Qirat Shocks Racing World with 150/1 Sussex Stakes Triumph at Goodwood

The 2025 Qatar Goodwood Festival witnessed one of the greatest shocks in modern flat racing history on Wednesday, as Qirat—sent off at astronomical odds of 150/1—stormed to victory in the Group 1 Sussex Stakes, leaving heavily fancied rivals and punters alike stunned.

Trained by Ralph Beckett for Juddmonte and expertly ridden by Richard Kingscote, Qirat was widely understood to be participating primarily as a pacemaker for his celebrated stablemate Field Of Gold, the overwhelming favourite. However, in a remarkable twist of fate, it was Qirat who seized the glory.

Kingscote set fractionally even early fractions aboard the son of Kingman, contesting the lead after tracking Ballydoyle’s pacemaker, Serengeti, through the early stages. As the field raced into the straight, Kingscote made a decisive move, kicking Qirat several lengths clear. With rivals sitting off the pace, perhaps underestimating his front-running threat, Qirat maintained his advantage all the way to the line.

The fast-finishing Rosallion could only close the gap to a neck in second, with Henri Matisse in third. The odds-on favourite, Field Of Gold, laboured home a disappointing fourth.

The victory marks the biggest-priced Group 1 winner in British racing history, eclipsing other high-profile longshot wins in recent memory. Only a week before his historic upset, Qirat finished 27th of 30 runners in the Royal Hunt Cup at Royal Ascot, and his connections had only supplemented him for the Sussex at a cost of £70,000.

A delighted but clearly shocked Beckett said, “He’s just in love with Goodwood—undefeated here now in three tries. Richard gave him a brilliant ride, but we honestly thought of him as a lead horse.”

Kingscote, speaking afterwards, remarked, “It was surreal to look around and see nobody coming. I felt like a villain stealing it from the supposed stars, but Qirat just kept finding more.”

Qirat’s pedigree now comes sharply into focus: he is a half-brother to last year’s Arc de Triomphe winner, Bluestocking, underlining his quality despite his previously modest profile.

Racing observers are hailing the Sussex Stakes result as a classic underdog story—proof that in horse racing, tactics, heart, and a bit of luck can topple even the most established favourites. For Qirat’s camp, it is a day that will live long in the memory and in Goodwood folklore.

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