In The Money Telegraph
Thursday, July 30, 2026 · By ITM Staff
A colt did something at Goodwood yesterday that only Frankel had managed this century — and there’s another Breeders’ Cup ticket on the line there today. Here’s the board.
Bow Echo Joins Frankel
It wasn’t easy — it never seems to be with him — but Bow Echo did it again. In the richest mile in Europe, the Grade 1 Sussex Stakes at Goodwood, George Boughey’s unbeaten colt got boxed in, hit a flat spot as old rival Gstaad swept to the front a quarter-mile out, and for half a furlong looked beaten. Then Billy Loughnane found daylight, and Bow Echo unleashed the explosive turn of foot that defines him, surging past to win by half a length. Opera Ballo was third.
It was his third win over Gstaad this season, and it made history: Bow Echo is the first horse since Frankel in 2011 to sweep the 2,000 Guineas, the St James’s Palace Stakes, and the Sussex in a single season — and he did it in the biggest Sussex field in twenty years. “Hopefully that can silence the doubters,” Loughnane said afterward. “What a superstar.” The win books Bow Echo a fees-paid berth in the Breeders’ Cup Mile at Keeneland.
There was poignancy in it, too. Boughey noted that the colt’s late owner, Sheikh Mohammed Obaid, wasn’t there to see the achievement — the culmination, the trainer said, of thirty-plus years of work to reach this point. ITM’s own Michael Adolphson called it an outstanding performance, taking down Gstaad and Opera Ballo and eight other Group 1 winners in the process.
Today at Goodwood: Another BC Berth in the Nassau
Bow Echo’s Sussex was one of three Breeders’ Cup “Win and You’re In” races at Goodwood this week, and the last of them runs today: the Grade 1 Qatar Nassau Stakes (10:35 a.m. ET), a mile-and-a-quarter for fillies and mares with a berth in the Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf to the winner. The headliner is Aidan O’Brien’s unbeaten Diamond Necklace, a perfect five-for-five and 4/6 favorite making her British debut against older rivals for the first time.
Our man Steven Bonnick isn’t so sure, though — he’s willing to take on the short-priced favorite and prefers the Gosden mare Friendly Soul, back to her best off a long injury layoff. His full Goodwood Day 3 card is up on the blog. Read Steven’s preview →
Building Toward the Whitney
Closer to home, the $1 million Whitney on Aug. 8 — itself a Win and You’re In for the Breeders’ Cup Classic — is shaping up as one of the deepest of the meet. The race is expected to draw Hall of Famer Steve Asmussen’s Magnitude, reigning Horse of the Year Sovereignty (still seeking his first win of 2026), Baeza, White Abarrio, and Phileas Fogg, with Nysos a possibility. And it may feature a filly taking on the boys: Mark Casse’s champion Nitrogen, who would be bidding to become the first of her sex to win the Whitney since Personal Ensign in 1988. Both Magnitude and Sovereignty turned in sharp works over the weekend.
Back in Action: Saratoga and Del Mar
Saratoga returns to the track today after Wednesday’s washout, with the rained-off Curlin Stakes now set for Sunday. And out west, Dean Keppler has his Del Mar Thursday card ready — his best bet is Stay in Line (GB) in Race 2, a multiple winner over the track and distance making her first start off the George Papaprodromou claim. See the card →
Also on the Board: Colonial Downs
Michael Domabyl is covering all four Colonial Downs cards this week, building toward Saturday’s Festival of Racing — the Virginia track’s biggest day, headlined by the Grade 1 Arlington Million. He starts with Thursday’s eight-race flat card, and he’s hunting a price: his standout is Sav’n Money in the finale, a 3-year-old he thinks is returning to his best surface and still has upside. Read the card →
One More Bow for Gold Phoenix
Worth one more mention before the week gets away from us: Sunday’s Grade 2 Eddie Read gave us a genuinely great one. Gold Phoenix — “Gold flipping Phoenix,” as he’s known around here — came from last to run down the field in a nose-head photo at 9-2, at the age of eight, for Phil D’Amato and the Little Red Feather partnership. It was his sixth stakes win at Del Mar. They don’t make many like him, and he keeps proving it.
Looking to Saturday
It’s a big Saturday at the Spa — the Grade 2 Jim Dandy headlines the card, and NYRA Bets’ rejuvenated contest program returns with the Jim Dandy Challenge, NHC seats and a seeded BCBC seat on the line. PTF, John Gaspar, and NYRA Bets’ new contest specialist Jackson Muniz walk through the contest and handicap the full Saturday card to get you ready.
For everything on how the contest works and the low-cost feeders in, read our story on the program. NHC Seats Are Back →
ITM Plus
Your Daily Edge at Saratoga and Del Mar
Nick Tammaro brings his Saratoga notebook to ITM Plus every day of the meet, and Adam Discepolo joins with full-card Del Mar analysis — detailed written selections, a play of the day, and exclusive podcasts right through to the Breeders’ Cup.
More all week at inthemoneypodcast.com, with daily previews on the ITM YouTube channel and premium tips on ITM Plus.
