Ed Bethell’s See That Storm showed he is still improving when catching a tartar at York on Friday in the shape of Burrito.
Since joining Bethell from Andrew Balding, See That Storm won his first four races before being beaten a nose in the Zetland Gold Cup at Redcar.
Raised 4lb for that near-miss, he then had the misfortune of bumping into what is surely a Group horse in the making on the Knavesmire, but given he was beaten almost two lengths, the handicapper should not alter his mark much.
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Burrito looks booked for bigger and better things after taking his record to three wins from four outings at York on Friday.
With £70,000 up for grabs in the Seat Unique Handicap, a competitive field had been gathered. But John and Thady Gosden’s four-year-old stood out both in the racecard and in the paddock beforehand.
James Doyle – on his only ride of the afternoon – overcame a tricky draw to put his partner into contention with two furlongs to run and set about chasing See That Storm, another improving type.
With half a furlong to go Burrito was well on top and the 9-5 favourite went on to win by a length and three-quarters.
The winner holds an entry back at York in next month’s the John Smith’s Cup.
“He had a sticky draw there so we had a bit of work on early, but once we got across to the ones on our inside he did come back nicely enough,” said Doyle.
“The further he went the better today. We’ll see what the guys want to do but there’s an obvious target back here, so I’ll leave that to them.”
Tom Goff, who oversees owner George Strawbridge’s European breeding stock, said: “He’s a fantastic model. He was a bit raw last year when he was gelded at the end of it as he had a high testicle.
“You didn’t need to do it for any other reason, it just had to be done as he’s got a lovely pedigree.
“He didn’t have the ideal draw there and had to bide his time, but he managed to slot in off an adequate gallop and he’s gone through the gears up the straight. He did it really well.
“There’s an obvious race we’ll have to have a look at, but hopefully in the future there’s a stakes race or two we can have a look at.”
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Easy Peeler came home strongly to win the British EBF Supporting Racing With Pride Fillies’ Handicap at York – but is unlikely to take up her entry back on the Knavesmire on Saturday.
John and Sean Quinn’s filly has yet to finish out of the first three in her career and seems to still be improving.
Having seen off Lady Of Andros to win the class two handicap, attention swiftly turned to the valuable Churchill Tyres Supporting Macmillan Sprint Handicap for which she is declared.
However, Sean Quinn feels she might have done enough for the week.
He said: “My gut feeling is she’s won a big race, it’s a very warm day and she got warm before the race so she’s expended a lot of energy.
“She’s a filly we like, so I don’t think we need to come again tomorrow because we don’t really need to. She’s won a good race there.
“She’s progressing nicely. She’s running in some nice handicaps at the moment, but she was bred by Whitsbury Manor Stud who have Havana Grey and they’ve leased her to Hot To Trot (owning syndicate), so she’ll end up back there as a broodmare and they’d love to get black type. That’s a little way from our minds at the moment.”
David Egan was predicting a bright future for India Love (13-2) after the George Boughey-trained filly made a winning debut in the Juddmonte EBF Fillies’ Restricted Novice Stakes.
The more experienced Bleep Test made a bold bid from the front but despite racing keenly early on, India Love still had enough left to win by a neck.
India Love made a winning debut under David Egan (Nick Robson/PA)
“She’s been keen at home and shown plenty of enthusiasm so cover was the plan today and I’m glad we got it. I think it’s just a case of she’s very, very quick,” said Egan.
“She’ll get faster with that run and even though she was on it early on, she was very well behaved in the prelims which is half the battle.
“In a stronger race they’ll go even fast. She’s a nice filly. For a Havana Grey she was very well bought for £55,000 guineas and she’d done everything right at home.”
Andrea Pinna rode his first York winner when bringing Feel The Need with a sustained run down the outside in the Andy Thornton Hospitality Furniture 50th Anniversary Apprentice Handicap.
Feel The Need was a first York winner for Andrea Pinna (Nick Robson/PA)
Having just his second ride on the Knavesmire, Pinna, who rides primarily for Kevin Frost, had been booked by Michael Herrington for the five-year-old.
