Notable Speech returns to brilliant best in Sussex Stakes

Notable Speech

bounced back to his brilliant best in the Qatar Stakes at .

Having run a long way below his 2000 Guineas form at Royal Ascot in the St James’s Palace Stakes, the Charlie Appleby-trained colt had questions to answer.

Even without Rosallion in the field Notable Speech was still not favourite, with that honour going to Henry Longfellow. But having attempted to make all, Aidan O’Brien’s Ascot runner-up looked a sitting duck at the cutaway.

William Buick was sat with a double handful on Notable Speech and just like he had shown at Newmarket, the Dubawi colt quickened up in an instant and put the race to bed in a matter of strides.

In doing so the 3-1 chance emulated Frankel, who was the last Guineas winner to win the Stakes in the same season.

The William Haggas-trained Maljoom stayed on to finish second, a length and a half away, with last year’s second Facteur Cheval close-up in third for Jerome Reynier. Henry Longfellow was fourth and Sonny Liston last of the five.

Appleby said: “When you have an unbeaten Classic winner going into a St James’s Palace Stakes and you’re beaten the way we were, of course you walk away disappointed. But I was happier to be beaten the way we were than to finish second or third and say we weren’t good enough. He just didn’t turn up, simple as that. The question will probably always be asked, and I will probably never have the answer to it, unfortunately.

“Coming into today, his preparation was faultless. He looked great, and pre-race we shaved a couple of kilos back off him again. Was that winning or losing? I don’t think so, to be honest. I think he is just a horse who turned up with his A-game again. He got a great trip round there. I was wondering whether they had taken the cutaway away – I was waiting for it to turn up – but once the cutaway arrived, William had plenty of horse underneath him to go and make use of it.

“What I love about him is that he hasn’t got great stride length, but he turns those legs over quick, and that’s why you see that acceleration. You’ll see plenty of horses in the morning that have great stride length and everyone will be very excited about it, but I like it when they turn them over quicker. It’s normally a sign that they can quicken up.

“Someone asked me yesterday, where was Notable Speech this time last year? I said he’d only just turned up in the yard and was probably doing one canter up our short canter of five furlongs, no more than that. Everyone who sat on him liked him, but he just wasn't strong enough to do what was expected of him at that time in his career. Therefore, I was in a very fortunate position to be able to give a horse like him the time, and hopefully bring the best out of them, and in his case it certainly has.

“We haven’t really made a plan – we just wanted to make sure we nailed today. What I am very happy with is that he is maturing – not in the paddock, we’ve seen him in the paddock before Ascot, before the Guineas, before his Kempton run, and you couldn’t get a more horizontal horse walking round the paddock. But what he’s learnt is coming to the races and in the stable yard, where he has shown immaturity in the past. All credit to Emily who looks after him and all the team back home who have done a fantastic job. In the actual race you couldn’t get a more mature horse considering the lack of experience he has, but the rest of it is all starting to click into place now, and I feel that is hopefully going to keep him where he is at the top table.

“Of course we’d love to go to America. He’s learning week on week and maturing, so I wouldn’t rule it out of the equation.”

Buick said: “Notable Speech was firing on all cylinders coming in here today. He was a brilliant Guineas winner, with a very rare turn of foot that you very rarely see, and we saw that again today.

“I am delighted. Full credit to the team. They’ve done such a fantastic job to get him back after a disappointing run in the St James’s Palace Stakes, when we knew it was too bad to be true.

“When you come into the thick of the race when the taps get turned on I was a lot happier in every sense [than Royal Ascot]. Whichever way I looked at it, I could not get away from what he did at Newmarket in the Guineas. That gave me plenty of confidence.

“He is such an uncomplicated horse and takes everything in his stride. A horse with his ability and turn of foot is rare to see. He’s a horse that really excites you and it’s a real privilege to ride him. When you have a horse with the kick that he has, it makes the job a lot easier. He is a brilliant horse.”

William Haggas is eyeing a step up in trip for Maljoom after he emerged best of the rest behind a resurgent Notable Speech in the Qatar Sussex Stakes at Goodwood.

Maljoom looked a seriously exciting prospect after winning his first three career starts a couple of years ago, and he was unlucky not to make it four from four when flashing home from an uncompromising position in the 2022 St James’s Palace at Royal Ascot.

His career has been stop-start since and he only made it to the track once last term, but he clearly retains a good level of ability judged on another fine effort in defeat.

Having finished third in both the Paradise Stakes and the Queen Anne at Ascot, the five-year-old was fitted with blinkers for his latest assignment and there was plenty to like about the way he beat French raider Facteur Cheval to the runner-up spot.

“That was very good. Each run this year he’s got better and I’d like to try him over a mile and a quarter,” said Haggas.

“He’s always slow away – you can’t give these good horses ground, but he ran on very well.

“He’s a beautiful horse, and I hope there’s more to come.”

Facteur Cheval was picking up minor honours for the second year in succession after landing the silver medal behind Paddington 12 months ago, with Jerome Reynier’s Dubai Turf winner running a far better race than when left to race alone for much of the Queen Anne.

With his St James’s Palace Stakes conqueror Rosallion not in attendance due to a respiratory infection, Henry Longfellow was the 11-10 favourite to provide his trainer Aidan O’Brien with a joint-record seventh Sussex Stakes success.

However, after being deployed in a pacesetting role by Ryan Moore, the impeccably-bred son of Dubawi and brilliant racemare Minding weakened close home and passed the post in fourth place.

“It is difficult say (what happened). The horse alongside him early in the race (Sonny Liston) hustled him up and Ryan said he was never comfortable on this track,” said part-owner Michael Tabor.

“He has to be a lot better than that, but only time will tell.”