2026 Visit Qatar Sussex Stakes: runner-by-runner guide and tip

Admirable six-year-old landed the Queen Anne Stakes last year at his favourite track but was only fifth in this corresponding race the following month.

His only victory since his Royal Ascot success was when winning the Doncaster Mile in fine style on his seasonal reappearance in March, though he did follow that up with a third in the Champions Mile at Sha Tin.

After finishing seventh in this year’s Queen Anne and only sixth in the Summer Mile two and a half weeks ago, he has a bit to prove and would be a surprise winner. James Doyle rides for the first time.

Tony Bloom and Ian McAleavy’s gelding is having a fantastic season and arrives back at Goodwood in arguably the best form of his career.

He has long been held in high regard by William Haggas, having beaten Lazzat to win the Golden Eagle in Australia as a three-year-old, and he was unlucky to finish second in both last year’s Lennox and City Of York Stakes.

Gelded over the winter, he won his reappearance by five lengths, was beaten just a length and a half in the Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes at Royal Ascot, and then came from an unpromising position to win the Lennox Stakes on Tuesday.

If he remains in similar form just 24 hours later, he holds claims of adding to his prize money haul of £3.6m, but he has been comfortably beaten in all three starts over a mile.

Beat Lake Forest, who met trouble in running, by half a length to win the Group One City Of York last summer, but has failed to win in four starts since and was comfortably beatwn b ythe re-opposing Opera Ballo his reappearance in the bet365 Mile, and then by Ten Bob Tony in the Tattenham Corner Stakes at Epsom.

He did, however, show improved form to chase home Qirat in the Criterion last month, but another big step forward will be required up in class and up a furlong in trip.

Four-year-old has been better than ever this season, winning the Group One Jebel Hatta in tremendous style, beating Field Of Gold by three lengths under a 5lb penalty to win the bet365 Mile, and most recently, finishing a close up third in the Queen Anne Stakes having set a blistering pace in front.

His record is seven wins from ten starts, and his three defeats have all come on straight tracks. This return to a bend at a more speed-favouring track is likely to play to his strengths and he is usually very fast into stride from the gates – he is drawn on the inside of Bow Echo here.

There is every chance we have not seen the best of him yet, but against some high-class three-year-olds, this looks his biggest test to date. 

Sprung a 150-1 shock in this race 12 months ago but was well beaten in his next five races until scoring in the Criterion Stakes at York last month.

Back at Goodwood on Tuesday to contest the Lennox Stakes over seven furlongs, he raced a tad lazily early on and plugged on into fourth, beaten a length and a quarter by the re-opposing winner Lake Forest. That was his first defeat at Goodwood on his fourth start at the track.

The undoubtedly saves his best for this track but this looks a deeper race than last year and he is unlikely to be allowed to dictate in the same way he did 12 months ago when in as a pacemaker.

Another who arrives on the Sussex Downs in flying form, Hugo Palmer’s four-year-old won the Thoroughbred Stakes over this course and distance last year on his only start at 11-1-

He was beaten in two subsequent runs later last year, but this season, has been placed in all four of his runs, a sequence which has seen him win in Listed company at Longchamp and the Diomed Stakes at the Epsom Derby Festival.

His third in the Summer Mile, ahead of More Thunder and Docklands, was another career best, but he has failed to win in five starts at Group One level and this looks a tall order.

The striking chestnut came from last to first to win the Queen Anne last month at 50-1, a career best effort having been ridden in a style well suited to the straight Ascot mile.

That was his first run over a mile in over two years, so he is very much unexposed over the trip and, despite being five, looks progressive having also won the Tattenham Corner Stakes earlier in June.

He goes on any ground and, although this demands another career best, there is a fair few pace angles in the race which should help his likely patient tactics.

Exceptional son of Night Of Thunder is the one they all have to beat on form. Five from five, all over a mile, he was an emphatic winner of the Betfred 2000 Guineas, beating Gstaad by two and three-quarter legnths.

Things were not plain sailing in the St James’s Palace Stakes last time, but he once again got the better of Gstaad, though this time by just a short-head.

A strong traveller, he cruised into the straight at Ascot and it looked as if he would run away with the race at one stage, but he had to dig deep to fend off the Ballydoyle challenger. Are his rivals catching up with him, or is he simply the best miler around? He did well in the circumstances last month, but this looks his toughest task to date.

Last year’s Vintage Stakes fifth has a mountain to climb on the figures and looks likely to fulfil pacemaker duties for Gstaad. The grey was last seen finishing fourth in the Minstrel Stakes behind Power Blue.

Hugely consistent colt has yet to finish outside of the first two in nine starts and got much closer to Bow Echo at Ascot than he did at Newmarket. Between those efforts he was an emphatic winner of the Irish 2000 Guineas. Connections will be hoping he has closed the gap on George Boughey’s colt and has progressed past him going into the second half of the summer.

Things panned out more favourably for Gstaad than his rival last time, however, with stablemate Puerto Rico handing him the initiative turning into the straight, and back over this easier mile, he still has work to do with the market leader having stayed on well at Ascot – though as a Coventry Stakes winner, he clearly has plenty of speed. 

Drawn in stall one, he looks set to get his optimum ground and another big run looks very likely.

This year’s French 2000 Guineas fourth signed off his juvenile campaign with a hat-trick of wins in the Champagne Stakes, Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere and Criterium International.

It was therefore disappointing that he came home last of six in the St James’s Palace, though whether he was ridden to best effect in that race (Soumillon was banned for eight days) is open to debate – let’s not go there again.

He is capable of much better than that, but he would be a surprise winner of this race all the same, and it would be no shock to see him stepped up in trip following this effort in search of more winnable opportunities.

Lightly-raced three-year-old won the Vintage Stakes here over seven furlongs 12 months ago to take his record to three from three, and he then made it four from four by beating Gstaad to win the National Stakes at the Curragh.

Fourth in the Dewhurst, he reappeared with a solid second in the Greenham Stakes behind all-the-way winner Alparslan having not had the cleanest of runs.

This demands plenty more, particularly as he has not been seen since due to a setback, but there is no reason why he should not get a mile on pedigree, particularly back at this track we know he enjoys.

This looks a fantastic race and deeper than it first appears with many horses arriving here off the back of career best efforts.

Preference is still for my long-term fancy OPERA BALLO, who is yet to taste defeat around a bend and has put up some monster performances this year. This track should see him to better effect.

There is little to split Bow Echo and Gstaad, but George Boughey's colt did not get things his own way last time and may confirm that form here.

1 OPERA BALLO. 2 BOW ECHO. 3 GSTAAD.