It proved a great day at Glorious Goodwood for trainer David Griffiths

When the runners and riders set off in Wednesday’s £850,000 Qatar International Stakes, a leading feature of this week’s Glorious Goodwood festival, pupils and staff National Horseracing College (NHC) in Doncaster were following the race with even greater interest than they usually would.

But rather than watching the progress of one of the college’s many successful graduates, they were rooting for jockey John Egan, who aged 57 is the senior jockey of the weighing room, aboard one of numerous Arabian pure-bred horses in the group one race, Al Sharid. For the four-year-old bay gelding has been trained by their instructor, David Griffiths, at the yard he runs with his daughter Keira and wife Sophie at Bawtry. A NHC spokesman said all at the college were following the journey of Al Sharid. He said: “David’s achievements are a great reminder of the calibre of industry professionals our learners are taught by every day.”

Just lining a horse up for a Group One race marks a remarkable achievement for anyone without deep pockets, but for David the sixth placing achieved in the prestigious event on Wednesday and more than £11,000 share of the prize pot also represents a significant reversal of fortune, having announced his retirement from training 30 months previously. David’s ten-year career as a jockey saw him as an apprentice to Ian Balding and Reg Hollinshead, ride a winner for the Queen and bag just over 100 winners. However, it was abruptly ended in 2000 after fracturing his neck, an injury called the Hangman’s Break “which they told me as I laid on the bed thinking I was going to die”.

Despite having developed a reputation for training sprinters with his wife, taking Take Cover to ten black-type triumphs, including two wins in Goodwood's Group 2 King George Stakes, in 2024 David came to the conclusion trying to improve on their three winners from 47 runners in theirnfinal campaign would be folly. The then 50-year-old joined the college as a training instructor, and, just as a hobby with his family, took up a chance to buy two Arabian horses. “We’re lucky to have dropped on quite a decent one!”, said David. "They’re different horses to train, but they’re absolutely gorgeous, different to thoroughbreds, more relaxed and a bit kinder, but a little more fragile maybe.

“Al Sharid, which means The Wanderer in Arabic, and he does wander around in his races. When he hits the front he likes to have a good look around.”

David said he had targeted the Qatar International Stakes as Glorious Goodwood had been “a happy hunting ground for us”, and also as Al Sharid had won his last three races, including twice at Doncaster.

He said: “The money, £850,000, is absolutely unbelievable. This is the first leg of the triple crown, with a race on Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe day and a race in Doha. Obviously there’s the race in Doncaster as well, the Arabian Derby on Leger day. It’s nice to be involved and it’s nice to have something a little bit above average to hopefully give the French a bit of a run for their money.”

Ahead of the race David had been looking forward to attending an Arab Racing Association reception, which he hoped could help lead to additional racehorses at his stables next season. He said: “Never say never about training thoroughbreds, but I would like to have six or ten Arabs next year.”

David said the new-look family yard had “not put itself out there” for investment, but taking part in the race had catapulted the operation’s profile. He said he had been aiming for Al Sharid to be placed and rated being in the race’s top half as an incredible achievement. David said: “He’s only a baby, having had four runs. The other guys are hardened Group One level performers. I have always said aim for the stars and we might get the clouds. You’ve got to be in it to win it. The last three he’s won he’s certainly kept a lot back to himself, which can only be a good thing. Once he hits the front, that’s it, he thinks his job is done, which is a good attitude to have in a horse.”

When asked what his students have made of his ascent to competing with racing’s elite, David chuckles. “They’ve been getting quite involved, asking how he is, saying well done for the wins. It’s quite good for them to have something to look at. We get students in at 16 and up, some of them have never ridden before, some have ridden a lot, it doesn’t matter, and they have a 12-week course with a view to getting a job in racing afterwards.

"I love teaching them, especially the non-riders who have never ridden and three weeks later they are on the gallops. It’s brilliant.

“I worked here before we started training and I remember Will Buick coming through as an apprentice. Martin Dwyer rang me up and said ‘look after this kid he’s a bit of a good lad’. Will was tiny at the time, but you could tell he was going to be different gear.”