Goodwood meet begins; Frankel to run in Wednesday's Sussex

Chachamaidee, a 5-year-old mare who was second in the Group 2 Windsor Forest Stakes at Royal Ascot in June, can win the most prestigious race of her career in Tuesday’s Group 2 Lennox Stakes at Goodwood Racecourse in England.

Tuesday’s program is the first day of the track’s famous five-day Glorious Goodwood summer meeting. The focus of the week will be Frankel’s appearance in Wednesday’s Group 1 Sussex Stakes over a mile, a race he won in 2011. Frankel is unbeaten in 11 starts.

Chachamaidee is trained by Sir Henry Cecil, who also trains Frankel.

Chachamaidee won the Group 3 Oak Tree Stakes at Glorious Goodwood last year, but has never won a race at the Group 2 level. The Lennox Stakes is run over seven furlongs and has drawn a field of 13.

Other leading contenders are Libranno, the winner of the Criterion Stakes at Newmarket in June; and Aljamaaheer, who was third in the Group 3 Jersey Stakes at Royal Ascot in June.

Strong Suit, who finished 10th in the Breeders’ Cup Mile at Churchill Downs last November, is the defending champion of the Lennox Stakes, but is an outsider on Tuesday.

A 4-year-old Arkansas-bred colt by Rahy, Strong Suit is winless in two starts this year, finishing 10th behind Frankel in the Group 1 Queen Anne Stakes at Royal Ascot in June and eighth in the Group 1 July Cup on very heavy ground at Newmarket earlier this month.

York: Sri Putra upsets

In Saturday’s Group 2 York Stakes at York Racecourse, Sri Putra, a

12-1 outsider, upset 9-4 favorite Afsare by a neck in a race over 1 5/16 miles.

Sri Putra was ridden by Neil Callan for trainer Roger Varian. Afsare drifted to the outside with a furlong remaining and then back to the inside rail and was beaten in the final strides.

Sri Putra, a 6-year-old horse by Oasis Dream, was seventh behind Nathaniel in the Group 1 Coral-Eclipse Stakes at Sandown Park earlier this month. The York Stakes was Sri Putra’s first win in a Group 2 since the Prix Guillaume d’Ornaro at Deauville, France, in August 2009.