Back
23 Jul 2020

Clash-of-the-ages in Qatar Sussex Stakes

Siskin Sussex Stakes

A red-hot field of nine have been entered for next Wednesday’s Qatar Sussex Stakes at the Qatar Goodwood Festival.

In one of the most competitive renewals in recent times, the race will see older horses take on the Classic generation for the first time this season in the QIPCO British Champions Series Mile Division.

Top of the billing are the two Classic winners, Kameko and Siskin. The former started the season off in excellent style, winning the QIPCO 2000 Guineas at Newmarket under a fine ride from Oisin Murphy. Next time out saw the three-year-old beaten into fourth, though certainly not disgraced, in a muddling renewal of the Investec Derby. Connections agreed that a step back down to a mile would be the right move for the son of Kittens Joy.

At the top of the market though sits Siskin, the Ger Lyons-trained unbeaten Irish 2000 Guineas champion. He hasn’t been seen since his explosive Classic win at the Curragh, but connections have ear-marked this contest ever since for the unbeaten colt. Regular jockey, Colin Keane is sacrificing some time in quarantine post-race just to take the ride.

The quality and depth does not stop there, as Aidan O’Brien sends a batallion of five over to contest the Group 1. The most notable runner is dual Royal Ascot winner, Circus Maximus. The four-year-old has fully established himself as the leading older colt in the mile division and will be looking to go one better in this race having finished second to Too Darn Hot in 2019.

One of the most talked about horses leading in to the race is Mohaather. The lightly-raced Marcus Tregoning colt had a luckless run in the Queen Anne Stakes when finishing 7th behind Circus Maximus, before bolting up back at the same track in the Group 2 Summer Mile.

Tregoning was recently quoted as saying “I wouldn’t be going there if I didn’t think he could win”.

Other runners in the race include QIPCO 2000 Guineas second, Wichita, who will be looking to reverse form with Kameko and Vatican City, also from the O’Brien stable, who showed a great finishing burst when coming second to Siskin in the Irish 2000 Guineas.

The race has rightly been billed as potentially the race of the season and it will be a fascinating contest on the Sussex Downs.

Full Entries:
Arizona, Circus Maximus, Kameko, Lancaster House, Mohaather, San Donato, Siskin, Vatican City, Wichita