Qirat, a 150-1 outsider, produced one of the biggest upsets in British racing history when winning the Group One Sussex Stakes at Glorious Goodwood on Wednesday. Trained by Ralph Beckett and ridden by Richard Kingscote, the gelding defied all expectations to hold off the late challenge of Rosallion by a neck.
The result was all the more remarkable given that Qirat had finished 27th of 30 in the Royal Hunt Cup on his previous visit to the track. Kingscote described the victory as 'a bit surreal', while Beckett admitted he was surprised but not entirely astonished, saying the plan had been to set a steady pace and 'they didn't sit close to him'.
Favourite Field Of Gold, owned by the same Juddmonte operation as Qirat, was expected to dominate but struggled on the downland track. Trainer John Gosden said the horse 'didn't seem too well-balanced' and noted that rivals 'ignored the pacemaker and paid the price'.
Qirat is now the longest-priced winner of a Group One race in Britain since the grading system was introduced in the early 1970s. Kingscote, who will begin a four-month stint in Hong Kong in September, said it was 'better to be going off on a positive note'.
Meanwhile, Thursday's Nassau Stakes features a five-runner field with four closely matched fillies at single-figure odds, including Oaks runner-up Whirl and Coronation Stakes winner Cercene.
