Toronado, Kingman among 28 entered in Sussex

The stage is set for a third "Duel on the Downs" with Royal Ascot heroes

Toronado and Kingman due for a clash of the generations in the £300,000 Sussex

Stakes, the highlight of Glorious Goodwood on July 30.

The first "Duel on the Downs" saw Frankel stride away from Canford Cliffs in

the 2011 Sussex.

Toronado established himself as the best miler of his generation when denying

Dawn Approach in last year's renewal of the mile showpiece, pouncing late under

a well-timed ride from Richard Hughes in the second "Duel on the Downs." The

four-year-old, trained by Richard Hannon Jr., recently returned from a 300-day

absence at Royal Ascot, where he accounted for U.S. import Verrazano and French

raider Anodin in the Queen Anne Stakes on June 17.

Shortly afterwards, Kingman silenced any doubters with a scintillating

success over his Two Thousand Guineas conqueror Night of Thunder in the St

James's Palace Stakes. John Gosden's exciting three-year-old also annexed the

Irish Two Thousand Guineas by five lengths at the Curragh on May 24. Kingman is

owned, like Frankel, by Khalid Abdullah.

A total of 28 horses are engaged in the Sussex, including fellow Royal Ascot

winners Integral and Mustajeeb. The next scratchings deadline is on July 8 and

the Goodwood mile race is part of the British Champions Series.

One of the other highlights during Glorious Goodwood is the £100,000 King

George Stakes. The five-furlong contest has been won by Ortensia (2012) and

Kingsgate Native (2010) in recent years and trainer William Muir is hoping

Stepper Point can add his name to that roll of honor on August 1.

The five-year-old captured a five-furlong Listed contest impressively on

Polytrack at Lingfield in March and produced a top performance at Royal Ascot

when repelling all bar Sole Power in the King's Stand Stakes, also over five

furlongs.

In between, he finished third and fourth, respectively, in pair of group

contests at Longchamp and Chantilly.

"Stepper Point has come out of Ascot incredibly well and we are now looking

at Glorious Goodwood," Muir reported. "Maybe it was a career best at Royal

Ascot, but if you go back to the Palace House Stakes he was only beaten a length

by Sole Power. The form of that race is very similar to the King's Stand with

Hot Streak in there as well, but obviously people don't hold the Palace House in

the same regard.

"Stepper Point has been running solidly all year and was beaten in France by

two very good three-year-olds and Catcall who is obviously the best sprinter

over there. All the other British runners that came over for those races were

well-beaten, so I think people might be underestimating the French horses.

"Stepper Point has found that consistency this season. We were trying to

settle him behind horses last year but we have learnt that he is best when you

let him bowl along. He did that in France as a two-year-old and they never got

near him. He doesn't have to lead and can sit second or third but we just let

him roll along at the pace he wants to.

"It's great to have him and the owner is a pleasure to train for. The horse

takes us to all the big meetings and never lets us down. It's very enjoyable and

that's what racing is all about."

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