Notable Speech joins rare company with stunning Sussex success

Notable Speech put a head-scratching Royal Ascot performance firmly behind him with an exhilarating performance in the G1 Sussex Stakes at Glorious Goodwood.

A brilliant winner of the G1 2,000 Guineas, the Dubawi colt bounced back from a lacklustre effort in the St James’s Palace Stakes as he produced a potent turn of foot to readily beat Maljoom and this season’s Dubai Turf winner Facteur Cheval.

Notable Speech becomes the first horse since Frankel to win the 2,000 Guineas and Sussex Stakes in the same season, and his ability to quicken makes him an obvious candidate for the G1 Breeders’ Cup Mile at Del Mar in November.

Improving two-year-old Aomori City also secured Group-race honours at Goodwood in the G2 Vintage Stakes, a race that has been won by Godolphin luminaries Aljabr, Shamardal, Rio de la Plata and Pinatubo.

Away from Goodwood, two Godolphin juveniles continued bright starts to their careers at Newmarket. Shadow Of Light, a close relative of Earthlight, easily overcame a penalty when making all on Friday night, while Night Of Thunder filly Desert Flower completed back-to-back wins at the course when routing her rivals on Saturday.

Cinderella’s Dream met with her only career defeat in the G1 1,000 Guineas at Newmarket in May and the daughter of Shamardal continued her perfect summer in the United States with an easy win in the G2 Saratoga Oaks on Friday.

Successful in the G1 Belmont Oaks on her previous start, Cinderella’s Dream looks set for a return to top-level company, with the E P Taylor Stakes at Woodbine and Keeneland’s Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup on her radar.

Australia’s racing season finished on Wednesday, with Too Darn Hot ending 2023/24 as the first British-bred stallion to be crowned Champion first-season sire in Australia this century. Godolphin’s first winner of the new campaign came on Thursday as Visual, the first foal out of multiple G1 winner Alizee, scored impressively at Hawkesbury.

Saratoga cancelling the turf action over the weekend means the course will host a bumper card this Saturday, with Legend Of Time running in the rescheduled G1 Saratoga Derby. Master Of The Seas and Ottoman Fleet are also due to run in the G1 Fourstardave Handicap on the same fixture, which is also set to feature top sprinter Star Of Mystery.

William Buick heads to Colonial Downs on the same day to partner Nations Pride in the G1 Arlington Million and Mischief Magic in the Van Clief Stakes.