawkeyethenoo.”

Clerk of the course Seamus Buckley said: “I have really enjoyed the festival. It has been a fantastic week of racing.

“It was brilliant to have Frankel here to win his second QIPCO Sussex Stakes - that is something that will live in my memory forever I should think. It was a privilege to produce ground for such an outstanding racehorse.

“I think the racing has been outstanding and we have had 516 runners which is a record in itself at Glorious Goodwood. I didn’t have a single runner withdrawn because of the going so that is a feather in everyone’s cap.”

- STEVE BONE