Churchill out of Sussex showdown with Ribchester

The heavyweight clash between Ribchester and Churchill in the £1 million Qatar Sussex Stakes is off after connections of Churchill decided to withdraw the dual Classic winner on account of the ground, which was changed to soft following the first race on day two of Glorious Goodwood.

Ryan Moore was seen going out onto the track before the third race and not long after confirmation came through, with the jockey switching to the Aidan O'Brien-trained stablemate Lancaster Bomber.

O'Brien said: "The conditions are extreme, so we pulled him out. They'll be another day. If he goes up to a mile and a quarter we could look at the Juddmonte; if he stays at a mile he could go to France."

With his main rival now not running, Ribchester has shortened to general 1-2 favourite with French raider Zelzal next best at 4-1.

The field for the Group 1 has been reduced to seven – Zonderland was also withdrawn because of the ground after the meeting had started –with place terms down to two from three.

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