Notable Speech returns to brilliant best in Sussex Stakes

Notable Speech may have been denied a “duel on the Downs” decider with old rival Rosallion but nevertheless bounced back to his brilliant best in the Qatar Sussex Stakes at Goodwood.

Having run a long way below his 2000 Guineas form at Royal Ascot in the St James’s Palace Stakes, the Charlie Appleby-trained colt had questions to answer.

Even without Rosallion in the field Notable Speech was still not favourite, with that honour going to Henry Longfellow. But having attempted to make all, Aidan O’Brien’s Ascot runner-up looked a sitting duck at the cutaway.

William Buick was sat with a double handful on Notable Speech and just like he had shown at Newmarket, the Dubawi colt quickened up in an instant and put the race to bed in a matter of strides.

In doing so the 3-1 chance emulated Frankel, who was the last Guineas winner to win the Sussex Stakes in the same season.

The William Haggas-trained Maljoom stayed on to finish second, a length and a half away, with last year’s second Facteur Cheval close-up in third for Jerome Reynier.

Appleby said: “First and foremost, I feel for Richard (Hannon) and all the team there with Rosallion, one thing we wanted was the ‘duel on the Downs’. To have two Classic winners coming here would have been fantastic.

“There was still plenty of strength in depth there with the three-year-old in Henry Longfellow and the older horses there.

“It was a race that still had to be won and you always hope that the Classic winner is going to come ahead and do that. He’s done that today and in spades, I’m delighted.”

He continued: “Disappointment always kicks in when you have an unbeaten horse and a Guineas winner beaten.

“But as I’ve always been taught, and I’m lucky to have the team and His Highness Sheikh Mohammed behind me, never look back, always look forward. Take the positives out of the situation and the positive was there was nothing there.

“Had the horse been lame or something out of the ordinary been there, you’d be disappointed with the result but also disappointed you’ve got a bit of an uphill challenge in front of you. Thankfully, there wasn’t anything untoward and we just kept pressing forward as we are taught to do.

“After Ascot, our main aim was to get back on track here. Going forward, will he stretch any further? I don’t think so. There’s no reason to go beyond a mile, people might mention the Breeders’ Cup Mile.

“The one thing about this horse is that he’s maturing, he’s a laidback character going round the paddock and in the prelims. He’s got his little idiosyncrasies there that just show immaturity.

“From January onwards, he was running once a month and straight into a Guineas, it was a quick and steep learning curve for him.

“If anything, the only thing I can say from mine and the team’s point of view is that we could see there was immaturity there going into Ascot. Going into today, he’s become more of a man.”

A delighted Buick said: “He was just firing on all cylinders coming in here today. He was a brilliant Guineas winner with a very rare turn of foot, one you very rarely see, and we saw that again today.

“I’m delighted. Full credit to the team. They’ve done such a fantastic job to get him back after a disappointing run in the St James’s Palace Stakes, where we knew it was too bad to be true.

“He’s such a brilliant horse. He’s a horse that really excites you and it’s a real privilege to ride him.”

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