1 of 4 | Qirat posts a 150-1 upset in the Group 1 Sussex Stakes at Goodwood in England on Thursday, earning a “Win and You’re In” Breeders’ Cup slot. Photo courtesy of Goodwood Racecourse

Aug. 1 (UPI) — As American racing looks forward to one of the biggest events of the summer for older horses, Wednesday’s Group 1 Sussex Stakes at Glorious Goodwood in England provided a dramatic reminder than anything can happen in a horse race.

Qirat, a 150-1 shot entered to be a pacemaker for hot favorite Field of Gold, didn’t stop when the running started in the Sussex and became one of the longest-priced winners in the history of English and Irish Group 1 racing. Field of Gold finished fourth.

There’s no favorite as hot as Field of Gold in Saturday’s Grade I Whitney at Saratoga. But there’s plenty of chances for surprise with a “Win and You’re In” berth in the Breeders’ Cup Classic at stake.

And that’s just the tip of the iceberg — an odd turn of phrase during a midsummer heatwave — in a big weekend schedule. We’ll catch up with the Sussex and the rest of Goodwood after:

Classic

Saturday’s $1 million Grade I Whitney at Saratoga, a “Win and You’re In” for the Breeders’ Cup Classic, continues the 2024 Triple Crown rivalry involving Fierceness, Sierra Leone and Mindframe, with the addition of capable older rivals Skippylongstocking, Highland Falls and White Abarrio. Sierra Leone and Fierceness battled throughout last season, eventually finishing 1-2 in that order in the Breeders’ Cup Classic.

Also: East Avenue, Chunk of Gold and McAffee are the favorites in a field of eight set for Sunday’s $400,000 Grade III West Virginia Derby at Mountaineer Park.

Reigning Dubai World Cup winner Hit Show is a lukewarm favorite in Sunday’s $200,000 West Virginia Governor’s Stakes at Mountaineer Park.

Eight, including three trained by Mark Casse, are entered for Saturday’s $150,000 (Canadian) Grade III Seagram Cup on the Woodbine all-weather.

Distaff

Trainer Bob Baffert holds seven of the entries for Saturday’s $400,000 Grade I Clement Hirsch at Del Mar, a “Win and You’re In” for the Breeders’ Cup Distaff. Kopion could be the one to beat all three after three wins and a second in her last four starts, two of the wins in Grade I’s.

Filly & Mare Sprint

Echo Sound enters Saturday’s $500,000 Grade I Test Stakes for 3-year-old fillies at Saratoga with five wins and a second from six starts and is heavily favored to add one to the win column.

Turf

Saturday’s $750,000 Grade I Saratoga Derby Invitational lacks the frequent Godolphin threat, but does have three capable foreign visitors in Hotashell, Juwelier and Tiberius Thunder. The American contingent is led by Test Score, who exits a win in the Grade I Belmont Derby.

Ellis Park hosts six Kentucky Downs “Preview” races during the weekend, offering rich purses and qualifying spots in the much more valuable races next month at the former Dueling Grounds on the Kentucky-Tennessee border.

In this division, it’s Saturday’s $250,000 Kentucky Downs Preview Nashville Derby and Sunday’s $300,000 Kentucky Downs Preview Turf Cup.

Game Warrior and Freedom’s Not Free stand out against four rivals in Sunday’s $150,000 La Jolla Handicap for 3-year-olds at Del Mar.

Filly & Mare Turf

Sunday’s $400,000 Grade III Pucker Up at Ellis Park has a competitive field of 11 3-year-old fillies to go 1 1/8 miles.

Turf Mile

Johannes arrives from California in fine form and rules the morning line for Saturday’s $750,000 Grade I FanDuel Fourstar Dave at Saratoga, a “Win and You’re In” for the Breeders’ Cup Mile.

The 5-year-old son of Nyquist finished second in the 2024 Breeders’ Cup Mile and has not been worse than second in eight of his last nine starts.

