Glorious Goodwood: Sussex Stakes

today is the second day of the Glorious Goodwood meeting and features the best race of the week, the Group One Sussex Stakes over a mile at 16.25 CET. This is a really strong race with 9 runners, of which 3 can be given realistic chances. Rip Van Winkle (Aidan O´Brien/ Johnny Murtagh) is the favourite after his excellent second place to Sea the Stars in the Eclipse; he found the distance too far when favourite for the Derby, abd perhaps this mile is ideal. There was a scare yesterday, when he had a slight foot problem, but the latest news is that it has cleared up and that he is likely to run. The two he has to beat are clearly Paco Boy (Richard Hannon/ Richard Hughes) and the 3yo filly Ghanaati (Barry and Richard Hills), most impressive when following up her 1,000 Guineas success in the Coronation Stakes at Royal Ascot. In Paco Boy´s case, whose stable continues in tremendous form, the jury is still out about whether the mile is his best distance, but he certainly had no pr oblems at Royal Ascot, while the 6 furlongs of the July Cup was clearly too short. Ghanaati is running for the first time against colts and also older horses, but she is still our selection in what promises to be a fantastic race. It is unlikely that any other runner has a chance, but Lord Shanakill (Jim Crowley) could run into the money after his brave victory in th Prix Jean Prat; he is now officially trained by Alan Jarvis, father-in-law of Karl Burke, who trained him until yesterday, but whose suspension starts today.

Betting forecast:
1. Race: Swingkeel - Tyrrells Wood - Markington
2. Race: Xtension - Dreamspeed - Roi De Vitesse
3. Race: Rip Van Winkle - Ghanaati - Paco Boy
4. Race: Braveheart Move - Akmal - Matraash
5. Race: Poppy Seed - Damietta - Beyond Desire
6. Race: Club Tahiti - Romany Princess - Alsace Lorraine
7. Race: Purissima - Makaamen - Axiom