Cream tends to rise to the top
The Qatar Sussex Stakes, just look at that roll of honour… Brigadier Gerard, Kris, Chief Singer, Giant’s Causeway, Rock Of Gibraltar, Rip Van Winkle, Canford Cliffs, Frankel, Kingman, Mohaather, Baaeed. You can go broader and deeper, of course, but it is one long and healthy list of pure class.
Would Rosallion look out of place in such company?
It’s obviously too early to tell but with three Group 1s on the CV already, including the Irish 2,000 Guineas and St James’s Palace, he’s already well on the way to emulating some of the best milers from years gone by.
Clearly the current pride and joy of both Richard Hannon and owner Sheikh Mohammed Obaid Al Maktoum, you sense this could be the horse that leaves an indelible impression on the career of jockey Sean Levey.
Not one for over-celebration or unnecessary hyperbole, Levey speaks with pronounced intensity on the Blue Point colt’s ability, his adaptability and – most importantly with this race in mind – the potential for him to show himself in an even greater light.
Come rain or shine (we’re forecast the latter), he’s the one to beat alright but they’re not all going to roll over an have their bellies tickled. Notable Speech already has a defeat of Rosallion to his credit; when fighting-fit, granted, but also fresh off the all-weather and thrust into the white-hot heat of the Guineas on May 4.
The force was with him that day at Newmarket and he looked the new star with which Charlie Appleby could go to war, only to recoil at the Royal meeting last month. It’s great to see him back for another crack at Rosallion as Ascot wasn’t his true running and he’s otherwise been flawless.
Henry Longfellow certainly doesn’t arrive unblemished, his low-key comeback effort in France putting paid to his perfect record as a juvenile, but he’s another work in progress for Aidan O’Brien and not too dissimilar to Ballydoyle’s aforementioned 2009 hero Rip Van Winkle in that respect.
A son of Dubawi and the first foal out of the yard’s brilliant mare Minding to hit the track, he’s bred to be a champion and, at this stage, is still brimming with potential, but whether that only really bursts into life over longer distances in future remains to be seen.
Either way, Goodwood can be a tricky track but history tells us that class will out, and the Sussex Stakes remains a Group 1 race not to be missed.
Could be right time to sink teeth into Wisdom
If puzzling big-field handicaps are your thing then day two at Goodwood does not disappoint, starting with the 12-furlong Coral Handicap for three-year-olds only, and ending with the HKJC World Pool Handicap over seven.
Look out for the progressive Metaverse in the latter, while there’s the mile and a quarter British Stallion Studs EBF Fillies’ Handicap in the mix too and Charlie Johnston’s True Wisdom has been in My Stable for this meeting for several weeks now.
If only she hadn’t blotted her copybook when sent off favourite here last time out in May. That said, we’ll presumably get a bigger price on that evidence and she’s been dropped a pound in the weights to boot. Her revised mark of 83 looks gimme based on her 2023 Newmarket victory over Bellum Justum (109) and Oddyssey (94).
Raq lined up to run well for Burrows
Earlier on, the Jaeger-Lecoultre Molecomb Stakes – a race won by Big Evs 12 months ago – has the potential to produce another high-class sprinter and it’s perhaps noteworthy the same connections have the once-raced Big Mojo engaged. They’ll need big… something else to pitch this one in at Group 3 level on second start and Tuesday’s maiden looks a more sensible option.
The Dragon Stakes form has since taken a couple of minor knocks but that’s unlikely to put Archie Watson off running his comfortable Sandown winner Aesterius, while Adrian Keatley says he’s had Goodwood on Francisco’s Piece’s agenda just about all year and hopes his Coventry Stakes effort last time was too bad to be true.
The Visit Qatar Oak Tree Stakes also carries Group 3 status and there are 11 Brits, four Irish, one French and a German filly entered up at the six-day stage. Owen Burrows’ Raqiya could be the sleeper among the home contingent – she’s going to enjoy a move up to seven furlongs based on her York run in the Summer Stakes, a race I fully expect to work out well over the next few weeks.