The 13-2 chance just got the better of course specialist Tolstoy to win by a neck.
“I saw the favourite edging closer so I just followed him and if the ground was a bit softer he would have won easier,” said Pinna.
“I wanted to drop in and see if a couple of gaps opened up, but I couldn’t see any so I just stayed on that line and he galloped on strong.
“He likes this track and soft ground suits him better.”
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Saba Desert made no mistake on debut to take the British Stallion Studs EBF Maiden Stakes for Charlie Appleby at Sandown.
The Godolphin-owned and bred colt is by Dubawi and out of Finespun, a daughter of Luca Cumani’s Irish 1,000 Guineas winner Gossamer.
Godolphin and Appleby chose the same race as a career starting point for Native Trail in 2021, who went on to win two Group Ones by the end of his two-year-old year and was the Irish 2,000 Guineas winner the following term.
Now then … 👀
Dubawi colt 𝐒𝐚𝐛𝐚 𝐃𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐭 makes a most impressive racecourse debut @Sandownpark 🔥
Those are big shoes to fill, but under William Buick the 4-7 favourite looked potentially nice in prevailing by three-quarters of a length to get his own juvenile campaign under way.
“It was important to get some cover on him and do everything as you’d want to first time out,” Buick said.
“He’s a very fast horse, with a good attitude and a good mind in everything he does. I was very pleased with what he did there.
“He’s got plenty of pace. When you ask him, he’s there for you. He’s a very talented colt.”
Rising Power also made a winning start in the British EBF Novice Stakes, to give Godolphin, Appleby and Buick a double.
The Wootton Bassett colt was sent off as the 1-2 favourite over a bare-minimum five-furlong trip.
Rising Power kick-started a Godolphin double (Adam Davy/PA)
He found an adversary in Rod Millman’s 2-1 chance Killavia, but after the two locked horns it was Rising Power who took a three-quarter-length verdict.
“He was very gutsy. It was a little bit harder work than I probably would have liked or expected, but he’s a horse that probably wants six furlongs now, or even seven,” Buick told Racing TV.
“He ran against some speedy types there and showed his quality, that’s always good to have, he battled on and kept responding the whole way.
“He’s not the biggest horse, but he’s got a big heart.”
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Grand National-winning rider Patrick Mullins ticked off another course on his mission to conquer Britain when victorious at Chester on Friday.
Although only 30 miles separate the Roodee and Aintree, the two courses could not be more different in their make up, and only two months after winning the world’s most famous steeplechase, the amateur pilot switched codes to navigate the tight turns of Chester.
Mullins had finished third in the HRS Cladding Amateur Jockeys’ Handicap aboard John and Sean Quinn’s Red Mirage 12 months ago, but was handed the prime position of stall one aboard Ollie Sangster’s Profit Refused (3-1 favourite) this time around.
Away well over the seven-furlong trip, the 35-year-old had his mount in a handy position throughout and after kicking clear in the straight, just had enough petrol in reserve to hold off the fast-finishing defending champion Outrun The Storm by a neck.
Mullins, who celebrated with a flying dismount, said: “I was wondering if I had kicked too soon and he broke well and I did want to keep my powder dry as long as I could, but then there comes a time where you have to go or you are going to stall and we got home in front – stall one is a massive help here.
“It’s not quite Galway in reverse as Galway has a lot of ups and downs and Chester is completely unique – it’s a circle. I was keen to come back here after riding in this race last year and these opportunities you have to take when you can.
“The speed is a huge buzz. We get to race over this trip at Laytown, but that is a straight course, so to do it here round a bend is great.
“I’m so lucky to ride in a Grand National then to come here and ride over seven furlongs around Chester, not many people get the opportunity to do that.”
It was a close finish in the Chester opener (David Davies/PA)
On his ambition to ride a winner at every track in Britain, he added: “It’s been a magic day and there’s 25 more jumps tracks for me to go, I think Cartmel is definitely high on the list.”
