The entries for the Qatar Sussex Stakes at Goodwood are dominated by past winners, the English, Irish, French, and German 2000 Guineas will all be competing on July 31.
Charlie Appleby's undefeated Notable Speech won at Newmarket, defeating Richard Hannon's Rosalon, who promptly received compensation when he won on Saturday at the Curragh, narrowly defeating stablemate Haatem, another contender from Sussex.
Marco Baratti's Metropolitan won the Poule d'Essai des Poulains. It might stand for the French Classic generation, while Devil's Point, trained by David Menuisier, came through to win the Group Two German 2000 Guineas last week.
The three-year-old field includes several runners trained by Aidan O'Brien, such as Opera Singer and Buttons, third and fourth in the Irish 1,000 Guineas, Unquestionable, third in the Irish 2,000, and Henry Longfellow, who finished behind Metropolitan in the Paris Longchamp as the favourite.
There are 39 horses entered in the race, with two of the most prominent older runners being Inspiral and Facteur Cheval. This is the first European all-aged Group One-mile race of the season.
When Inspiral made her debut in the Lockinge, she was unexpectedly defeated by the fellow John and Thady Gosden-trained runner Audience. The two may face off again at Goodwood for owners Cheveley Park Stud. For the Clarehaven crew, the three-year-old Lead Artist—a winner at York—is an intriguing possibility.
We last saw Facteur Cheval when he won the Dubai Turf at Meydan in March. His trainer also has Lazzat, who has won all four of his previous starts, as a second weapon.
In 2019, Deirdre won Japan a Goodwood Festival victory when she won the Nassau Stakes. This year, Soul Rush, trained by Yasutoshi Ikee, may also be a Japanese runner.
Before competing in this weekend's Grade One Yasuda Kinen, the six-year-old triumphed on his return at Group Two level at Kyoto Racecourse, where he was narrowly defeated in November's Mile Championship.