3 minute read

Magna Grecia and Phoenix Of Spain may both head to Goodwood

Guineas heroes Magna Grecia  and Phoenix Of Spain  are among 35 entries for the £1million Qatar Sussex Stakes at Goodwood.

Magna Grecia provided trainer Aidan O’Brien with a record 10th victory in the 2000 Guineas at Newmarket earlier this month, but could finish only fifth behind the Charlie Hills-trained Phoenix Of Spain in the Irish 2,000 Guineas at the Curragh last weekend.

O’Brien has seven entries in total for the Goodwood Group One on July 31, with the English and Irish 1000 Guineas winner Hermosa also in the mix.

The Ballydoyle handler has saddled five previous winners of the Sussex Stakes – in Giant’s Causeway (2000), Rock Of Gibraltar (2002), Henrythenavigator (2008), Rip Van Winkle (2009) and The Gurkha (2016).

John Gosden, who landed the 2014 Sussex Stakes with the great Kingman, has entered Irish Guineas runner-up Too Darn Hot, Calyx and the impressive Heron Stakes winner King Of Comedy.

The older brigade includes Sir Michael Stoute’s Lockinge victor Mustashry. The six-year-old had several other Sussex Stakes entrants behind him at Newbury, including the third Accidental Agent and the fourth Romanised.

The latter won last year’s Irish 2,000 Guineas for Ken Condon, and the Kildare-based trainer is keen to see how his charge performs at Royal Ascot before committing to a trip to Goodwood.

He said: “I was delighted with Romanised’s performance at Newbury. He ran a great race to finish fourth in the Lockinge and he has come out of the race in good form.

“The plan next is to run in the Queen Anne (June 18) at Ascot, and we will see how he gets on there.

“He is going to be a big price for all those big mile races, but we’re looking forward to Ascot and we will see how he gets on.

“We have entered him in the Qatar Sussex Stakes, and that race is an option after Ascot, but we will get that out of the way first.”

Stormy Antarctic has already won a Group Three in Germany and a Group Two in Italy this year, and his trainer Ed Walker is keen to test his charge at the top level again at some stage.

“Stormy Antarctic is in good form and won well in Italy on his last start,” said Walker.

“He has been a real star for us, and it was great to see him win again. He is so consistent and is still producing his best at six, which is remarkable.

“He is entered at Royal Ascot and the Sussex Stakes, so he is in all the big races.

“Another option is to go back to Munich for the Grosser Dallmayr Preis, which he finished second in last year.”

Other Sussex Stakes contenders include Roger Varian’s Prix d’Ispahan scorer Zabeel Prince and the Charlie Appleby-trained Barney Roy.