The Sussex Stakes (G1)
July 28, 2021
Poetic Flare established himself as the best three-year-old miler in Europe with an emphatic victory in the St James’s Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot, he was an ultra-impressive winner and it’s hard to see there’s anything in this field to take him on and knock him off the top of the perch.
The older horses have to give him eight pounds and while you could see Lope Y Fernandez capable of doing so on good ground, on soft his speed may just be blunted too much. Of the others Order of Australia, a G2 winner last time out on good ground has some chance and some case can be made for Tislit, narrowly held by Skaleti in the Prix d’Ispahan, he then won the Summer Mile at Ascot from Century Dream. On balance it’s hard to see any of the other older horses being capable of winning this.
That leaves the other three-year-old’s, both fillies and they are in the mix.
Both receive three pounds from the favourite, Snow Lantern and Alcohol Free have little between them, ¾L separated the pair in the Falmouth Stakes at Newmarket run on fast ground. Snow Lantern won with Mother Earth second and Alcohol Free third. Previously in the Coronation Stakes, run on heavy ground, it was Alcohol Free who got the better of Snow Lantern by a 1½L.
Jim Bolger’s horse has not been given the recognition he deserved.
A winner of the first two-year-old race in March 2020 at the Curragh, a six-month gap until he saw the track again, he ran sixth in the Dewhurst following up the week after taking the last group race in Ireland, the Killavullan Stakes at Leopardstown.
This year he’s taken The Leopardstown 2000 Guinea’S Trial, The 2000 Guineas at Newmarket, boxed in France in the Poulains, he ran sixth, touched off by stable companion Mac Swiney in the Irish 2000 Guineas on soft, he was beaten a short head, then last time out in the James’s Palace Stakes he blew them away.
He’s getting better.
Recommendation
Poetic Flare 5/4 win
