Horse Racing: ‘Canford Cliffs’ is Sussex Stakes 2010 favourite
Only a few hours are left before one of the most prestigious races in the British racing calendar gets under way in the city of Goodwood today. Inaugurated in 1841, the Sussex Stakes is run at the Goodwood Racecourse on an annual basis. The purse for this year’s mile long Group 1 flat horse race stands at £300,000 which has attracted a plethora of horses, trainers and fans from across the country. Due to intense media attention, this year’s race is shaping up to be an All-star event.
The spotlight shines on two colts, Ballydoyle’s ‘Rip Van Winkle’ and Richard Hannon’s ‘Canford Cliffs’. Though the two might be the favourites for today, the rest of the field shouldn’t be counted out of the running. Odds are just odds and one can never know what the race would entail in the end.
Richard Hannon is feeling the pressure of the high expectations associated with his horses. Hannon won the stakes in 2003 and is hoping to repeat past success with the highly-rated ‘Canford Cliffs’. In 2003, Hannon won against the odds with Reel Buddy which was a wonderful horse to race with. Reel Buddy had a 50-1 odd for winning the race but this year, ‘Canford Cliffs’ has received favourable odds to win the Sussex Stakes. His luck may not have been working for him in the Sussex Stakes but Hannon has received spectacular success in Goodwood and in his career. His record speaks volumes about the ability of the man as he has trained 95 winners at Goodwood itself.
Hannon’s competition at the Sussex Stakes is none other than horse racing legend, trainer Aidan O’Brien. O’Brien has won the Sussex Stakes on four different occasions. Johnny Murtagh, who has been suspended for the race, rode O’Brien’s colts to victory on consecutive occasions in the 2008 and 2009 race. During last year, ‘Rip Van Winkle’ defeated Hannon’s contender ‘Paco Boy’ to clinch the first place at the Sussex Stakes. O’Brien is aching for a hat-trick as he is expected to pull out all the stops to make it happen. O’Brien is running three horses in the race but his top contender is without a doubt, the 5-2 odd favourite, ‘Rip Van Winkle’.
Even though ‘Rip Van Winkle’ already is a favourite for the race, ‘Stablemates Beethoven’ and ‘Encompassing' are running alongside each other that wouldn’t hurt 'Rip Van Winkle's' chances. Their support could be a major factor in today’s race. The colt has not been performing at his best since suffering from a chronic foot problem but even less than his best is still a formidable performance for ‘Rip Van Winkle’. O’Brien however downplayed those concerns. He maintains that the horse has been in good form since Ascot.
‘Canford Cliffs’, in contrast, couldn’t be in better form. ‘Canford Cliffs’ is coming out of a highly successful runs at Curragh and Ascot. He won his last two races, namely the Irish Guineas and the St. James's Palace Stakes at Ascot. Hannon said that ‘Canford Cliffs’ had shown great physical improvement and he had a lot of confidence in his colt. It wasn’t his own horse’s performance that worried him as much as his opponent’s tactics.
‘Rip Van Winkle’ is positioned far from ‘Canford Cliffs’ but between them are two of Ballydoyle’s runners. Hannon said that ‘Beethoven’ and pacemaker ‘Encompassing’ will be running with ‘Canford Cliffs’ inside which might create a lot of “nuisance value.” He believed that one of the two would stick to Richard Hughes aboard ‘Canford Cliffs’, in order to slow down or speeding up with Richard’s pace. He added that Hughes would somehow have to deal with O’Brien’s runners if they employ the tactic. If ‘Rip Van Winkle’ wins today, it would be the first time a horse won the stakes on consecutive occasions.
‘Rip Van Winkle’ would have jockey Ryan Moore filling in for the suspended Johnny Murtagh. Ryan has brought victory to O’Brien previously aboard ‘Beethoven’. This year, the 33/1 odds colt would have O’Brien’s son Joseph holding the reigns.
Ryan Moore is a more than fitting replacement for Johnny Murtagh. O’Brien has set the stage alight while ‘Rip Van Winkle’ is all ready to repeat last years’ performance and all Ryan has to do is deliver a performance which is worthy of his name. Born in Sussex, Moore was the British flat racing Champion Jockey for the first time in 2006. He regained the top honours in 2008 and retained the title in 2009 as well. His most recent and notable success came when he won the Group 1 Epsom Derby aboard Workforce.
It would appear O’Brien has everything under control and a good plan for victory at Sussex. The only thing he can’t count on his side is ‘Canford Cliffs’.
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