Winners and runners up of this season’s English, French and Irish 2,000 Guineas feature alongside domestic star older milers and tantalising international raiders in the 44 entries for the Group 1 Qatar Sussex Stakes at Goodwood on Wednesday 30 July.
Worth a total of £1 million, the mile showpiece is the richest race of the Qatar Goodwood Festival and forms part of the QIPCO British Champions series.
John and Thady Gosdens’ very impressive Group 1 Irish 2,000 Guineas winner Field Of Gold features amongst the entries alongside the early flag bearers of this year’s Classic generation.
If stars align on the Sussex Downs this July, The Gosdens’ will be hoping to overturn the Newmarket 2,000 Guineas form, where their Kingman colt finished second to Charlie Appleby’s Ruling Court in a nail-biting finish.
The race also features several exciting international raiders, including the returning Facteur Cheval, who could line up in the race for a third time having finished second and third in the race in 2023 and 2024 respectively.
Deirdre provided Japan with an historic win at the 2019 Qatar Goodwood Festival and the country may be represented again by the Yasutoshi Ikee-trained Soul Rush.
The jet-setting seven-year-old was a winner at the Dubai World Cup when last seen, beating the world-renowned Romantic Warrior in the Group 1 Dubai Turf.
The Australian’s also have a potential strong contender in three-time Grade 1 winner Carl Spackler (Ciaron Maher) who was last seen crossing the line first in the G1 Maker’s Mark Mile Stakes at Keeneland.
Group 1 Poule d'Essai des Poulains victor Henri Matisse (Aidan O’Brien) also holds an entry, alongside 15 fellow Ballydoyle potentials, including current Derby market leaders Delacroix and The Lion In Winter
A strong contingent of older horses return amongst the entries for a thrilling comparison of the generations, including last year’s Sussex Stakes winner Notable Speech (Charlie Appleby).
John and Thady Gosdens’ Group 1 Lockinge winner, Lead Artist, also features amongst the older horses, as does Roger Teal’s Dancing Gemini, who is searching for his deserved Group 1 win after a narrow defeat to Lead Artist at Newbury.
Former Irish 2,000 Guineas winner, Rosallion (Richard Hannon) was a late non-runner in the Sussex Stakes last year and was last seen finishing third in the aforementioned Lockinge after almost a year off the track.
Ed Arkell, Director of Racing at Goodwood, said: “We are extremely pleased with the quality and depth of entries for this year’s Qatar Sussex Stakes, a race which continues to deliver competitive fields year on year, as the first all-aged Group One mile race in Europe.
“We have worked hard in recent months to attract global representation, and I am delighted to see the array of international entries for the 2025 renewal. Those entries further highlight the importance of the meeting, and we are hugely grateful to all owners and trainers for supporting the race once again.”
There is a scratchings deadline for the Qatar Sussex Stakes on Tuesday, July 8, with the six-day confirmation and £70,000 supplementary entry stage following on Thursday 24 July.
Entries for the other G1 contests at the Qatar Goodwood Festival – the £500,000 Al Shaqab Goodwood Cup and the £600,000 Qatar Nassau Stakes will be released on Tuesday 24 June.
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