Also: Zulu Kingdom is the 6-5 morning-line favorite in Friday’s $400,000 Grade II National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame for 3-year-olds at Saratoga; and the Ellis Park action comprises Saturday’s $250,000 Kentucky Downs Preview Mint Millions Turf Mile and Sunday’s $250,000 Kentucky Downs Preview Ladies Turf Mile.

Turf Sprint

At Ellis Park, it’s Saturday’s $250,000 Kentucky Downs Preview Mint Ladies Turf Sprint and Sunday’s $250,000 Kentucky Downs Preview Turf Sprint. Bring Theband Home is 3-5 on the morning line for Sunday’s $300,000 Grade II Troy Stakes at Saratoga.

Juvenile

Obliteration and Ewing, two speedballs off to great career starts, are the favorites in Saturday’s $200,000 Grade II Saratoga Special. Saturday’s $100,000 Tyro on the Monmouth Park turf is a jump ball with 10 lining up to try their luck.

Juvenile Fillies

Tremont Stakes winner Mythical, undefeated after two starts, is the 4-5 morning-line pick in Sunday’s $175,000 Grade III Adirondack at Saratoga.

Around the world, around the clock

England

Wednesday’s Group 1 Visit Qatar Sussex Stakes at Goodwood, a “Win and You’re In” for the Breeders’ Cup Mile, made history for sure — but not in the way owner Juddmonte hoped.

The global powerhouse breeding and racing operation had two runners in the race — 1-3 favorite Field of Gold, who was drawing tentative comparisons to Frankel after winning the 2,000 Guineas and St James’s Palace Stakes, and Qirat, the 150-1 chance expected to be a “rabbit” for the favorite.

Coolmore had a similar team in the well-regarded Henri Matisse and pace factor Serengetti.

Serengetti missed the break and had to hustle up to engage Qirat for the early lead. The two loped along, given plenty of room by the body of the field, including Field of Gold and Henri Matisse. Serengetti chucked it in midway down the stretch, but Qirat never really asked for much to that point and kept right on rolling for jockey Richard Kingscote, helding off Rosallion by a neck.

The upset reportedly was the biggest in the modern history of Group 1 racing in England and Ireland. Henri Matisse made a promising late bid to finish third and Field of Gold was a flat fourth.

Also Wednesday, Lady Iman, with Ryan Moore up for trainer Gyr Lyons, won the Group 3 HKJC World Pool Molecomb Stakes for 2-year-olds, earning a “Win and You’re In” bid to the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint on Halloween. The Starman filly has four wins and a second.

A sudden summer storm dropped more than 1 inch of rain on Goodwood on Thursday afternoon, sending racegoers scurrying through puddles seeking cover and forcing officials to resort to a flag-drop start rather than chance the starting gate for the Group 1 Qatar Nassau Stakes for fillies and mares.

None of that seemed to matter to another of Coolmore’s stars, Whirl, who got the drop on her rivals as the flag dropped and never looked back, slogging through the suddenly sodden ground to a 5-length victory.

The win also earned a “Win and You’re In” berth in the Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf and a guaranteed spot in January’s Grade II Pegasus World Cup Filly & Mare Turf. It was her third win of the season alongside a second to Minnie Hauk in the Oaks. Trainer Aidan O’Brien said her options are legion.

Tuesday’s feature, the Group 1 Al Shaqab Goodwood Cup, came down to an intramural battle, with Scandinavia overhauling pacesetting favorite Illinois in the final strides to hand the Coolmore lads a 1-2 finish in the 2-mile test.

The joy was tempered by a fatal injury to popular stayer Trushan, who was pulled up by jockey Hollie Doyle with a fractured pastern.

On the Continent

The features are the Group 1 Prix Rothschild for fillies and mares at Deauville and the Group 1 Henkel-Preis der Diana or German Oaks at Dusseldorf, both Sunday.