Sussex Stakes

The Sussex Stakes at Goodwood is one of the most prestigious one-mile races in Europe.

The Sussex Stakes takes place on Wednesday 2nd August 2023.

The race often features a clash between Classic winners from England, Ireland and France as they face top older horses for the first time.

The brilliant Frankel became the first horse in history to win the race twice in 2011-212.

Find out more about the Sussex Stakes:

Sussex Stakes – Race Overview

The Sussex Stakes is held on the second day of the Glorious Goodwood meeting in late July.

The Goodwood mile can be tricky for horses who like to come from off the pace but there is usually a small field for this Group 1 contest.

The race became an all-aged contest in 1975 but three-year-olds have remained the dominant age group.

Famous Sussex Stakes Winners & History

The Sussex Stakes was originally run as a two-year-old race over six furlongs in 1841. It was changed to a mile race for three-year-olds in 1878 and was opened to four-year-olds in 1960.

It is one of the first Group 1 contests of the season which provides the opportunity to compare the Classic generation with their elders.

When the race was restricted to three-year-olds winners included Petite Etoile (1959) and Brigadier Gerard (1971). Petite Etoile won all six stars in her Classic season including the 1000 Guineas and the Epsom Oaks. The grey filly went on to win the Coronation Cup in 1960 and 1961. Brigadier Gerard was only beaten once in 18 career starts and his victories included The Champion Stakes (1971, 1972) and the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes (1972).

Other Classic winners to enjoy success here include Wollow (1976), Posse (1980) and Sayyedati (1995).

Aidan O’Brien won the race with Giant’s Causeway (2000), popularly known as “The Iron Horse” for his battling qualities. O’Brien’s Rock Of Gibraltar won in 2002 in the process of winning seven consecutive Group 1 races.

The 2011 Sussex Stakes was billed as “The Duel on the Downs” with Frankel set to meet leading older horse Canford Cliffs. Frankel won easily with his rival suffering a career-ending injury but was impressive enough to be officially rated the best racehorse in the world. He returned for a repeat win in 2012, this time unopposed as the 1-20 favourite. Frankel retired after winning the Champion Stakes with an unblemished record of 14 victories.

Key Sussex Stakes Trials

Royal Ascot often holds the key to the outcome of the Sussex Stakes, specifically the St James’s Palace Stakes and the Queen Anne Stakes. Seven of the last twelve winners ran in one of those races on their previous outing.

This race is usually the first consideration for winners of both Ascot races as it is a chance to stake a claim to be the best all-aged miler in Europe.

2019 winner Too Darn Hot had finished third in the St James’s Palace before winning the Prix Jean Prat impressively at Deauville.

The Gurkha (2016) was an unlucky second in the St James’s Palace and then finished runner-up in the Eclipse before winning here.

Lightning Spear (2018) had finished third in the Queen Anne, a race in which Mohaather (2020) had put in an eye-catching run prior to an impressive victory in the Summer Mile over course and distance.

Sussex Stakes Betting Trends

Favourites have a very strong record in this race, winning 8 of the last 12.

A further two winners were the second favourite so the race usually goes to form. Five of those favourites started odds-on, notably Frankel (2011 and 2012) and impressive French-trained winner Solow (2015).

Too Darn Hot (2019) was a well-backed even-money favourite and there was plenty of support for Mohaather (2020) who returned at 3-1.

The only blips for the market leaders in recent years came in 2017 and 2018 with victories for seven-year-olds Here Comes When and Lightning Spear. The former took advantage of his favoured heavy ground to spring a 20-1 surprise at the expense of favourite Ribchester.

Sussex Stakes 2023 Odds

The odds for the 2023 Sussex Stakes are below:

Sussex Stakes Tips 2023

For Sussex Stakes tips, look below:

• 2 points to win for TBC
• 1 point each way for TBC

Sussex Stakes Previous Winners

Sussex Stakes Previous Result

⚡️ Baaeed
🏆 Group 1 Sussex Stakes
🐎 9️⃣/9️⃣pic.twitter.com/ROW5ifHEM5

— Great British Racing (@GBRacing) July 27, 2022

Sussex Stakes Stats

Class is the key factor for your Sussex Stakes bets.

The last twelve winners all had at least one previous victory in a Group race, seven of those at the highest level.

Three-year-olds still hold sway over their older rivals, winning seven of those renewals.

Almost all winners had proven form over a mile with at least three runs over this distance.

Fillies and mares rarely contest this event, although the top-class Sayyedati (1995) and Soviet Song (2004) were notable exceptions.

Top Trainers and Jockeys

The late Sir Henry Cecil is the leading trainer in the history of the Sussex Stakes with seven wins. His first came with Bolkonski (1975) and his final success came with the dual winner Frankel (2011-2012).

Aidan O’Brien is closing in on that record with five victories, all of them provided by three-year-olds. Giant’s Causeway (2000) and Rock Of Gibraltar (2002) were followed by Henrythenavigator (2008) and Rip Van Winkle (2009). His fifth victory was provided by The Gurkha (2016).

Sir Gordon Richards still leads the all-time jockey standings with eight Sussex Stakes victories, the last of them with Agitator in 1952.

Lester Piggott rode the winner on six occasions, his final success coming aboard Jaazeiro in 1978.

Frankie Dettori won for the fifth time when partnering Too Darn Hot for John Gosden in 2019.

Betting on the Sussex Stakes

The betting on the Sussex Stakes takes shape during Royal Ascot with the results of the Queen Anne Stakes and St James’s Palace Stakes.

Running plans are announced for the winners and placed horses in those races soon afterwards. The market has proved to be a reliable guide to the Sussex Stakes with very few surprise results.

Summary of the Sussex Stakes

The Sussex Stakes is one of the highlights of the week at Glorious Goodwood and often produces a top-class contest.

The winners of the English 2000 Guineas and Irish 2000 Guineas frequently target this race and a potential clash with the leading miler among the older generations.

The nature of the track can often lead to a pulsating finish.

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Resources

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sussex_Stakes