Mullins’ victory came in the colours of the Pompey Ventures team, in which school friend David Byrne is a partner.
Byrne was thrilled to be able to provide his friend a rare opportunity on the Flat and told Sky Sports Racing: “We went to school together, we started school when we were 12 and have been pals ever since.
“He’s always been talented and this is great. Everything worked out that we had a runner in an amateur race and Paddy is trying to ride a winner at every track, so it was great that I could give him the call, we go a long way back.”
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Brigid’s Cloak will aim to continue her upward progression as she travels to York for the Churchill Tyres Supporting Macmillan Sprint Handicap.
Trained by Johnny Murtagh and owned by the Nick Bradley Racing Club, the Havana Grey filly got off the mark on the all-weather at Dundalk in April and has done little but improve since.
A run over six furlongs at the Curragh in May yielded another win, after which she was the runner-up of a premier handicap over a five-furlong trip at the same track earlier this month.
“She’s a gorgeous filly who we’ve really liked since we bought her, Havana Grey is obviously a very good stallion,” said Bradley.
“When she won for the first time this year she was just winning in turn, but she’s absolutely come on a lot since then.
“Johnny’s putting her improvement down to her behaviour at the course, she’s been great recently and she’s getting better and better.
“She’s gone up 2lb after finishing second last time. It wasn’t an easy decision to run her here, but the money is very good and my owners love having a runner – hopefully a winner – at York.
“It’s a nice race and I do think she’ll win off her mark. Whether that’s on Saturday or not, we’ll find out.”
Also involved is Roger Teal’s Hucklesbrook, a winner last time out at Leicester after starting his campaign off over six furlongs at Ascot.
“I think he needed the race at Ascot but he ran a solid race. He came forward for that at Leicester – he did very well, won nicely,” said Teal.
“Hopefully, if he brings that form to the table, then you’d put him in the mix. I don’t think he’s really ground dependent – he’s pretty versatile. He’s got a nice draw in the middle there, I think, so we’re hoping for a big run from him.”
Of the boosted prize fund offered on the Knavesmire, Teal added: “They are very few and far between, so it’s nice we can have a crack at bringing home a nice pot if we can. But it’s going to be a very competitive race, so it’s not going to be easy.”
Also in the mix is Ollie Sangster’s Tuco Salamanca, who has had a busy and fruitful year already when adding a string of placed efforts on turf to three wins on the all-weather.
Those performances have provided plenty of encouragement to owners Pompey Ventures syndicates, whose founding partner Owen Haly said: “We’re delighted he got in the race as it’s a big pot and a nice flat, straight track should suit him.
“He owes us nothing, but I hope there is more to come from him and it wouldn’t surprise me to see him run well at a nice price.”
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Absurde will return to the scene of his most valuable victory to date when he lines up for the Sky Bet Race To The Ebor Grand Cup Stakes at York on Saturday.
Willie Mullins’ seven-year-old is a true dual-purpose performer who won the County Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival in 2024 and then the Listed Chester Stakes later the same year.
He started his Flat campaign this season at the latter track when third in the Group Three Ormonde and now turns his attentions to the Knavesmire again, where he landed the Ebor under an inspired Frankie Dettori in 2023.
“He’s an incredible horse, he’s been to Cheltenham, Ascot and Chester,” said Patrick Mullins, assistant to his father.
“We’re really looking forward to sending him back to York, he obviously won the Ebor there back in 2023.
“He’s in great form at home, he’s race-fit and we’re expecting a big run from him.”
A field of five has assembled for the race, with Andrew Balding’s Alsakib also bringing course-and-distance form to the table as the winner of the Silver Cup last term.
Charlie Appleby’s El Cordobes and David Simock’s Raja Raja both run, and so too does Karl Burke’s Al Qareem.
The six-year-old was the runner-up behind Alsakib in the Silver Cup last year, and has returned to action this season in good form with a win in the Listed Further Flight and a second-placed effort ahead of Absurde in the Ormonde.
