The Gurkha flashes home to take Sussex Stakes at Goodwood

The Gurkha got the better of Galileo Gold to win a thrilling renewal of the Qatar Sussex Stakes at Goodwood.

Galileo Gold, winner of the 2000 Guineas at Newmarket, saw off French Guineas hero The Gurkha and Irish victor Awtaad in the St James’s Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot last month and the star three-year-old milers did battle once more in this Group One contest.

Just as he did at Ascot, Frankie Dettori rode a positive race aboard Galileo Gold, sending him straight to the lead while Ryan Moore aboard The Gurkha and Awtaad's rider Chris Hayes raced on his tail.

Dettori attempted to quicken clear over a furlong out and briefly looked to have put the race to bed, but Aidan O’Brien’s 11/8 favourite The Gurkha ranged alongside as the post loomed and gained his revenge by a neck.

Ribchester, third behind Galileo Gold at Newmarket before winning Ascot’s Jersey Stakes, ran a fantastic race to pick up minor honours in third, but Awtaad weakened out of contention disappointingly.

Moore said: “He’s a very good colt, we think a lot of him and he showed in Deauville that he’s very good.

“Things haven’t been right for him since, (but) I think that was a very good race with some good horses and he deserved his day today.

“I was always very happy because he travels so well and I knew as soon as one horse in front folded an inch he’d be able to find room and make room.

“He has so much pace just to go where you want him when you need him. I was delighted with him today.

“This is a fast mile and I think when he gets on quicker ground he’ll be better again.

“He’s finished second in an Eclipse and he’s a two-time Group One winner at a mile now.

“I’m sure we’ll all sit down and work out what’s best for him.”

It was a fifth Sussex Stakes success for O’Brien, having previously struck gold with Ballydoyle greats Giant’s Causeway (2000), Rock Of Gibraltar (2002), Henrythenavigator (2008) and Rip Van Winkle (2008).

He said: “He’s very fast — he’s all speed. Sandown (in the Eclipse), in soft ground, over a mile and a quarter up the hill just dragged him a bit, but Ryan gave him a masterful ride today.

“He’s a very strong traveller, he handles fast ground very well and quickens very well.

“He’s very courageous as well, which is why he ran as well as he did when we took him out of his comfort zone in Sandown.

“I think he’d go back and get a mile and get a mile and a quarter, but he’s probably a miler.

“It has been tough on him. We were worried coming here after Sandown, but the lads said he was thriving. I was worried because he’s had such a big career crammed into a short space of time.

“He didn’t race last year, but he’s danced every dance since.

“He has a lot of options. He has the mile races in France (Prix Jacques le Marois and Prix du Moulin), he has the Champion Stakes and he has York (Juddmonte International).”

Galileo Gold’s trainer Hugo Palmer was proud of his stable star and not afraid of a rematch with The Gurkha.

“There’s nothing between them really and I think it shows this generation are considerably ahead of the generation before them,” said the Newmarket handler.

“I dare say there’s going to be more matches to savour.

“It’s hard when you’re sitting in front like that for so long, but nobody else wanted to go on.

“We debated trying to find a pacemaker for him and decided against it and in the long run that might have caught us out as Ryan was able to slipstream us and Frankie said once he’d come and put his head in front, try as Galileo Gold did to come back, it was hard.

“It looked like he’d won, but I could see Ryan going so well behind us. I thought he was actually going to win better than he did, but it’s a real tribute to the talent and guts of my horse that he stayed there to finish as good a second as he did.

“We never shy away from a fight. Where that next fight will be, I don’t know.

“The four obvious races are the Jacques le Marois, which is quite soon, the Moulin, the QEII and the Breeders’ Cup Mile.

“He’s run every bit up to his mark on much the fastest ground he’s ever run on, so we’ve ticked that box.

“I don’t think anything will hold any fears for us and it would just be nice not to have to do the donkey work for everyone else next time.”

Ribchester’s trainer Richard Fahey said: “I was delighted with him. He’s a horse with loads of pace and I just wish they’d gone a touch quicker on the day, but he’s run a blinder.

“He’s still a big baby in his mind and he’s still learning. James (Doyle) had to switch his legs coming down the straight and in another four strides he would have won.

“At least he’s progressing the right way and we feel he’s improved a lot.

“Things are going to get better and better for him.”

Meanwhile, Derby disappointment Ulysses got his career back on track in the Beringice Gordon Stakes.

The Sir Michael Stoute-trained colt made a real impression when shedding his maiden tag at the third attempt at Newbury in mid-May and given he is bred to excel at Epsom as a son of Derby hero Galileo and Oaks heroine Light Shift, he was unsurprisingly well-fancied for the world’s most famous Flat race.

However, the three-year-old was unable to make an impact, trailing home 12th of 16 runners and he lined up on the Sussex Downs with something to prove.

Andrea Atzeni rode a patient race aboard the 9-2 chance before angling wide to mount his challenge in the straight.

Ulysses moved smoothly towards the front heading inside the final furlong and while pacesetting The Major General would not go down without a fight, Stoute’s charge was always doing enough to hold him at bay and passed the post half a length to the good.

Shogun, a stable companion of the runner-up, was third.

Atzeni said: “He put the race to bed really quickly. He was a little bit keen, but he’s a horse that’s probably still learning. He hasn’t got a lot of experience but he’s obviously got a lot of ability.

“He was probably idling in front a bit at the end, but he was entitled to as he was in front a long way out.

“I don’t think he enjoyed the good to soft ground at Epsom. He’s a very good-moving horse.

“They always thought a lot of him before the Derby, so it’s good to get him back (on track).”

And in the first race of the day Star Rider cast aside fears from trainer Hughie Morrison over her ability to handle a quick surface after showing her appetite for a stamina test with victory in the Goodwood Stakes.

Although racing beyond two miles for the first time, the four-year-old saw out the marathon two-mile-five-furlong trip in good style to open her account for the season on her third start of the campaign.

Having travelled smoothly into contention the 12-1 shot hit the front inside the final quarter of a mile, before crossing the line two lengths ahead of runner-up Percy Veer.

The winner was introduced at 25-1 by Paddy Power for the Cesarewitch.

Morrison said: “She tries and she stays very well. I didn’t think she would handle the ground.

“I didn’t come here with a lot of optimism as I thought the ground would be too quick.

“When they go slow they act on different things. She has got a bit of speed and she was always travelling. She has got a fantastic attitude.”

He added: “I would think that (Cesarewitch) would be on the agenda but I think we have four or five in that at the moment.

“She is an improving handicapper and deserves to get some black type.”