Phoenix of Spain

G1 Irish 2000 Guineas winner Phoenix of Spain (Ire) (Lope de Vega {Ire}) is set to step up in trip after disappointing in the G1 Sussex S. last week. He holds entries in the G1 Juddmonte International at York on Aug. 21 and the G1 Irish Champion S. at Leopardstown on Sept. 14. Trainer Charlie Hills admitted he does not know what to attribute the colt's lacklustre Sussex effort to. "He had a canter [on Tuesday] and moved really nicely," Hills said. "We are just scratching our heads. Whether the...

With Stradivarius (Ire) (Sea the Stars {Ire}) delivering for Frankie on Tuesday, the weight of expectation now rests on Too Darn Hot (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) to maintain the run in Wednesday's G1 Qatar Sussex S. at Goodwood. In many ways, the Lloyd-Webbers' 'TDN Rising Star' was the one who at the start of the season promised most to make this a memorable season for Dettori with his unbeaten streak culminating in juvenile champion status. That it has hardly gone to any kind of plan so far in 2019 is well-documented,...