By Duane Fonseca -
A runner-by-runner guide for the 1000 Guineas at Newmarket this Sunday, which is likely to be one of the most keenly contested renewals of the race in recent years.
BRILLIANT – Aidan O’Brien
Much-experienced with 10 runs already under the belt, the Gleneagles filly fired on her final start when landing the biggest prize of her career so far in the form of the G3 Express Stakes. It was also easily her best performance, as she rallied back after being headed inside the final furlong to prevail on ground deemed heavy. The experience is likely to help her prospects at a similar level in the future, but she definitely does not feature in this.
CINDERELLA’S DREAM – Charlie Appleby
Remember this year’s Jumeirah 1000 Guineas? William Buick riding bareback - rodeo style - to help keep Cinderella’s Dream’s unbeaten run intact. In nightmarish conditions, this daughter of Shamardal was a dream to ride and very professional too as she landed the Listed event by over five lengths. However, even Buick appears to have readily yielded to the fact he was up against a rather modest field then and those heroics are unlikely to hold up in this company. Opting to ride Dance Sequence says a lot, but then wasn’t Buick the one to pick Hurricane Lane ahead of Adayar in the 2021 Derby?
We all know how that finished. Write Cinderella’s Dream off at your own peril.
CONTENT - Aidan O’Brien
A winner of two of her seven starts, the Galileo filly’s last outing witnessed her closing in sharply to finish fourth, a length-an-a-half adrift of the winner, in the G1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies’ Turf at Santa Anita in November. Bound to step forward from the experience and with a Group level success already on her resume, there is every reason to believe Content is likely to contest the closing stages here.
DANCE SEQUENCE - Charlie Appleby
One of two dispatched by Charlie Appleby, the Dubawi filly has drawn the spotlight after William Buick picked her over teammate Cinderella’s Dream, his partner in their rodeo styled conquest in the Jumeirah 1000 Guineas.
Lightly raced, Dance Sequence won her first two career starts as a juvenile, before wandering a little leaving the Dip on her first start of her three-year-old campaign in the G3 Nell Gwyn Stakes a fortnight ago; a failing which saw her go down by a neck. Time will tell if Buick’s optimism pays off, but she does look a tidy prospect.
DARNATION – Karl Burke
Darnation is likely to be the best long shot in this field. A two-time Group level winner as a juvenile, Karl Burke’s Too Darn Hot filly went down tamely in the G1 Prix Marcel Boussac at ParisLongchamp in October but has been freshened up for this assignment and is definitely among the top outsiders here. Her commanding three-length G2 May Hill Stakes success at Doncaster in September hints that the charge down the mile at Newmarket might be to her liking. Very much a place chance!
ELMALKA – Roger Varian
Progress from the G3 Dubai Duty Free Stakes is bound to serve the HH Sheikh Ahmed bin Rashid Al Maktoum-owned Elmalka well. Pedigree might be on her side, but this daughter of Kingman has much to prove with victory in a novice event on debut, her only career success in two starts. She appears here for the experience.
FALLEN ANGEL – Karl Burke
Another Too Darn Hot filly trained by Karl Burke, Fallen Angel was favourite at the time of writing and fully justifies her billing as the one to beat here. Just look at her success in the G1 Moyglare Stud Stakes at the Curragh in testing conditions last September, a win that clearly suggested going up in trip would be no problem at all. With favouritism comes pressure, but she certainly seems to have what it takes to add another top-tier victory to her repertoire.
FINSCEAL LUAS – Jim Bolger
One look at the Camelot filly’s record and it is evident Finsceal Luas is clearly out of her depth here. Her chances evaporated the day she was nominated. What else is there to think or say when someone’s best effort turns out to be a bronze. I thought ‘pass’ and I say and mean it!
LUNAR ECLIPSE – David Simcock
Carrying the colours of Sheikh Juma Dalmook Al Maktoum, Lunar Eclipse won her only career start in a Novice event and is highly regarded as a filly of potential by her handler. This might be too hot a company first time back though and she is arguably here to gain experience for mid-sized targets further down the year.
PORTA FORTUNA – Donnacha O’Brien
Winner of four of her seven starts and placed in the three others, the Caravaggio filly should be very much in the mix going by her runner up effort in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies’ Turf, where she finished a half-length in arrears as the runner-up in a race where Content was a further length behind her in fourth. She could be forgiven for her effort at Santa Anita as she was asked to go up 400m in trip, a bit too steep when compared to the 1200m trip of the G1 Juddmonte Cheveley Park Stakes which she won reasonably well. Bound to come forward from her last effort and deserves respect.
