By how Farhh will Frankel win the Sussex Stakes?

Glorious Goodwood starts on Tuesday 31 July 2012, the first of five consecutive days of top-class horse racing that includes two Group One races - the Sussex Stakes and the Nassau Stakes - plus another 11 Group-standard contests.

Naturally, Frankel will command more attention than all of the other Glorious Goodwood runners combined and so should the four-year-old son of Galileo and Kind, who will try to win his 12th race in a row when he lines up in the Sussex Stakes on Wednesday in what is likely to be his last run over a mile before he makes the step up to 10 furlongs.

Only the heaviest of heavy hitters will get rich backing Frankel to win a race which has been won by the likes of Brigadier Gerard (1971), Giant`s Causeway (2000) and Rock Of Gibraltar (2002), with the unbeaten champion likely to have a starting price of around 1-20. Still, punters who back him have the chance to make five per cent on their money in less than 100 seconds. That is not bad work if you can get it.

The question is not will Frankel win but by far how will he win in preserving his perfect record. Only two of the Sussex Stakes field have raced against the highest rated racehorse in Timeform history previously and neither of them - Bullet Train and Strong Suit - has finished fewer than 12 lengths behind the phenomenon in five attempts. And it is possible that Strong Suit may end up being the third favourite.

Essentially, the Sussex Stakes boils down to a match race between Frankel and Farhh, third behind So You Think in the Prince of Wales`s Stakes at Royal Ascot and, more recently, runner-up to Nathaniel in the Eclipse Stakes at Sandown.

Form students know that Farhh`s proximity to Nathaniel is extremely interesting when assessing how the lightly raced four-year-old son of Pivotal and Gonbarda may fare against Frankel. Nathaniel and Frankel bumped into each other at Newmarket on their respective debuts and, to this day, no racehorse has got closer to beating Frankel than Nathaniel.

Only half a length separated Frankel and Nathaniel in that mile race on soft ground in August 2010 and, while it is a long bow to draw given that two years have passed, some pundits would suggest that Farhh can make a race of the Sussex Stakes and finish closer to the hot favourite than any racehorse has since the middle of the 2011 season.

Because Frankel won the Queen Anne Stakes at Royal Ascot race by 11 lengths in what was one of the most memorable horse racing performances of all time, bookmakers are likely to err on the side of caution when they frame Sussex Stakes winning margins. With good ground forecast for Glorious Goodwood, look out for an over/under line and go under if you find one set at six lengths or more at around evens.

The feature races on the first day of Glorious Goodwood are the Group Two Lennox Stakes, the Group Three Gordon Stakes and the Group Three Molecomb Stakes. The festival wraps up on Saturday 4 August 2012 with the Nassau Stakes, a quality 10-furlong contest for fillies and mares, and the raffle that is the Stewards` Cup handicap over six furlongs.

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30/07/2012     © Frixo 2026