What a race is in prospect for the £1.5million Group 1 Visit Qatar Sussex Stakes at Goodwood on Wednesday at 4.10pm.
Among the field are…
- The English 2,000 Guineas and St James’s Palace Stakes winner, Bow Echo, who is unbeaten in five career starts
- The Irish 2,000 Guineas winner, and English 2,000 Guineas and St James’s Palace Stakes runner-up, Gstaad. He was beaten a short head by Bow Echo in the St James’s Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot and 2.75 lengths in the English 2,000 Guineas, so he is getting closer.
- This year’s Group 1 Jebel Hatta winner in Meydan and Group 2 Sandown Mile winner, Opera Ballo, who finished third last-time out in the Queen Anne Stakes at Royal Ascot
- Last season’s Group 1 Queen Anne Stakes winner, Docklands, who finished fifth in last year’s Sussex Stakes.
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Some stats:
- Aidan O’Brien has won this race twice in the last ten years, with Paddington in 2024 and The Gurkha in 2016. In total, he has won it six times, his other winners being Giant’s Causeway (2000), Rock Of Gibraltar (2002), Henrythenavigator (2008) and Rip Van Winkle (2009)
- Only one other trainer has won the race twice in the last ten years, which is Andrew Balding with Alcohol Free in 2021 and Here Comes When in 2017.
- There have been four winning favourites in the last ten years. There was a 20/1 winner in 2017 (Here Comes When) and a 150/1 winner last year (Qirat).
- Three-year-olds have won this race five times in the last ten years, with four-year-olds winning on three occasions and seven-year-olds twice.
- Three-year-olds have won this race 15 times this century (from 26 races), with four-year-olds having won five times during the same period, with older horses making up the balance.
Selection:
The duel between Bow Echo and Gstaad has become a compelling one. Whose side are you on? We’ll stick with Bow Echo to get the better of Gstaad once again.