PRETTY CRYSTAL – Richard Fahey
A tenacious winner of the Nell Gwyn Stakes on her last start at sizeable odds, the Dubawi filly, owned by Sheikh Rashed bin Dalmook Al Maktoum, gamely capitalised on the wandering nature of the favourite during the business end of the 1400m contest. Still, she must be credited for putting her head down and getting the job done and has earned the opportunity to tackle this event after being supplemented.
RAMATUELLE – Christopher Head
French-trained dual Group level winner arrives for her first trip overseas, looking to overturn a pair of runners-up finishes that began with her being headed in the final strides of the G1 Prix Morny at Deauville in August on very soft ground. Christopher Head’s Justify filly began her Classic campaign with a half-length second in the G3 Prix Imprudence on heavy ground, but with the surface better for the Guineas, a reversal of fortunes might be on the cards for Ramatuelle, who is not far off the top and definitely not far off her best.
REGAL JUBILEE – John & Thady Gosden
A course and distance winner when taking the Listed Montrose Fillies’ Stakes last November by two lengths on her step up in grade from her seven-length success in a novice event a month earlier, the Gosden trainee performed credibly when turning up a neck behind as the runner up on her Group level debut in the G3 Dubai Duty Free Stakes on April 20. However, the Gosden filly has a big void to bridge with those really in it and will need a miracle to even be thereabouts at the finish.
ROLICA – Jane Chapple-Hyam
When you have to scrap to win a maiden by a neck, you don’t give yourself much of a chance when lining up in a field such as this. Inexperienced and here merely for experience.
SACRED ANGEL – Charlie Johnston
A lot of optimism had surrounded Charlie Johnston’s Sacred Angel when she marked her Group level debut with a three-length victory at odds of 16/1 in the G3 Princess Margaret Stakes. However, her top-level form has left much to be desired. At par when taking fourth in the Prix Morny, she only just failed behind Porta Fortuna thereafter in the Cheveley Park at Newmarket in September. Running fresh after a lengthy break should help, but a lot will depend on whether or not she is match fit.
SEE THE FIRE – Andrew Balding
One of the more fancied here, See The Fire raced incredibly well in the G1 Fillies’ Mile before a wander to the left ruined her chances. She tried to rally back, but by then it was too late as Ylang Ylang took over and raced clear to win leaving her in third. In the May Hill on her previous start too she displayed a tendency to pull left. All probably has to go right for Balding’s filly, but she is undoubtedly talented.
STAR MUSIC – Richard Hughes
Showed promise despite a third in the G3 Oh So Sharp Stakes but was comprehensively beaten when finishing the last of six at a similar level in the Dubai Duty Free. Doesn’t look like she’ll be hitting the right notes in this field.
STAR STYLE – Richard Hannon
The Zoustar filly scripted a stylish five-and-a-half-length success on her debut, but that experience isn’t good enough to get her over the line here as she tackles others with far more class and experience.
TAMFANA – David Menuisier
Dominant on the Kempton all-weather, the Soldier Hollow filly justified her favourites tag to win the G3 Prix Miesque gamely before another solid showing on her last assignment as an outsider witnessed her finish a length back in third in the G3 Prix Imprudence at Deauville. Hard to think of her as one who will rebound in a field like this.
YLANG YLANG - Aidan O’Brien
Made the most of the misfortunes of her rivals to win the G1 Fillies’ Mile over course and distance and, with her schooling complete, this should be another walk in the park for the Frankel filly, who is among the favourites for the prize, given her form, breeding and connections.
VERDICT
Fallen Angel might have gotten the better of Ylang Ylang the last time they met in the G1 Moyglare Stud Stakes at the Curragh but, with the ground favouring the latter on Sunday, there is every reason to believe Aidan O’Brien could be in line to pick up an eighth title. There’s plenty of others in the field with strong credentials like Dance Sequence, Ramatuelle and See The Fire, but it should take a lot out of the rest to overhaul the main selections. Cinderella’s Dream may be overlooked by the international markets, but can still run well.
- Ylang Ylang
- Fallen Angel
- Cinderella’s Dream
