Qatar Sussex Stakes 2018 Entries

The Qatar Sussex Stakes, part of the QIPCO British Champions Series, is the highlight of the five-day Qatar Goodwood Festival, which runs from Tuesday, July 31 to Saturday, August 4, and one of the world’s leading mile races, with a tremendous roll of honour.

Australia’s representative is top sprinter Redkirk Warrior (David & Ben Hayes and Tom Dabernig AUS), last seen out when landing the prestigious Group 1 Newmarket Handicap over six furlongs for the second successive year at Flemington on March 10. 

The seven-year-old started his career in UK at longer distances with Newmarket trainer William Haggas, scoring over 10 furlongs at Yarmouth and Ascot, before being sold to race in Hong Kong. He holds entries in both of the Group 1 sprints at Royal Ascot next month.

Fellow Royal Ascot contender Yoshida, trained by legendary American handler Bill Mott, announced himself as one of the leading turf performers in the US with victory in the nine-furlong Group 1 Turf Classic at Churchill Downs on May 5.

Britain and Ireland’s reigning champion Flat trainer Aidan O’Brien has won the Qatar Sussex Stakes five times, most recently with The Gurkha in 2016, and unbeaten Group 1 QIPCO 2,000 Guineas hero Saxon Warrior and three-time Group 1 winner Rhododendron, successful in the Group 1 Al Shaqab Lockinge Stakes at Newbury on May 14, head up his 14 entries, down one from last year.

Among the three-year-olds entered in the Qatar Sussex Stakes, there are other Classic winners, including Olmedo (Jean-Claude Rouget FR) and Romanised (Ken Condon IRE). Romanised ran twice in Britain as a two-year-old, with the pick of his efforts coming when second to Godolphin’s Masar (Charlie Appleby) in the Group 3 Solario Stakes at Sandown Park in August.

Condon has also entered multiple 10-furlong Group race winner Success Days and both horses are owned by Robert Ng.

“The Qatar Sussex Stakes is probably more likely for Romanised than Success Days, but all options are open at the moment."

Sandown Park last week, and French Classic heroine Teppal (David Simcock), winner of the 1,000 Guineas equivalent at Longchamp on May 13.

Ramonti in 2007 was the most recent of three Qatar Sussex Stakes winners for Godolphin trainer Saeed bin Suroor, who has two top-class four-year-old contenders in Thunder Snow and Benbatl, respective winners of the Group 1 Dubai World Cup on dirt and Group 1 Dubai Turf at Meydan on Dubai World Cup Night at the end of March.

Here Comes When (Andrew Balding) could bid to emulate Frankel as a dual winner of the Qatar Sussex Stakes, following his narrow success in 2017. He is joined by stablemate Beat The Bank, who impressed when capturing the Group 3 Thoroughbred Stakes at the 2017 Qatar Goodwood Festival.

Full list of entries:

Find out more about the Qatar Goodwood Festival:

Qatar Goodwood Festival