Glorious Goodwood: Brilliant Bow Echo wins breath-taking Sussex Stakes showpiece
They came to see a memorable battle between Bow Echo and Gstaad in Goodwood’s Sussex Stakes – and they saw exactly that.
Bow Echo, the 10/11 favourite, had it all to do over the final couple of furlongs – but he did it to win a renewal of Goodwood’s top race that will be remembered for a long time to come.
Loughnane could barely be heard in the post-race interview with ITV because of the noise of the crowd congratulating him – that after a huge Goodwood roar as he crossed the line.
The race, sponsored by Visit Qatar, is the centrepiece of the week and this year is a £1.5m contest, kaming it the richest race ever run at the racecourse, and Europe’s No1 race for milers.
It was billed as a match-up between Bow Echo, trained by George Boughey, and Gstaad, from Aidan O’Brien’s stable, in a repeat of their Royal Ascot meeting – but there were 10 others in the race who might have a say in proceedings.
In the end it was all about those two as Bow Echo defeated his rival on the line.
Gstaad (4/1) was second, Opera Ballo (9/2) third.
See how the race unfolded and ended in the video in the Goodwood Racecourse tweet embdded in this story.
In a brilliant renewal of the race, Loughnane found himself boxed in as the 12 runners turned for home and, once the opening came two furlongs out, the 2,000 Guineas and St James’s Palace Stakes hero had significant ground to make up on Opera Ballo and his old rival Gstaad.
Gstaad fought his way to the front inside the final furlong, but Bow Echo arrived late on the scene following a sustained burst and got up to win decisively by half a length.
Bow Echo is now unbeaten in six career starts for Boughey and becomes the first horse since the Frankel to land the 2,000 Guineas, St James's Palace Stakes and Sussex Stakes in the same season.
Boughey said: “Bow Echo is an extraordinarily talented horse. We have known that for a long way. He has been in a couple of scraps recently and he's shown fight today, he's shown his turn of foot and it's a career best. A lot went wrong again but he was still able to win and win well.
“It was a rough race. It looked messy and there was obviously a lot of pace on. Our plan was to try and follow Gstaad where possible. One thing I did think is that he went a bit earlier than we thought, Ryan [Moore] was under the pump from a long way out and he's a very strong stayer that horse. Billy held his nerve and it's basically we wanted it to go barring a few scrimmages during the race. The challenge was to be where we wanted to be and it was an astute run.
“One thing Billy said was that he has learned so much since Ascot. When Christophe [Soumillon] was on his outside at Ascot, he might possibly have lit up a little bit. He is just learning. I know it sounds mad, as he is unbeaten, but he is improving. He is learning to race and learning to get in a scrap.
“That turn of foot, that speed that he showed today... I thought this was the race for him. I thought everything had been a lead-up to this. Obviously, he is an Ascot winner and a Guineas winner, but he really showed all of his attributes today.
"Fundamentally, I am a racing fan. I love training horses. I love racing horses, wherever it is in the world, but to be able to show the public the horse we have recently has given me a huge amount of satisfaction. He is a star, has an amazing mind and he looks the complete racehorse at the moment.
“I think the plan was always to go to France for either the Marois or the Moulin. Fundamentally, we would like the horse to end up at the Breeders' Cup at the end of the year. I think a mile round a bend there, with a strong pace, will suit him very well.”
On Loughnane, Boughey added: “I have got the right man riding him. He is a real showboy, is he not? He loves it. He is an outstanding rider. I was pretty nervous today going into the paddock, and he was just chilled out. He has got an amazing head on young shoulders. He is 20 years old and half a generation younger than me, and I am considered very young in this game. He has got every attribute and is the consummate professional. He has been managing his weight beautifully for someone who is the same height as me, and he is a very, very good rider at the end of the day.”
Loughnane said: “Hopefully that can silence the doubters. What a superstar of a horse. I say it every time. I know how lucky I am to have a horse like this at this age, I just feel so privileged.
“Bow Echo and I both had to grow up fast [at Ascot], and we really have. We have watched millions of these races back, and we always felt that the closer would almost certainly get up. We knew there would be plenty of pace. Once I found Ryan [Moore]'s tail, I was happy enough, but then Christophe [Soumillon] appeared on my outside, so I knew I was going to have a bit of a challenge getting him out. Once he did, he really motored home.
"I knew I was going to have to play him late, so that was always going to be the plan. I was always going to take my time, get him to relax and find that rhythm he has got. I just had to wait to get out, but I was not worried. I still had a furlong and a half from there to the line, and from the furlong pole onwards I always felt I was going to run them down.
"Hopefully that can squash all the queries everyone has got about this horse now. He is a real superstar and has done it every way. Today was a tough race for him. There were plenty of runners and we ended up a long way back, but he has got a proper engine. He is probably one of the best horses I will ever partner, and to have him at 20 years old is a dream come true.
“The reception from the crowd means everything, when we got back in was magical and it proves what a following this horse has got. I know how lucky I am to have a horse like him."
Less than an hour after his heroics on Bow Echo, Loughnane’s day got even better as he steered French Affair (14/1) to an unlikely success in the Coral Charlton Handicap.
Loughnane found himself behind a wall of horses at halfway of the six-furlong contest. However, he managed to thread a passage and get his mount up close home to score by a neck from Under The Twilight (13/2), with Wreck It Ryley (28/1), Mae Amor (50/1) and Cashbox (18/1) filling the minor places.
French Affair was making his first start for trainer Jennie Candlish, having been purchased for 55,000 guineas from Richard Hannon’s yard at Tattersalls earlier this month.
Infraad (2/1F) had to survive a lengthy stewards’ enquiry after passing the post in front in the 12-furlong Coral Rewards Shaker Handicap.
