We look back at the Goodwood festival with all of the key ratings and horses to follow.

Goodwood Cup – Scandinavia

It was the three-year-old for Aidan O'Brien who beat his older stablemate Illinois to take the Goodwood Cup, posting a new peak rating of 121 at Racing And Sports.

A typically well bred (Justify out of a Galileo mare), he'd run to a strong mark of 118 winning the Group 3 Bahrain Trophy (2615m) at Newmarket, improving again here out to the two mile trip.

Illinois arguably found the extended 4000m of the Ascot Gold Cup a bridge too far prior although for the starting prices he's gone around this time in, his ratings haven't really followed.

Rated 118 at three when second to Sosie in the Grand Prix De Paris, he's then gone 119-119-118-119-117-120. Fine consistency, but possibly lacking that knockout punch to land a big one.

Historically, a rating of 121 is on the lower side for Goodwood Cups. Since 2010, only Big Orange (120) Saddler's Rock (119) and Illustrious Blue (118) have run to a lower winning mark.

Star stayers Kyprios (125) and Stradivarius (124) sit clear in that regard, with Stradivarius' first also coming as a three-year-old – they are the only three-year-old winners of the race this century.

Sussex Stakes – Qirat

One of the biggest upsets in British racing history, decent handicapper Qirat ($151) took the Sussex Stakes, one of the best mile races in the world.

Field Of Gold was all the rage having run to 132 in the St James Palace at Ascot, rated a lazy 20 pounds higher than Qirat's previous best performance.

The pace was slow, there's no escaping that. Field Of Gold has run the mile approximately 15 lengths slower overall (adjusted) at Goodwood than he did at Ascot, and the winning time was nearly 12 lengths slower.

That said, Field Of Gold was still very plain, dropped by Rosallion with a furlong or two to go. The splits and finishing speed percentage clearly show he was the best horse on the day, but to me it seemed they were more worried about the main dangers rather than running as efficiently as possible.

Qirat has run to 119 on the RAS scale winning, which is the equal lowest winning rating this century, tied with Here Comes When in 2017, who was at least rated to that mark prior and a consistent performer at Group 1-2 level.

A fair cry from Frankel at 139 who tops the Sussex list, while Paddington (128), Baaeed (127) and Notable Speech (125) have won the past three editions.

I'd be getting Field Of Gold to a mile and a quarter (2000m), and banging him up on speed. It's a relatively quick (3 week) turnaround to the Juddmonte at York, but I can't imagine this has flattened him.

Nassau Stakes – Whirl

One of the more ridiculous things I've seen for a Group One flat race as they decided to make this a flag start due to lightning in the area.

I've long thought flag starts are crazy for 6000m chases, let alone a 2000m flat event, and this race was over basically before they'd started as Ryan Moore got the best possible break, putting 5-6 lengths on the main danger See The Fire before they'd gone a few strides.

In all likelihood, the filly was the best horse and as $2.20 favourite, many expected her to win, which she did easily.

That result probably wouldn't have changed in a fair start, but I daresay the uproar would be tenfold if Whirl, who would've held the majority of bets by a huge percentage, had been the one significantly disadvantaged and been beaten a head.

Regardless, Whirl wins the race and to quote our head handicapper Adam Blencowe, her race was "one of many that have a wide range of plausible interpretations".

Racing & Sports make her winning rating 122, matching her peak from the Pretty Polly Stakes win at Curragh previously.

That's still a good rating for a typical Nassau winner in a list topped by a pair of seven-time Group One winners in Ouija Board (126) and Minding (124).

Both of those have gone on to be top broodmares as well, with Oujia Board foaling Australia, who has produced eight Group One wins, including Broome and recent Epsom & Irish Derby winner Lambourn.

Meanwhile, Minding is the dam of Henry Longfellow, a Group 1 winner at two and dual Group 1 placegetter thereafter.

You'd think such a breed shaping race would be run under fair conditions, but regardless, Whirl comes out as the equal-highest rated horse of the carnival, matched by dominant handicap winner Fox Legacy.