“He’s in great form at home, the ground isn’t going to be ideal but hopefully we’ll get a shower,” said Nick Bradley of ownership group Nick Bradley Racing.
“The alternative was to go to the Listed race at Goodwood that Hamish won (the Tapster Stakes), we’d have had the ground there but the race would have potentially been a bit tougher.
“He’s in great form and this will hopefully set him up nicely for the rest of the season.”
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Aidan O’Brien’s Illinois and Francis-Henri Graffard’s Candelari have the chance to fill the void left by Kyprios after standing their ground for the Gold Cup at Royal Ascot.
There is a vacancy at the top of the staying tree after the recent retirement of O’Brien’s dual Gold Cup hero, but hopes are high Illinois could prove a ready-made replacement judged on his impressive Ormonde Stakes success at Chester.
O’Brien has also confirmed Coronation Cup hero Jan Brueghel, but Illinois is poised for a mouthwatering showdown with Graffard’s French raider, who announced himself at the top-level with a sublime performance at ParisLongchamp in the Prix Vicomtesse Vigier.
John and Thady Gosden’s Trawlerman and Sweet William have been regular bridesmaids to Kyprios and now have the chance of their moment in the spotlight, with the former winning well in his Sandown reappearance.
Andrew Balding’s Coltrane is another regular in this event, but he will have to reverse Sagaro Stakes form with Michael Bell’s Yashin to make his presence felt, with Bell looking to recreate the Gold Cup exploits of Big Orange from 2017.
Saeed bin Suroor has confirmed Dubai Gold Cup scorer Dubai Future, with James Ferguson’s Wonder Legend given the chance to transfer his smart all-weather form on turf.
The 10-strong list is rounded off by Alan King’s stalwart Trueshan, although the warm weather has the potential to once again scupper any hope of him appearing in this race.
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Wathnan Racing have swooped to secure the services of top international jockey James McDonald for Royal Ascot.
The Emir of Qatar’s racing operation enjoyed a four-timer at the Royal meeting 12 months ago and with a swelling team once again this year and multiple entries in many races, the New Zealand-born pilot will prove a more than able deputy to James Doyle for the leading owners.
Wathnan’s racing adviser Richard Brown said: “We’re going to have a good-sized team with multiple entries in certain races.
“William Buick helps us when he can but obviously his availability is limited and when talking to the team, we decided we needed to have somebody in position who might be able to help us.
Jockey James McDonald has plenty of Royal Ascot experience (Nigel French/PA)
“A lot of the top guys here have got their own commitments and we heard with interest that James McDonald is coming over to ride Carl Spackler, so we reached out to him and he’s going to be here Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday before flying home for a wedding at the weekend.”
A good friend of Wathnan number one Doyle, ‘J-Mac’ has enjoyed notable recent success on the world stage aboard Hong Kong star Romantic Warrior, while he has a stellar record at Royal Ascot enjoying a treble in 2022 which included Group One glory aboard Australian ace Nature Strip.
“I would imagine James will ride five or six for us over the first three days,” continued Brown.
James McDonald celebrates winning aboard Nature Strip (David Davies/PA)
“He has a great record at Ascot and he’s great mates with James Doyle, which is an important dynamic to it. They will be able to run through the horses together that James Doyle knows so well and ‘Doyler’ has got a few hard decisions to make.
“But James is such a team player and is very pro the idea and I’m sure he’ll be helping the other James with the form of the races and the horses he’ll be on.
“We didn’t want to leave anything to chance and it’s very hard to get the top guys booked with them having their own commitments, so to have James McDonald riding for us where we have multiple entries and William Buick can’t (ride) makes an awful lot of sense.”
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Rogue Supremacy is providing owners The Rogues Gallery with plenty of excitement ahead of Royal Ascot – providing their heads are not turned by a big-money move prior to the summer highlight kicking off.
David O’Meara’s youngster impressed when making all in his Wetherby debut, scorching clear of the opposition to give himself the options of the Coventry Stakes, Norfolk Stakes and Windsor Castle at the Royal meeting.
