Aidan O\u2019Brien is relishing a third clash between Gstaad and Bow Echo in Wednesday\u2019s \u00a31.5 million Group 1 Sussex Stakes, with Royal Ascot controversy horse Puerto Rico also set to return at Goodwood.<\/p>\n
Bow Echo has beaten Gstaad in both of their meetings, winning the English 2,000 Guineas by two and three-quarter lengths before holding him by a short head in the St James\u2019s Palace Stakes.<\/p>\n
Gstaad won the Irish 2,000 Guineas between those defeats and has finished first or second in all nine starts.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is always possible (we can reverse the form). He obviously just failed at Ascot. He is progressive, and it didn\u2019t really work perfectly for him on the day \u2013 he still ran a great race,\u201d O\u2019Brien told Goodwood Racecourse.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re looking forward to the race again. Hopefully Bow Echo runs, and it will be a good race.<\/p>\n
\u201cThings didn\u2019t go perfectly for us at Ascot, and maybe they didn\u2019t for Bow Echo either.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn the Guineas, we felt we were forced on. We were very forward and had to do our own donkey work, while Bow Echo had lovely cover and everything worked well for him.<\/p>\n
\u201cThen we went to Ascot and felt that maybe it didn\u2019t go 100 per cent for us either. Maybe the lads thought it didn\u2019t go perfectly for Bow Echo, either.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s going to be interesting. That\u2019s what I think makes these races great. We\u2019re looking forward to seeing what happens.\u201d<\/p>\n
Puerto Rico, a dual Group 1 winner as a juvenile, is expected to join Gstaad in the Sussex Stakes after finishing sixth in the St James\u2019s Palace.<\/p>\n
His Ascot run became one of the meeting\u2019s main talking points after Christophe Soumillon was initially suspended for eight days, with stewards finding that he had ridden Puerto Rico in a manner that benefited Gstaad. An appeal panel upheld that finding but did not conclude it was intentional, reducing the suspension to five days.<\/p>\n
O\u2019Brien believes the race unravelled for Puerto Rico after his planned attempt to make the running was disrupted.<\/p>\n
\u201cObviously, Ascot was a complete mess for him. He went forward, and I think he got taken on for the lead. It just all went out the window.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe had planned on making the running with him. He won his two Group 1s making the running – it just didn\u2019t work for him on the day.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere was a snowball effect throughout the whole race when that happened, but that\u2019s racing, and it doesn\u2019t go right all the time.\u201d<\/p>\n
O\u2019Brien expects a different version of Puerto Rico at Goodwood.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re very happy with his progress since, and we feel that we will see a different horse this time.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Sussex Stakes will be the first time Bow Echo and Gstaad face older horses. It is also now Europe\u2019s most valuable mile race after its purse was increased to \u00a31.5 million.<\/p>\n
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