The progressive colt showed a terrific attitude under Tom Marquand to reclaim the lead from Hatteen (9/4) late on, although in doing so drifted left and took that rival with him.
A head separated the duo at the line, with the stewards judging that the incident did not affect the result. Cannes (9/2) finished third as the front pair pulled over four lengths clear.
An unlucky third at Chester on his handicap debut recently, the William Haggas-trained Infraad holds an entry in the G2 Great Voltigeur Stakes at York next month.
Maureen Haggas, assistant to her husband, said: “Infraad is a big, raw horse and is still learning. He is just a great big gangly baby, really, and it was all a bit complicated for him, but he managed to get the job done.
"I said to William beforehand that he was immature, and that this could all be too complicated for him. But the flip side is they always learn, and if you take them to these complicated places, they are wiser the next time. It is never time wasted, but he managed to get the job done and needed every inch of the mile and a half.
"He could need further. It would not surprise me, as he looks that sort. He is a work in progress and is going the right way. Last time he found Chester a bit complicated, so he has obviously got his act together a bit today, and hopefully he keeps progressing."
Marquand said: “Infraad really impressed me at Pontefract when he won that day. He put the race to the sword, and everybody had crumbled by the three-furlong marker. He went to Chester, and it probably just happened a bit too quickly for him over 10 furlongs, but a mile and a half today was perfect.
“He changed leads a couple of times and wobbled around a little bit. There was a little bit of greenness, but it did not feel like it was the difference between winning and losing for us. It was just a question of whether he could react in time. He was changing leads and trying to figure it out. It is a tricky track, but he did a really good job and found the line well.
“Stepping up to a mile and a half opens plenty of doors for him. He is still working things out, so hopefully there is more improvement to come. He is a lovely horse."
Wild Blossom (5/4F) showed her rivals a clean pair of heels as she landed the British Stallion Studs EBF Alice Keppel Fillies' Conditions Stakes in dominant fashion under James Doyle.
The daughter of Mehmas quickened smartly on the far side of the field and still showed signs of greenness as she went away to win the five-furlong contest by a length and a half. Front-runner Fast Track (10/3) was second, with Divine Whisper (11/1) three-quarters of a length further back in third.
Trained by Karl Burke, Wild Blossom scored by 10 lengths on her debut at Carlisle in May before finishing 10th in the G2 Queen Mary Stakes at Royal Ascot.
Burke said: “Wild Blossom worked with a very good older filly recently and worked very nicely. There is a slight concern when they do it so well first time on slow ground. Then she ran very well at Ascot, but the draw completely screwed her. Her work has been very good since, although there was a slight doubt in my mind about the ground today. However, she went a very quick time there.
Flora Of Bermuda (5/2F) took the step up to seven furlongs in her stride in the G3 Rolls-Royce Oak Tree Stakes, completing a quickfire double for Wathnan Racing and James Doyle.
Lining up with a 3lb penalty, Flora Of Bermuda was produced approaching the final furlong and stayed on well to deny Sayidah Dariyan (7/2) by a neck. Radiant Beauty (11/2) was just over a length further back in third.
Winner of the Alice Keppel Fillies’ Conditions Stakes at this meeting in 2023, Flora Of Bermuda has now won three of her four starts this season for Andrew Balding and has G1 entries later in the season.
Balding said: “We have been thinking about seven furlongs for a bit. It just seemed an obvious race to try it in. She has been very consistent at a high level throughout her career. She is a fantastic filly. She has done very well physically this year and is happier now she is going into the stalls late.
“That is her flaw, if she has one; she is just not very patient. She will go straight into the stalls, but she will not stand there for more than 30 seconds, and poor old James [Doyle] got a perforation of his eardrums riding her at Ascot. It was a disaster, but apart from that, she is three from three this year when not fluffing her starts.
"I do not know what is next. We cannot really go abroad with her because of the stalls issue, as we cannot be guaranteed to have the same dispensations. I think we could go to York or we could go to Haydock. The great thing about her is that she goes on any ground; she is amazingly versatile. She won here on heavy ground and has won today on fast ground, so not many horses can do that."
Pershaada (11/4F) backed up her fourth in the G2 Queen Mary Stakes at Royal Ascot with a commanding victory under Sean Levey in the G3 Veuve Clicquot Molecomb Stakes.
Successful over the five-furlong distance at Goodwood in May, Richard Hannon’s contender came with a strong run entering the final furlong and won going away by two lengths from Adonius (5/1). Hell Of A Spin (66/1) was third, a further neck in arrears.
This was the second time today that the G2 Queen Mary Stakes, won by Aidan O’Brien’s Victorious, received a form boost after Wild Blossom’s success earlier on the card.
Hannon said: “I thought Pershaada would run very well today. She has been working very nicely and has actually won really well. We trained the stallion Persian Force, so it is good for him.
"She is an extremely fast filly and there is a good chance we might have a look at the Nunthorpe Stakes at York. She looks quick enough for that. She seems to win with a lot of authority, especially today, and that screams to me that, with the weight allowance from the older horses in a sprint, she would have a great chance.”
Ryan Moore was a notable jockey booking on the Daniel & Claire Kubler-trained Crimson Spirit (11/2 JF) and the duo duly obliged in the concluding seven-furlong HKJC World Pool Handicap.
Following a wide trip, Crimson Spirit showed a smart change of gear to sweep to the front entering the final furlong before holding the challenge of The Liffey (22/1) by three-quarters of a length. The Fingal Raven (16/1) and Oliver Show (6/1) were third and fourth respectively.
We will update this page throughout Wednesday afternoon with results, reaction and pictures as the action unfolds.