Mile pot continues to boil Connections of Night Of Thunder are relishing the "exciting" rivalry between their 2000 Guineas winner and Irish Classic hero Kingman. The pair clashed in the Greenham Stakes at the start of the year with the John Gosden-trained Kingman proving four and a half lengths too good. However, Night Of Thunder reversed the form with a half-length victory for trainer Richard Hannon in the Guineas at Newmarket. Kingman has since gone on to claim an impressive five-length win at the Curragh, with Hannon's Newmarket fourth Shifting Power bagging the runner-up prize on that occasion. Night Of Thunder bypassed a trip to Ireland with his sights set on next month's St James's Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot, a race which is also due to feature Kingman, before a possible run in the Qipco Sussex Stakes at Goodwood on July 30. Bruce Raymond, racing manager to Night Of Thunder's owner Saeed Manana, said: "As soon as we get over Royal Ascot we will see what happens, but I'm sure the Sussex Stakes is a race we will be looking at for Night Of Thunder. "He has been going very, very well since Newmarket. He has not done much galloping because he is a horse who doesn't require a lot of work, but we are very happy with his progress. "We thought he was a good horse before Newmarket and he has now proved that he is a good horse. The result in Ireland at the weekend with Kingman and Shifting Power only makes his form look stronger. "The rivalry between Night Of Thunder and Kingman is exciting and you have to take on good horses if you want to win good races. Night Of Thunder has got a favourite's or second-favourite's chance at Ascot and I don't think he will be going off at 40-1 any more - those days are long gone! "I think the ground might be more important to Kingman than it is to us, but then again John Gosden would probably say that's not the case. It's a good talking point but we will only know after the race." Three-year-olds have claimed five of the last six renewals of the Sussex Stakes and the Classic generation could also be represented by the Hannon-trained Toormore, who was last year's champion two-year-old, and Dewhurst Stakes hero War Command (Aidan O'Brien). John Gosden has also entered French 2000 Guineas fourth Muwaary, while Godolphin's sole hope is the 2013 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf scorer Outstrip (Charlie Appleby). Hannon has six contenders for the Sussex with multiple Group One-winning older horses Olympic Glory, Toronado and Sky Lantern in the frame. O'Brien also has six contenders, with exciting US import Verrazano among his chances, while Tom Hogan's stable star Gordon Lord Byron, who claimed an Australian Group One in the George Ryder Stakes at Randwick in March, also entered. Prix d'Ispahan runner-up Anodin, German contender Chopin, Soft Falling Rain and Just The Judge are other notables.
