Goodwood launched its bicentennial year at Goodwood House by announcing it will contribute £1m to the prize fund for the first time.

It goes towards 20 days of racing at the course this year and commercial sponsors will provide just under three-quarters-of-a-million pounds to a total of £2.682m. The balance is made up from entry fees.

Talking about racing at Goodwood in the 21st Century, the Duke of Richmond and Gordon, whose family have owned the course and its surroundings since before the first race meeting in April 1802, said: "Goodwood survives because of its location and because of the quality of racing here on the Sussex Downs.

"It is among the top five courses in the country and probably the most beautiful of all of them."

Last year, £5m was invested in a new weighing room, paddock area and main entrance and the resulting pavilions and buildings are in the running for awards from the Royal Fine Arts Commission and the Royal Institute of British Architects.

Always in the forefront of innovation, the Goodwood management has launched a Young People's Club to stimulate interest in horse racing.

John Reid, the recently retired top jockey who rode more than 120 winners at Goodwood in a 29-year career, has agreed to be President of the GG Club for young folk aged between 10-16.

He said: "If we can get these youngsters enthusiastic about racing at an early age, they will be the core racegoers of the future..

"I want to take GG club members to parts of the course the general public usually take for granted.

"The weighing room, for example, where they can see the jockeys and their valets preparing for each race.

"The start, where they can watch horses going into the stalls. They won't be allowed in the racecourse stables but we will be able to see horses being saddled. There is plenty of scope."

Reid rode his first winner as an apprentice at Goodwood on a horse named Eyry in 1973. He went on to win all of the top races on the track, the Sussex Stakes on Guineas' winner On The House in 1982 and the 1986 Nassau Stakes on Park Express.

John and his wife Joy have twin sons aged 16 and he is the ideal man to introduce young newcomers to the sport. Membership of GG will be £25 and will include a member's badge, a regular newsletter and social events both on and off the racecourse.

The Race Week Ball takes place for the first time in six years at Goodwood House on Thursday, August 1. This is restricted to Richmond Enclosure members and their guests and tickets are selling at £175, with proceeds going to the St Richard's Hospital Appeal and to Racing Welfare.

The first of four now traditional Friday evening meetings in June will be strongly supported by BBC local radio and TV.

BBC South Today will host a live TV magazine programme on Friday June 7, with BBC Southern Counties and Solent involved as well.

Buckingham Palace has given the go-ahead for a new £15,000 seven-furlong handicap to be named Her Majesty The Queen's Golden Jubilee Stakes as the feature event on that evening.

BBC Television will cover 11 days of the Goodwood programme this year, including the three-day May meeting opening on Tuesday, May 21 with the Oaks and Derby Trials.

Backroom boys have not been left out of the improvements in the stable area adjacent to the House. More than £50,000 has been spent on accommodation for lads staying overnight and there will be free meals for any with runners at the two Sunday fixtures on June 30 and August 25.

In the experienced hands of general manager and clerk of the course, Rod Fabricius, and his assistant clerk, Seamus Buckley, who is also in charge of the racing surface, the success of racing at Glorious Goodwood this year is assured. All we need is the weather to go with it.