“We really, really like this horse, loads of people are trying to buy this horse and he could even be sold by the time we get to Ascot but I’m trying not to,” said Tony Elliott, founder of The Rogues Gallery.
“The jockey was more or less stood up with him the whole way at Wetherby and we don’t know what we’ve got yet and that’s the whole idea of going to Ascot.
“He’s sharp and we don’t know if he’ll get the six furlongs, so it could be that we’re looking at the five-furlong races over the Coventry.
“But I’ll leave that with David O’Meara, he knows the horse and it’s not really my decision, I leave it to the trainers. He’ll be entered in three of the races and it’s just a case of then picking the right one.”
The son of St Mark’s Basilica has courted plenty of attention since getting his sire off the mark last month, but at the moment the ‘Rogues’ are withstanding the pressure to sell the talented youngster, having already cashed in on the Paddy Twomey-trained Rogue Legend prior to Ascot.
Rogue Legend transferred to the ownership of American John Stewart and his Resolute Racing operation for a fee rumoured to be seven figures, and Elliott admitted there is always plenty to consider when offers hit the table.
He added: “It’s not all about selling because we want some nice ones ourselves and it’s a tricky situation. However, we’re not all multi-millionaires and sometimes you have to use your head rather than your heart ruling your head.
“People keep saying it must be a lovely position to be in, but it’s difficult. We all want a bit of money, but at the same time we want those nice horses as well. Luckily enough we keep putting ourselves in this position and I do think we’ve plenty of cracking horses coming through of real quality.”
Royal Ascot winner Rogue Millennium and crack sprinter Rogue Lightning were two others to excel for The Rogues Gallery before switching hands for £1.65million and £1million respectively at the sales, as the popular syndicate continues to source above-average operators.
And Rogue Supremacy could be joined next week by James Owen’s Rogue Millions, who is poised for the Golden Gates Handicap after readily accounting for some smart opposition at Chepstow recently.
“Rogue Millions will hopefully go to the Golden Gates and he could even be our best horse, he beat two really nice horses comfortably at Chepstow,” continued Elliott.
“We’ve got a lot of nice ones at the moment and everyone is buzzing, it couldn’t be going better for us. I would say we’re overachieving and I guess the person under pressure is me to keep finding them.”
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Michael O’Callaghan’s Copacabana Sands remained in good form to the take the Barberstown Castle Stakes at Leopardstown.
The three-year-old filly landed the Listed Owenstown Stud Stakes at Naas last time out, prior to which she was a respectable fifth in the Priory Belle despite encountering very little luck in running.
At Leopardstown she returned at the same Group Three level as the latter contest, and under Wayne Lordan was an 11-2 chance when prevailing by a length and three quarters.
“She won her Listed race on good ground the last day but Wayne felt she probably improved for that (soft) ground,” said O’Callaghan.
“She found trouble again in running, she seems to do that, but she showed a bit of class and a bit of grit to get out and quicken up to win well.
“We’ll probably plan an autumn campaign for her. The ground would be a factor and she’s also been on the go from early in the spring.
“She tries very hard, so she leaves nothing behind and deserves a break.”
Gavin Cromwell’s Brownstown could have a smart future after making a winning introduction in the Irish EBF Median Sires Series Fillies Maiden.
Sent off the 3-1 second favourite in the hands of Gary Carroll, the daughter of Cracksman showed a likeable attitude once kicking clear of the field to hold on for a half-length success.
Carroll said: “She’s a filly we like a lot. She’s a big, long-striding filly who travels well and has a gear.
“She picked up to win well and has got tired inside the furlong pole. She had a good blow, and the ground is probably as slow as she wants it. She has a bit of class.
“She won a barrier trial well and stepped forward. She’s a very straightforward filly and I think as the year goes on, she’ll keep improving.”
There was also a first victory for Dermot Weld’s Sindria (3-1) in the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Fillies Maiden, with the daughter of Kodiac running on strongly in the hands of Chris Hayes to pip Johnny Murtagh’s 6-4 favourite Shakazia.
