Bow Echo’s dazzling turn of foot once again came to the fore as he came out on top in an epic renewal of the Visit Qatar Sussex Stakes.
George Boughey’s unbeaten colt was a brilliant winner of the 2000 Guineas before overcoming adversity to register a workmanlike victory in the St James’ Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot and was the 10-11 favourite to complete a famous hat-trick at Goodwood last achieved by the one and only Frankel in 2011.
It was again not an easy watch for odds-on backers, with Bow Echo stuck in the middle of the pack with plenty of work to do as the race began in earnest, but he ultimately went through the gears in stunning fashion in the final half-furlong to get up and beat his old rival Gstaad by half a length.
Boughey said: “He’s got an explosive turn of foot, it was probably a bit messier than we might have thought with the gallop they went.
“Huge credit to Billy again for being ice cool. He’s an extraordinary horseman and rider to go with it and Billy producing the horse like he is is just phenomenal.
“But fundamentally what an animal. The constitution to have another rough race, relax through it then find the line as strong as he did – I’m lost for words really.
“He’s so fast, he’s like a motorbike. He stays the mile, but has an exceptional turn of foot to go with it. Billy has had tremendous belief in this horse for a long time and so have I.
“We knew what happened at Ascot and it was just having the confidence to take stock and go again. I always thought this was the race for him, we had to get him back from what was a hard race (at Royal Ascot), but he’s shown how good he is there.
“It was always going to be messy, a Sussex Stakes with 12 runners. But it was to the letter how we wanted to ride the horse. There were a few gaps that closed and Billy had to sit tight and come round, but it was brilliant.”
Billy Loughnane celebrates Sussex Stakes glory aboard Bow Echo
Emulating Frankel with his Newmarket, Ascot and Goodwood treble is an achievement that gives his handler overwhelming pride.
Boughey added: “It’s not lost on me what he has achieved this year and it dawned on the last few days I might never be in this position again. There are a lot of trainers who have trained a lot better horses than I have who haven’t been in this position.
“It’s desperately sad Sheikh Mohammed Obaid isn’t here to see him and this is 30-plus years of work to get here.
“I can’t put into words what this horse means to me and he’s a warrior as well as being a very fast horse.”
Having delighted on home soil, he could now head on his travels.
Boughey said: “The plan was either to go to France for the Prix Jacques le Marois or the Prix du Moulin. We would love for the horse to end up in a Breeders’ Cup Mile at the end of the year and I think round a bend in America off a strong pace will suit him well.”
Loughnane said: “They made life difficult for him, but I always wanted to follow Ryan (Moore, on Gstaad), that was my plan.
“I knew the pace would be on with the set-up of the race. I was boxed in between Ryan and Christophe (Soumillon, on Puerto Rico) and I just had to wait to get out. But once I did, he proved how good he is.”
Flora Of Bermuda finds seven furlongs to her liking
Flora Of Bermuda landed a first win over seven furlongs to open new routes in Group company when outclassing her rivals in the Rolls-Royce Oak Tree Stakes.
The Andrew Balding-trained filly had previously plied her trade almost exclusively at six furlongs, placing at Group One level and winning the Group Three Summer Stakes at York last time out.
But opportunities at both six and seven furlongs now beckon for the five-year-old after she produced a solid performance as the 5-2 favourite to land this Group Three contest by a neck from Sayidah Dariyan with Radiant Beauty third.
The Wathnan Racing-owned Flora Of Bermuda sat in sixth place as Zanthos cut out the early running but after starting to make ground at the cutaway, she took it up at the furlong pole and stayed on strongly to the line.
Flora Of Bermuda struck gold at Goodwood
Balding said: “We’ve been thinking about seven furlongs for a bit and this seemed an obvious place to try it.
“She’s been very consistent at a high level throughout her career and is a fantastic filly. She’s done very well physically this year, she has to go in the stalls late and if she has any flaw it is she is not very patient, she’ll go in the stalls OK but just won’t stand there for any longer than 30 seconds.
“Ascot was a bit of a disaster and she fluffed the start, but other than that she is three from three this year.
“You can’t really go abroad with her because of the stalls, she will probably go to the City of York Stakes or the Haydock Sprint Cup. It would be great to win a Group One with her one day and I think if everything drops right for her one time she will.
“She’s amazingly versatile and won the Alice Keppel here on heavy ground and then a few years later this on fast ground.”
Wild Blossom takes another step forward
Bigger and better things may await Wild Blossom after her taking victory in the British Stallion Studs EBF Alice Keppel Fillies’ Conditions Stakes.
Karl Burke’s Wathnan Racing-owned filly came into the race having finished 10th in the Queen Mary, although that run was better than the placing suggested as she was only beaten four and a half lengths.
Under James Doyle she was the 5-4 favourite to make good on the promise shown at Royal Ascot, and did so with little fuss, prevailing by a length and a half from Andrew Balding’s Fast Track.
“She worked with a very good older filly last week and worked very nicely,” said Burke.
“It is just a slight concern when they do it so well first time on slow ground, then she ran very well at Ascot where the draw completely scuppered her really.
“This was the plan since Ascot. I don’t know, we’ll look at all those Group five-furlong races, she’s a very quick filly.
“I wouldn’t dismiss six furlongs, we’ll see what James says, but that was the plan.
“There’s no real future targets at the moment, the Flying Childers at Doncaster, races like that.”
Connections of Infraad were made to wait for confirmation of their victory in the opening Coral Rewards Shaker Handicap, but were eventually thrilled to see William Haggas’ improving colt keep the race after a stewards’ inquiry.
Tom Marquand’s mount was sent off the 2-1 favourite and edged out Andrew Balding’s well-regarded 9-4 market rival Hatteen for a head success after a late duel between the two lightly-raced three-year-olds.
Maureen Haggas, assistant to her husband, said: “You never know these days what they will do, but I could imagine it took so long because Tom and Oisin (Murphy) were in the same room and they are quite good talkers and they couldn’t stop them.
“He needed every inch of the mile and a half and it would not surprise me if he goes a bit further in time. He’s a work in progress and he’s going the right way. He’s got his act together today and hopefully he keeps progressing.”
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