Bow Echo (10/11F) cemented his status as the best miler in Europe with a scintillating performance in the G1 Visit Qatar Sussex Stakes.
In a brilliant renewal of the race, Billy Loughnane found himself boxed in as the 12 runners turned for home and, once the opening came two furlongs out, the 2,000 Guineas and St James’s Palace Stakes hero had significant ground to make up on Opera Ballo and his old rival Gstaad.
Gstaad (4/1) fought his way to the front inside the final furlong, but Bow Echo arrived late on the scene following a sustained burst and got up to win decisively by half a length. Opera Ballo (9/2) was third as the front pair pulled almost two lengths clear.
Bow Echo is now unbeaten in six career starts for George Boughey and becomes the first horse since the Frankel to land the 2,000 Guineas, St James’s Palace Stakes and Sussex Stakes in the same season.
Boughey said: “Bow Echo is an extraordinarily talented horse. We have known that for a long way. He has been in a couple of scraps recently and he’s shown fight today, he’s shown his turn of foot and it’s a career best. A lot went wrong again but he was still able to win and win well.
“It was a rough race. It looked messy and there was obviously a lot of pace on. Our plan was to try and follow Gstaad where possible. One thing I did think is that he went a bit earlier than we thought, Ryan [Moore] was under the pump from a long way out and he’s a very strong stayer that horse. Billy held his nerve and it’s basically we wanted it to go barring a few scrimmages during the race. The challenge was to be where we wanted to be and it was an astute run.
“One thing Billy said was that he has learned so much since Ascot. When Christophe [Soumillon] was on his outside at Ascot, he might possibly have lit up a little bit. He is just learning. I know it sounds mad, as he is unbeaten, but he is improving. He is learning to race and learning to get in a scrap.
“That turn of foot, that speed that he showed today… I thought this was the race for him. I thought everything had been a lead-up to this. Obviously, he is an Ascot winner and a Guineas winner, but he really showed all of his attributes today.
“Fundamentally, I am a racing fan. I love training horses. I love racing horses, wherever it is in the world, but to be able to show the public the horse we have recently has given me a huge amount of satisfaction. He is a star, has an amazing mind and he looks the complete racehorse at the moment.
“I think the plan was always to go to France for either the Marois or the Moulin. Fundamentally, we would like the horse to end up at the Breeders’ Cup at the end of the year. I think a mile round a bend there, with a strong pace, will suit him very well.”
On Loughnane, Boughey added: “I have got the right man riding him. He is a real showboy, is he not? He loves it. He is an outstanding rider. I was pretty nervous today going into the paddock, and he was just chilled out. He has got an amazing head on young shoulders. He is 20 years old and half a generation younger than me, and I am considered very young in this game. He has got every attribute and is the consummate professional. He has been managing his weight beautifully for someone who is the same height as me, and he is a very, very good rider at the end of the day.”
Loughnane said: “Hopefully that can silence the doubters. What a superstar of a horse. I say it every time. I know how lucky I am to have a horse like this at this age, I just feel so privileged.
“Bow Echo and I both had to grow up fast [at Ascot], and we really have. We have watched millions of these races back, and we always felt that the closer would almost certainly get up. We knew there would be plenty of pace. Once I found Ryan [Moore]’s tail, I was happy enough, but then Christophe [Soumillon] appeared on my outside, so I knew I was going to have a bit of a challenge getting him out. Once he did, he really motored home.
“I knew I was going to have to play him late, so that was always going to be the plan. I was always going to take my time, get him to relax and find that rhythm he has got. I just had to wait to get out, but I was not worried. I still had a furlong and a half from there to the line, and from the furlong pole onwards I always felt I was going to run them down.
“Hopefully that can squash all the queries everyone has got about this horse now. He is a real superstar and has done it every way. Today was a tough race for him. There were plenty of runners and we ended up a long way back, but he has got a proper engine. He is probably one of the best horses I will ever partner, and to have him at 20 years old is a dream come true.
“The reception from the crowd means everything, when we got back in was magical and it proves what a following this horse has got. I know how lucky I am to have a horse like him.”
William Buick said of Opera Ballo: “Before the race, I was very conscious of what was going to happen on my outside, pace-wise. That happened, and we were very happy to take a lead. We were going good, strong fractions, and I thought we had a nice lead into the race where we were. He has run his heart out. He was giving 8lb to two top-notch three-year-olds; obviously, Bow Echo is an exceptional horse. He is unbeaten, and I tip my cap to the horse, George, Billy and the whole team. It takes some doing to stay unbeaten this far down the line. I did [think I might win] two out, when we were getting rolling and he picked up, but the three-year-olds just came late. He is still a very good horse, held in the highest regard, and he has still got a bright future ahead of him.”