Dermot Weld’s Sindria won nicely (PA)
Weld said: “She ran a very good race on her only run as a two-year-old and at Naas the ground was probably a bit quick for her, and she ran too free early on.
“She only finished about four lengths behind the favourite in Naas having done a lot wrong. We’ve spent a lot of time over the last couple of weeks just getting her to relax and settle to enjoy her work. The proof of the pudding was winning there today.
“She’s by Kodiac out of a Galileo mare and that’s why she came home well there. A good ride from the winning jockey.”
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Colin Keane made the perfect start as Juddmonte retained jockey when Blue Bolt recorded a bloodless victory at Newbury on Thursday.
It was the first time the six-time Irish champion had donned the famous colours of the Abdullah family since his appointment was announced on Monday, as he took the reins aboard Andrew Balding’s Windsor scorer Blue Bolt, who was sent off the 6-4 second-favourite for the Darley EBF Fillies’ Novice Stakes.
The Irishman left little to chance with a positive ride and having asked his mount to quicken and put the race to bed passing the two-furlong pole, Blue Bolt soon put distance between his rivals.
Although seeing her advantage shortened by Roger Varian’ Majaz in the closing stages, Blue Bolt was still a length and a quarter clear at the winning post to help rubber stamp Keane’s position as first choice to one of the leading ownership operations in racing.
His first ride and it's a first winner for Colin Keane in the @JuddmonteFarms silks since his appointment!
Keane said: “It’s the perfect start and she is a nice filly who was a good winner the last day and seems to have stepped forward again.
“She’s very uncomplicated, she just gallops on and is a nice filly. It felt very easy for her in the first half of the race and I was trying to take her back a little bit and she just got a bit lonely once she had quickened away from them. But I would say she is a filly with a nice future.
“I’m very privileged to be asked to wear these colours and they are iconic in racing. I have grown up looking at them and their farm is only up the road so I’m in a very privileged position.”
Although this was Keane’s first ride on a member of the Juddmonte string in an official capacity, he has twice tasted Classic honours in their silks when winning the Irish 2,000 Guineas with both Siskin in 2020 and John and Thady Gosden’s Field Of Gold only last month.
Field of Gold dazzled in the Irish 2,000 Guineas (Niall Carson/PA)
It is the latter that could prove Keane’s trump card at Royal Ascot next week and speaking to Sky Sports Racing he added: “He was very good on the day (in the Irish Guineas) and he felt like a proper horse. I don’t think I’ve ridden one as good as him to be honest.
“Only time will tell, but I think a fast pace would help him and bring him along further (in the St James’s Palace) and hopefully he’s then good enough to pick them off.”
Earlier on the card George Boughey’s 8-11 favourite Moonfall opened his account at the third attempt when a two-length winner of the first division of the Local IQ EBF Novice Stakes, while Charlie Appleby’s heavy odds-on favourite Time To Turn was turned over in the second division by Clive Cox’s 28-1 outsider A Bit Of Spirit.
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After leaving a big-money offer on the table, Basher Watts is a mix of nerves and excitement ahead of Shes Perfect’s quest for Prix de Diane glory at Chantilly on Sunday.
Owned by the social media influencer’s burgeoning racing club, the Charlie Fellowes-trained filly showed her star quality when first past the post in the Poule d’Essai des Pouliches, with Watts revealing her owners had no hesitation in turning down a $2.5million offer from Japan to head back to France in search of Classic compensation.
“I’m nervous, but there’s also a lot of excitement there,” said Watts.
“We had a big offer for her last week but we put it to all her 38 owners and 37 instantly said no. You get into horse racing with a dream of owning a horse like her and sometimes some things are worth more than money.
This is so bittersweet to watch. They can’t take away that feeling we all experienced. The best feeling in the world. I could not be prouder of our horse, the people I have brought together and the journey we are all on together.
