State of Rest could clash with Baaeed in Sussex Stakes

Joseph O’Brien has raised the possibility of a fascinating clash with Baaeed in the Qatar Sussex Stakes for State Of Rest.

While the Prince of Wales’s Stakes winner is not currently entered, O’Brien has not ruled out the option of supplementing the multiple Group One winner for the Goodwood showpiece on July 27th.

Should that not happen, the Prix Jacques le Marois, also over a mile, could be on his agenda.

“State Of Rest may come back to a mile for his next run,” said O’Brien. “We are looking at the Sussex, even though I didn’t enter him! He could end up being supplemented for that.

“We are also looking at the Jacques le Marois and the Juddmonte. The Eclipse will come a bit soon, I’d say. He’s shown loads of speed on his last couple of runs.”

The four-year-old landed his fourth Group One prize last week when securing an all-the-way length victory at Royal Ascot under Shane Crosse at 5-1.

That triumph followed a Prix Ganay win and victory further afield as the colt is also the current title-holder of the Saratoga Derby and the Cox Plate.

A return to the latter race is the probable final destination for the bay, who has many Australian connections via ownership group the State Of Rest Partnership.

Henry Field, co-owner and managing director of Newgate Stud, told Racing.com: “Joseph O’Brien loves Australia. Australia’s his special place.

“He’s a horse that’s won Group Ones in America, France, one of the most prestigious Group Ones at Royal Ascot and a Cox Plate. It would be very special to try to put back-to-back Cox Plates together and I think Joseph thinks this is the horse to do it.

“He loves the horse, it’s rare that I’ve heard a trainer speak as fondly about a horse as I’ve heard Joseph speaking about this horse. That’s testimony to the fact that he’s just a tough animal, he’s very talented, he’s very consistent and he just gives you his all.

“He’s a very rare animal, this horse, and I think back-to-back Cox Plates would be very fitting on his resume and he’d be very hard to beat.”

Some consideration will also be given to the Breeders’ Cup bid late in the season, but the Cox Plate is the favoured destination and would likely be State Of Rest’s final run before retirement to stud.

“He’s a four-year-old now and he’s really got nothing left to prove, he’s won the biggest Group Ones in both hemispheres, I would say that would be his swansong,” said Field. “More than likely he will go to the Cox Plate, it’s possible he could go to the Breeders’ Cup in Kentucky in November but the Cox Plate is the more likely target.

“It would add great theatre to the race to have this horse who came on the radar of so many people in the Cox Plate last year – it’s made him who he is.”