Without Parole and Expert Eye set for Sussex duel

Part-owner  Tanya Gunther gives Without Parole a kiss after his win in the St James’s Palace Stakes. Picture: Racingfotos.com

Exciting three-year-olds Without Parole and Expert Eye, who both won at Royal Ascot last month, head eight runners in the £1,066,250 Qatar Sussex Stakes at Goodwood on Wednesday.

Without Parole, an unbeaten son of Frankel, won the St James’s Palace Stakes on his latest start has been ridden by Frankie Dettori in each of his three races this season but is sidelined – opening the door for Andrea Atzeni to partner the colt in a race for the first time. The pair had a getting-to-know-you spin over seven furlongs on the all-weather at Newmarket last week and Atzeni was impressed.

“He’s a gorgeous looking horse and, for a son of Frankel, very laid back, very cool and uncomplicated,” he said. “He’s a great ride to get.

“I spoke to Frankie about him and you can literally put him anywhere in a race. He doesn’t pull, stays the trip very well, is unbeaten and having had only four runs can only get better. They went a strong gallop at Ascot and it was a proper Group 1. He travelled good and was very tough.”

Atzeni rode Ostilio against Without Parole at Yarmouth in a novice event at Yarmouth in April. “He went past us and won by six lengths. What I liked about him was the way he got on with the job,” he said. “I finished [eight lengths] clear of the third and, of course, Ostilio has since won the Britannia.”

The 27-year-old is also familiar with the merits of Expert Eye, supplemented at a cost of £70,000. The son of Acclamation, owned and bred by Prince Khalid Abdullah, was a dazzling winner of the Qatar Vintage Stakes at Goodwood 12 months ago and was back to his best when routing his rivals in the Jersey Stakes.

“He was very impressive when I won on him last year [in the Vintage Stakes] and when I got off him that day I thought ‘this could be something special’,” Atzeni said. “For some reason he underperformed when I rode him in the Dewhurst and QIPCO 2000 Guineas. Perhaps he just doesn’t like Newmarket. He won going away over a stiff seven furlongs at Ascot and I would not think a mile at Goodwood would be a problem for him. He’s smart horse and you cannot underestimate him.”

Aidan O’Brien is seeking a sixth Sussex Stakes triumph, the most recent of his winners being The Gurkha in 2016. This time he relies on Gustav Klimt, third in the Qatar Prix Jean Prat at Deauville on his latest start, having previously been beaten half a length runner-up to Without Parole at Ascot.

Beat The Bank was an impressive winner of the Bonhams Thoroughbred Stakes at the Qatar Goodwood Festival last year and got back to winning ways with a neck defeat of Lord Glitters, the Queen Anne Stakes runner-up, in the Fred Cowley MBE Memorial Summer Mile at Ascot this month. David O’Meara, the trainer of Lord Glitters, is also represented by So Beloved.

Lightning Spear seeks a deserved Group 1 triumph, while Orbaan, trained by Andre Fabre, will fly the flag for France. The Invincible Spirit colt did well to get up late on in a Listed race at Saint-Cloud on his latest start and will again be partnered by Silvestre De Sousa, the Stobart Champion Jockey.