No celebrating here: sobering day leaves Goodwood races in peril for good reason

No matter what the name of Goodwood's August Saturday showpiece, this did not feel like a celebration. For at least one of its two principal prizes, it may even have been a funeral. On any number of levels, these are tough times. Tough action may be necessary.

The £100,000 March Stakes has for some time felt like a race on the brink. Its latest winner is a Derby runner-up who could be seen in both the St Leger and Melbourne Cup, yet this may have been the year in which it finally teetered over the edge.

If the March does perish, it would not be the first Goodwood Group 3 to meet the grim reaper. The Select Stakes was won by Dancing Brave on his way to Arc glory. That faded memory was not enough to prevent the contest being axed 11 years ago. The Group 2 Celebration Mile may not go the same way but, equally, it is not going well, so much so that even Goodwood's racing supremo is prepared to admit its future may be in jeopardy.