Too Darn Hot Set For Sussex Stakes After Third In St James's Palace

John Gosden's three year old Too Darn Hot is set for Glorious Goodwood after finishing third in the feature St James's Palace Stakes on the first day at Royal Ascot.

Last seasons champion juvenile went off as the 2/1 favourite in the day one Ascot feature and did not finish as race as strongly as his backers would have hoped with his trainer stating he has been "over-raced".

The son of leading sire Dubawi was looking to get his first win on the board for his three year old campaign but could only manage third place which now sees him 0-3 for his runs this season.

Too Darn Hot started his season off in the Group 2 Dante Stakes at York when it looked like he was heading for the Epsom Derby and he finished second behind Telecaster, not staying the trip.

The Derby plans were aborted and less than two weeks later he was over in Ireland competing in the Irish 2000 Guineas and again he finished second behind Phoenix Of Spain.

In another quick turn around his third in the St James's Palace Stakes saw him race three times in the space of 32 days which is never seen from a John Gosden horse.

Overall on Tuesday the soft ground was his undoing being outstayed by the winner Circus Maximus and second placed King Of Comedy who is the Lord Lloyd Webber owned horses stablemate.

The champion juvenile has not had a campaign to remember as three year old after being four races unbeaten at the age of two with a Group 1 win to his name.

However, he will be looking to bounce back at Glorious Goodwood at the end of July in the Group 1 Sussex Stakes which does look a race that will play to his strengths with how the course is set up.

(Credit Racing Post) Gosden said: "Frankie had his feet on the dashboard the whole way around on Too Darn Hot in the St James's Palace Stakes and he just over-raced from the start.

"He's a quick horse as he showed last year and the stiff mile on the round course at Ascot just found him out. He seems fine this morning and the plan would be to take him to Goodwood for the Sussex Stakes where the less demanding mile should suit him."

As for Too Darn Hot's stablemate King Of Comedy Gosden added: "Both horses ran well and King Of Comedy ran an absolute blinder from where he was drawn. It could be that we go up to a mile and a quarter with him but he had a hard race so there are no immediate plans."