Qatar Sussex Stakes: guide, likely tactics and verdict

The Qatar Sussex Stakes has been robbed of its leading player with ruled out of the feature on Tuesday morning with a respiratory infection.

Winner of the Irish 2000 Guineas and St James's Palace Stakes, he had been Evens favourite to cement his status as this year's leading miler.

In his absence, two horses he defeated at Royal Ascot - Henry Longfellow and - now head the betting. 

But will the three-year-olds be vulnerable? The older horses in the line-up include last year’s runner-up, Facteur Cheval, from France, and that nation will sniff the prospect of another successful raid after a shock triumph in the King George on Saturday. 

Things could get messy as none of the five runners are usually front-runners. Maljoom set the pace on his belated return this season, but that was more than accident than by design in another small field devoid of prominent racers. 

Henry Longfellow has raced up near the pace and Ryan Moore will no doubt be alive to the prospect of being able to grab a potentially soft lead before possibly setting a stop-start gallop that compromises his rivals.

Notable Speech and

Sonny Liston

are habitually held up in their races, while patient tactics are also generally employed on

Facteur Cheval

. Someone, or some thing, is going to have to change. A true, fast-run race looks fanciful. 

Official rating: 120. Timeform rating: 126. Odds: 7/1. 

The French challenger chased home Paddington in last year’s edition of this race, when the ground was bottomless and the pace sedate. That was among a number of near-misses for him in top company, so his victory in a strong renewal of the Dubai Turf at Meydan in March was well deserved. You can put a line through his subsequent sixth in the Queen Anne as he and Big Rock raced in isolation to the others, ending up being marooned. If nothing else, he at least looked at home on the prevailing fast ground. A bigger challenge for him here is conceding 8lb to a pair of classy three-year-olds. 

Official rating: 110. Timeform rating: 121. Odds: 8/1. 

Things have not gone to plan since his luckless defeat in the St James’s Palace Stakes in 2022, when he would surely have kept his unbeaten record intact but for getting pinned on the rail. He was then on the sidelines for 15 months before a low-key return on what was his only run last term. This campaign, he’s suffered two more defeats at Ascot, sticking to his task when five lengths third to Charyn in the Queen Anne Stakes last month. He hinted that a longer trip may help him that day, although his connections perhaps see things differently as they are equipping him with first-time blinkers. His other near-to-hand engagements include a conditions race and Group Three contest, but dropping him in grade has been resisted, at least for the time being. 

Official rating: 114. Timeform rating: 125. Odds: 25/1. 

Two wins from 17 starts mask the fact that he has run some tremendous races in big-field handicaps, including when beaten a head in last month’s Royal Hunt Cup. His rating now makes him hard to place, and you cannot blame connections for rolling the dice in patern company, for all that big-field races run at an end-to-end gallop are clearly his forte. Fifth prize on Wednesday is almost £27,000 - more than double what it has cost (£12,500) to keep him engaged through all the forfeit stages. 

Official rating: 121. Timeform rating: 128. Odds: 6/4. 

He’s regally bred, being by Dubawi out of mighty mare Minding, and was flawless in three starts as a two-year-old, signing off with an emphatic defeat of three rivals in the National Stakes at The Curragh. Events conspired against him on his return in a steadily-run French 2000 Guineas but he confirmed himself an exciting colt when worn down close home by Rosallion in the St James’s Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot last month. He got first run on his conqueror that day but it would be no surprise if he progressed again. Henry Longfellow raced close to the pace at Ascot and, given he settles well, Ryan Moore may well opt to dictate, especially as his partner would probably be comfortable over longer trips. 

Official rating: 122. Timeform rating: 130. Odds: 7/4. 

He was unraced as a juvenile but has made up for lost time this season, winning his first three races at Kempton in taking fashion (impressed with several of his sectionals) before making a spectacular turf debut in the 2000 Guineas, where he pounced from off the pace and kept on well to win at the main expense of Rosallion and Haatem, who franked the form when going on to dominate in the Irish 2000 Guineas. Not surprisingly, the son of Dubawi was a hot favourite to keep his 100 per cent record in the St James’s Palace Stakes, but his spark was missing and he trailed home seventh of the eight runners. Perhaps his busy spring caught up with him, or maybe he resented the quicker ground. We may never know. What we do know is that only the Newmarket version of him will be enough here. 

Official rating: 122. Timeform rating: 131. Odds: --. 

Sadly, he will now not be taking part.

A small field but a fascinating race is in store, with tactics sure to play a part. I like the prospect of Ryan Moore dictating on Henry Longfellow and turning the screw up the straight. He didn’t have much of a race on his return in France, so he’s entitled to take another jump forward for his near-miss at Royal Ascot. Notable Speech needs to bounce back, so Facteur Cheval may emerge as the main threat

1 Henry Longfellow. 2  Facteur Cheval. 3 Notable Speech. 4 Majloom. 5 Sonny Liston.