Mrs. J.S. Bolger's 3-year-old Poetic Flare (IRE), a two-time Group 1 winner, and Order of Australia (IRE), the defending US$2 million FanDuel Breeders' Cup Mile (G1) champion, lead Wednesday's Qatar Sussex Stakes (G1) at Goodwood Racecourse. The Qatar Sussex Stakes winner will earn an automatic starting position and fees paid into this year's US$2 million FanDuel Breeders' Cup Mile presented by PDJF (G1) through the Breeders' Cup Challenge Series.
The Breeders' Cup Challenge Series is an international series of 84 stakes races whose winners receive automatic starting positions and fees paid into a corresponding race of the Breeders' Cup World Championships, which will be held at Del Mar racetrack in Del Mar, California on Nov. 5-6.
As part of the benefits of the Challenge Series, Breeders' Cup will pay the entry fees for the Qatar Sussex Stakes winner to start in the FanDuel Breeders' Cup Mile, which will be run at a mile on the Del Mar turf course. Breeders' Cup will also provide a travel allowance of US$40,000 for all starters based outside of North America to compete in the World Championships. The Challenge winner must be nominated to the Breeders' Cup program by the Championships' pre-entry deadline of Oct. 25 to receive the rewards.
The Qatar Sussex Stakes will be televised live on TVG with an approximate post time of 10:35 a.m. ET.
Challenging older runners for the first time in the Qatar Sussex Stakes, Poetic Flare, trained by Jim Bolger, has won five races in eight starts, including three this year. A son of Dawn Approach (IRE) out of the Rock of Gibraltar (IRE) mare Maria Lee (IRE), Poetic Flare captured the QIPCO 2000 Guineas at 1 mile on May 1 at Newmarket, defeating Master of The Seas (IRE) by a short head at 16-1. That win was followed by a sixth-place finish as the 5-2 favorite in the Emirates Poule d'Essai des Poulains (French 2000 Guineas) (G1) at ParisLongchamp on May 16. Just six days later, Poetic Flare was entered in the Tattersalls Irish 2000 Guineas (G1) at The Curragh, where he finished second by a short head to stablemate Mac Swiney (IRE). However, Poetic Flare returned to his winning ways with his most impressive performance to date, taking the 1-mile St James's Palace Stakes (G1) at Royal Ascot on June 15 by 4 1/4-lengths.
“Poetic Flare has been very well since the St James's Palace Stakes,” said Jim Bolger to Goodwood.com. “We're very happy with his work and he seems to be improving further. I was expecting and hoping for him to win at Ascot but possibly not as spectacularly as he did.”
Trainer Aidan O'Brien, who has won the Qatar Sussex Stakes five times, has entered Order of Australia and Lope Y Fernandez (IRE), the first and third-place finishers, respectively, in last year's FanDuel Breeders' Cup Mile at Keeneland. Owned by Derrick Smith, Mrs. John Magnier, Michael Tabor, and Anne Marie O'Brien, the 4-year-old Order of Australia came off the also-eligible list to win by a neck at 73-1 over stablemate Circus Maximus (IRE). Order of Australia made his first start of 2021 in the “Win and You're In” Queen Anne Stakes (G1) at Royal Ascot, finishing eighth. He rebounded in his next start, though, scoring a 1 1/4-length triumph in the 7-furlong Romanised Minstrel Stakes (G2) at The Curragh on July 18.
The 4-year-old Lope Y Fernandez, owned by Derrick Smith, Mrs. John Magnier and Michael Tabor, finished second to Palace Pier (GB) in the Queen Anne Stakes by 1 ½ lengths in his third start this year. A son of Lope de Vega (IRE), Lope Y Fernandez began 2021 with a 5 ½-length victory in the listed 1-mile Heritage Stakes at Leopardstown on April 14. He started next in the 1-mile Al Shaqab Lockinge Stakes (G1) at Newbury on May 15, but was not a factor, finishing eighth as the 5-1 second choice.
Three-year-old fillies Alcohol Free (IRE) and Snow Lantern (GB) were the first two finishers in the 1-mile Coronation Stakes (G1) at Royal Ascot on June 18. The 1 ½-length victory in the Coronation was Alcohol Free's second Group 1 triumph. Owned by Jeff Smith and trained by Andrew Balding, the daughter of No Nay Never claimed her first Group 1 in last year's Juddmonte Cheveley Park Stakes at Newmarket. Alcohol Free began this year with a win in the Dubai Duty Free Stakes (G3) at Newbury on April 18. In her first start against older fillies and mares, Alcohol Free finished third to Snow Lantern in the Tattersalls Falmouth Stakes (G1) at Newmarket on July 9.
Rockcliffe Stud's Snow Lantern, trained by Richard Hannon, has finished in the money in her four starts this year. A gray daughter of Frankel (GB), Snow Lantern broke her maiden in the 1-mile Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships at Newbury on April 18. She finished third in the listed Oaks Farm Stables Fillies' Stakes at York on May 14 prior to her second-place effort in the Coronation. Sent off at 6-1 in the Tattersalls Falmouth Stakes, Snow Lantern moved off the rail in the final two furlongs and surged to the front to catch QIPCO 1000 Guineas (G1) winner Mother Earth (IRE) by a half-length.
Juddmonte's 4-year-old Kentucky homebred Tilsit, trained by Charlie Hills, comes into the race off a win in the 1-mile Betfred Summer Mile Stakes (G2) at Ascot on July 10. That victory came after a second-place finish in the 1 1/8-mile Prix d'Ispahan (G1) at ParisLongchamp on May 30. A son of First Defence, Tilsit has a win over the Goodwood course, taking last year's 1-mile Bonhams Thoroughbred Stakes (G3).
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