Notable Speech’s form line still reads like a snippet of computer code, but “111101” holds the promise of a much brighter conclusion to his three‑year‑old career after Charlie Appleby’s colt returned to winning form in the Group One Sussex Stakes at Goodwood on Wednesday, six weeks since the meek surrender of his unbeaten record in the St James’s Palace Stakes.
Notable Speech beat just one rival home at Ascot, a performance that still mystifies his connections, with Henry Longfellow, the runner-up, nearly six lengths in front of him at the line. As a result, it was little surprise that, following the scratching earlier in the week of Rosallion from this contest, all the money in the morning was for Henry Longfellow, who was backed from 6-4 to 11-10 while Notable Speech took a walk from 13-8 to 3-1.
