Great Cantor Odds Sussex Stakes in prospect

At today´s final 48-hour declaration stage, 11 horses were declared for Wednesday´s £300,000 Cantor Odds Sussex Stakes at Goodwood, with a superb race in prospect.

The only withdrawals from the Group One race, one of Europe´s top mile events, were two three-year-olds, Brunel and Kheleyf. The latter runs instead in the Group Two Betfair Cup at Goodwood tomorrow.

Heading the challenge from the older generation is Godolphin´s Refuse To Bend, victorious in two Group One contests already this season - the Queen Anne Stakes at Royal Ascot and the Coral-Eclipse at Sandown Park. As a three-year-old, he also landed the Group One 2,000 Guineas at Newmarket.

Refuse To Bend is the 9/4 favourite with the sponsors, Cantor Odds, who then go 5/2 Soviet Song, 11/4 Haafhd, 9/1 Antonius Pius, 12/1 Nayyir, 16/1 Le Vie Dei Colori, 20/1 Tillerman, 25/1 Norse Dancer & Passing Glance, 33/1 Hurricane Alan and 40/1 Checkit.

Trainer Saeed bin Suroor revealed today: 'Refuse To Bend is in good form and he came back well from his run in the Coral-Eclipse. He´s ready to run again on Wednesday.'

Soviet Song chased home Refuse To Bend in the Queen Anne Stakes before becoming the first to beat Attraction, doing so in the Group One Falmouth Stakes at Newmarket earlier this month and is set to take on the Godolphin colt again.

The challenge from the three-year-olds is headed by Haafhd, the winner of the season´s first classic, the 2,000 Guineas at Newmarket, and fourth to Azamour in the Group One St James´s Palace at Royal Ascot on June 15.

He will be joined by Antonius Pius, third home in the St James´s Palace Stakes - a head in front of Haafhd - after an unlucky run in the French 2,000 Guineas at Longchamp, where he hit the rail in the final furlong after looking assured of victory. Antonius Pius found six furlongs too sharp in the Group One Darley July Cup at Newmarket last time out.

Also in the field are Nayyir, trained by Gerard Butler, who has been victorious in the seven-furlong Group Two Betfair Cup at Goodwood for the past two years over and Norse Dancer, who has run some excellent races in defeat in Group One company, including when third in last season´s Cantor Odds Sussex Stakes. Le Vie Dei Colori represents the Luca Cumani stable and was the winner of the Group One Premio Vittorio di Capua at San Siro, Italy, in October while Passing Glance failed by just a head in the Group Two Celebration Mile at Goodwood last year.

Tillerman won the Celebration Mile in 2002 and was third in that same contest last year. The remaining two representatives from the older generation are Checkit from the Mick Channon yard and Hurricane Alan, winner of the Group Two Betfred Mile at Sandown earlier this season and from the stable of Richard Hannon - successful in 2003 with Reel Buddy.

Rod Fabricius, Goodwood´s Managing Director, commented: 'We are delighted with the quality and number of horses taking part in the Cantor Odds Sussex Stakes, the feature race of the Festival Meeting.'