Billy Loughnane has been compared to Lamine Yamal after Bow Echo emulated the legendary Frankel at Goodwood on Wednesday. The £1.5 million Visit Qatar Sussex Stakes is Britain's top mile race, where top three-year-olds take on older milers.
The George Boughey-trained Bow Echo came to Goodwood unbeaten, having won the 2,000 Guineas and St James's Palace Stakes, each time beating Aidan O'Brien's Gstaad. At Royal Ascot, only a short head separated them, and their third clash promised to be close.
O'Brien ran three horses in the 12-runner race, making Bow Echo's 10-11 odds seem less straightforward. Ryan Moore on Gstaad had Loughnane boxed in with two furlongs to go. Moore seemed to have stolen the race, hitting the front half a furlong out, but Loughnane angled to the outside and Bow Echo ran down Gstaad to win by half a length, sparking wild celebrations.
Historic hat-trick
Bow Echo became the first horse since Frankel in 2011 to complete the 2,000 Guineas-St James's Palace-Sussex hat-trick. Johnny Murtagh, a top jockey turned trainer who achieved the same on Henrythenavigator, said: “Last week at the World Cup you had Lamine Yamal. Everyone was raving about him, 19, what he’s doing. This is racing’s Lamine Yamal. He’s a special talent, he’s 19. The more big races he rides and wins like this, the more confident he’ll get. He’s got that little bit of confidence-cheeky about him, but he has to back it up and today, Bow Echo and himself did.”
Future plans
Bow Echo's programme may take him to France for the Prix Jacques Le Marois or Prix du Moulin, with the Breeders' Cup Mile at the end of the year. Loughnane said: “What a superstar horse. I say it every time I know how lucky I am to be able to ride a horse like this. I just feel so privileged. They made life difficult for him but I always wanted to follow Ryan. I knew the pace would be on with the set up of the race. That plays into this horse’s strengths. I was boxed in between Ryan and Christophe, and I just had to wait to get out but once I did he just proved how good he is. Me and George watched plenty of Sussexes back and they always get on top of them late and get going early. It just keeps getting better.”