“That 15 minutes when we thought we had won the race at Longchamp is worth more money than anyone would be willing to pay and I just couldn’t ever enjoy watching her in someone else’s silks. There are so many big races to come and we want to be the ones enjoying that journey with her.
“I went in to see her do her last piece of work last week and I’ve been in to see her again today and it all still doesn’t feel real that we own the favourite for the Prix de Diane.”
After losing the French 1000 Guineas in the stewards’ room and then also failing with their subsequent attempt to appeal the decision, the Shes Perfect team were left to contemplate a Royal Ascot rematch in the Coronation Stakes with ParisLongchamp rival Zarigana or stepping up in distance for another tilt at a Classic and also redemption in France.
However, with her handler keen to explore options up in trip and a tantalising ticket to the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe waiting to be stamped for later in the season, it was decided Shes Perfect could be aptly named for the challenge of the French Oaks, with connections buoyant after being handed stall seven at Chantilly.
“We definitely spoke in depth about where to go and there were a few different factors why we decided to go back to France,” explained Watts.
Breaking: The French 1000 Guineas appeal has been dismissed and Zarigana keeps the race over Shes Perfect pic.twitter.com/M1mvmaTBdZ
“One of them is we need to know whether she stays and this will only be the fifth run of her career, so let’s find out sooner or later if she does. She has an Arc entry and it’s unbelievable to think she could even be running in a Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe.
“This is the perfect step up for her without stretching her too far and we do think French racing suits her style of racing.”
He went on: “There is also the competitor in me who thinks how sweet would it be to go back to France and win the second Classic for fillies and this time keep it. This is our last ever shot at a Classic with her, so why not roll the dice and see.
“Last time out wasn’t the ending we wanted, but even going out to France with all her owners is an amazing experience and amazing trip and we’ll go back there and hope we can ‘win’ again.”
“We were happy with the draw in seven and I thought it would be typical if we got 12 of 12, but we’ll happily take seven. Let’s hope it’s the French paying us back a little bit and we’ll keep everything crossed.”
https://www.geegeez.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/fa83379e-8370-43b3-91e0-8c3dfdec976d-scaled.jpg12802560https://www.geegeez.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/geegeez_banner_new_170x78.png2025-06-12 13:44:502025-06-12 13:44:50Shes Perfect bids to repay owners’ faith in French Oaks
Exciting filly See The Fire has been supplemented to join the likes of Los Angeles and Anmaat in a mouthwatering renewal of Wednesday’s Prince of Wales’s Stakes at Royal Ascot.
Having performed well at Group One level on several occasions last season, Andrew Balding’s See The Fire could only finish fifth on her Sandown comeback, but bounced back to form with a spectacular 12-length success in last month’s Middleton Stakes at York.
She is now set to take on the boys in the feature event on day two of the Royal meeting after being added to the £1million Prince of Wales’s Stakes at a cost of £70,000.
Los Angeles (left) and Anmaat will lock horns again at Ascot (Niall Carson/PA)
Aidan O’Brien’s Los Angeles denied the Owen Burrows-trained Anmaat by half a length in the Tattersalls Gold Cup at the Curragh last month, with last year’s winner White Birch back in fourth.
All three horses look set to line up on Wednesday, with Anmaat arguably the one open to most improvement given his Tattersalls Gold Cup appearance was his first since winning the Champion Stakes at Ascot in October.
O’Brien has also left in Continuous, while French hopes are set to be carried by Francis-Henri Graffard’s Map Of Stars and Facteur Cheval from Jerome Reynier’s yard. The former has won five of his seven starts to date and was touched off by Sosie in the Prix Ganay on his most recent outing.
Ombudsman (John and Thady Gosden), Certain Lad (Jack Channon) and Royal Champion (Karl Burke) are the others to stand their ground.
https://www.geegeez.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/280138985-scaled.jpg12802560https://www.geegeez.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/geegeez_banner_new_170x78.png2025-06-12 12:24:352025-06-12 12:24:35See The Fire supplemented for Prince of Wales’s test
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