Tom Marquand crowned top jockey at Glorious Goodwood after riding four winners

Tom Marquand capped off a historic week at Glorious Goodwood by being named top jockey after riding four winners across the five-day festival in Chichester.

His first win of the week was undoubtedly the highlight in Tuesday’s Group 1 Goodwood Cup on the forward-thinking Quickthorn (16/1), who went on to win by six lengths after creating a trademark sizeable advantage from the early stages.

It wasn’t the first time Quickthorn had done this – in the Group 2 Lonsdale Stakes at York last year, Hughie Morrison’s six-year-old led by 12 lengths at the halfway stage and went on to win by 14 to second-placed Coltrane (3/1).

Coltrane was again on the other end of Quickthorn’s genius on Tuesday and Oisin Murphy had even expressed concern of a repeat on the morning of the race, saying: “I’d be very wary of giving a horse like Quickthorn an easy lead – or certainly a lot of space.”

On the track however, Murphy led the chasing group behind the son of Nathaniel and didn’t make any attempt to close the gap until two furlongs out – you’d think he would have learned, but clearly not and Quickthorn had outsmarted the field once more.

Now a four-time winner at Group level, Quickthorn has a stride length of 26.8 feet. In comparison, Frankel, at his peak, was thought to be around 27 feet – not bad company at all.

Marquand said: “It was a fantastic performance and he’s a fun horse to ride. He goes out wearing his heart on his sleeve, you know that everybody knows what you’re going to do and they’ve got to try and stop you almost.

“That was a huge thrill. He’s had some great days, but he deserved a Group One and it would have felt wrong if he had never got one.”

Frankie Dettori took the ride on Ascot Gold Cup hero and 2/1 favourite Courage Mon Ami but could only manage a sixth-placed finish, describing the race as ‘bizarre’.

“I’ve seen some weird things, but that was bizarre.”

🏆 Quickthorn can’t be caught in the Al Shaqab Goodwood Cup Stakes
@TomMarquand take a bow!#ITVRacing | @Goodwood_Races pic.twitter.com/4kAYs3WihV

— ITV Racing (@itvracing) August 1, 2023

Marquand found his second winner of the week on William Haggas’ Desert Hero (7/1) in the Group 3 Gordon Stakes on Thursday, cruising from last to first to deny James Doyle on Chesspiece (7/2) by just a neck.

The son of Sea The Stars followed up a remarkable victory in the King George V Handicap at Royal Ascot, where he gave King Charles III his first winner at the Royal meeting.

They say lightning doesn’t strike twice, but Tom Marquand begged to differ.

Like at Ascot, Desert Hero struggled for running room but prevailed in the late stages with a tremendous display of grit and determination to stick his head in front and double the 25-year-old jockey’s win count for the fixture.

Desert Hero wins the John Pearce Racing Gordon Stakes

A win in royal colours for @TomMarquand

Will we have royal representation in the final classic of the season?#ITVRacing | @Goodwood_Races | @WilliamHaggas pic.twitter.com/B5TTdn0r6K

— ITV Racing (@itvracing) August 3, 2023

On Friday, the odds-on favourite Hamish (5/6) reigned supreme in the Group 3 Glorious Stakes by four lengths to Jack Darcy (18/1) in second.

Another winner for Marquand trained by William Haggas, adding to the seven-year-old’s Ormonde and Silver Cup triumphs this season.

Team Haggas only plan to run Hamish on soft ground, which was said to be a contributing factor as to why he didn’t run in the King George at Ascot last week. The right decision was made which now tees up a shot in the Irish St Leger at the Curragh in September.

The six-time Group level winner finished second by less than a length to Aidan O’Brien’s Kyprios in the race last year but looks set for another stab at what would be a first Group 1 win for the son of Motivator.

Bang! 💥

Hamish (5-6f) shows a dynamic shift of gear to win the Group Three @lkp_ct @Goodwood_Races under @TomMarquand 👀

Team Haggas’ seven-year-old was subsequently slashed for the Ebor @yorkracecourse … pic.twitter.com/27eoB1LRLX

— Racing TV (@RacingTV) August 4, 2023

Marquand went out with a bang on Sumo Sam (25/1) in the Group 2 Langtry Stakes on Saturday, his fourth and final winner of a memorable meeting for one of horse racing’s most talented and accomplished jockeys.

Another front-running work of genius from Marquand, who was drafted in to ride the horse with just ten minutes to spare after Neil Callan was unable to make the allotted weight of 8st 11lb, securing the first Group success of the three-year-old’s career.

The filly out of Nathaniel, a two-time Group 1 winner who also fathered Goodwood Cup winner Quickthorn, went on to win by over eight lengths to runner-up River Of Stars (10/3) in treacherous weather conditions at the West Sussex racecourse.

Marquand applauded her tremendous effort: “She was tough. Obviously, she was a last-second spare, so I didn’t have much of a plan until ten minutes before. She loves the ground, she’s always looked like a galloper, and she put them to the sword. It was a lonely last couple of furlongs. It was a proper slog out there, so she’s done well.”

Sumo Sam absolutely soars to the win in the Qatar Lillie Langtry Stakes@TomMarquand has done it again!#ITVRacing | @Goodwood_Races | @whatcomberacing pic.twitter.com/ic1016QgZx

— ITV Racing (@itvracing) August 5, 2023

One race followed the Langtry Stakes before the final three were abandoned after the track failed an inspection by a team including Marquand alongside a number of officials, trainers and other jockeys.

Reflecting on a historic week at Goodwood, Marquand stressed the importance of passion and desire for jockeys who can sometimes get caught up in the abyss of a tedious routine when riding between 140-150 horses every month.