The first juvenile Group 1s in Great Britain occur on Saturday, with the Cheveley Park Stakes up first for the fillies. Joe Napier runs the rule over the field for GG and presents his verdict.
Last year’s running provided a true harbinger for 2024, as Porta Fortuna struck for Donnacha O’Brien. She has added three more Group 1 wins this season.
BABOUCHE
(Ger Lyons/Colin Keane)
Surely Ger Lyons’ curse will eventually end on these shores, but for a trainer who has numerous talented animals under his care, his record on sending runners over to Britain is becoming a serious concern for his greater fancies. He is without a winner here since 2019, with only four of his 19 participants since then even reaching the places. Given his charges are usually prominent in the market, that is a worry for the indisputably talented Babouche, and jockey Colin Keane’s own track record hardly boosts confidence.
Soon they should have a horse who is simply too good and takes the travel in their stride. This filly may well be the one, as the daughter of Kodiac is unbeaten, belying greenness to win a Group 3 against the boys on her second start before claiming her first top level win, also in open company, in the Phoenix Stakes at the Curragh. That performance oozed class, with runner-up Whistlejacket boosting the form and holding favouritism for the Middle Park Stakes half an hour later. If she loses, you have to wonder when the British winner will arrive for Lyons.
LAKE VICTORIA
(Aidan O’Brien/Ryan Moore)
Another unbeaten filly to keep Babouche on her toes, Lake Victoria looks the standout among an unsurprisingly excellent crop of fillies for Aidan O’Brien. Bedtime Story had been the story since her crushing Royal Ascot success, but this daughter of Frankel and Quiet Reflection ended her stablemate’s own undefeated record when coming from last to first to win the Group 1 Moyglare Stud Stakes over Irish Champions weekend.
That was a serious performance in what looked a small but sturdy line-up, and she was comfortably on top by the line. That said, she drops to 6f for the first time here having won all her races over 7f, and it was only in the final furlong that she really hit full cry last time out. She has already travelled to England and won, on the July Course in August, but though her dam was a top class sprinter, this filly may want further to deploy her best stride.
DAYLIGHT
(Patrice Cottier/Mickael Barzalona)
Three of seven runnings of the Cheveley Park went the way of French-trained fillies between 2007 to 2013, so there is a historic record backing the chances of Daylight, one of two French raiders in the line-up. Mickael Barzalona travels over for the ride too, which is a statement of intent.
The daughter of Earthlight has won two of her four starts, winning a Deauville Group 3 before an admirable third to Whistlejacket in the Group 1 Prix Morny at the same venue. Given the winner made all and she was forced to wait for a gap from the back, her performance is worth upgrading, so while she has collateral form to make up with Babouche, the gap might be bridgeable. The forecast rain is a distinct positive too.
CELANDINE
(Ed Walker/Tom Marquand)
The most exposed runner in the field after six runs, Celandine does at least boast considerable Group race experience. Ed Walker’s filly has won three of those six races, including Listed and Group 2 successes, while she has also hit the frame in Pattern company at Chantilly and Glorious Goodwood.
The latter run was notable for her adaptability for 5f, but she has been seen to best effect over this trip, taking the Group 2 Lowther Stakes at York last time out. That form has not been overly tested, though early signals are mixed, and she steps up in class against more proven fillies here.
ITV Racing Tips – Best Bets For Day 2 Of Cambridgeshire Meeting At Newmarket
It’s day two of the Cambridgeshire Meeting on Friday 27th September and there are three Group races and a Listed event taking place at Newmarket in front of the ITV Racing cameras. Our in-house tipster Steve Chambers takes a look at the live terrestrial action and picks out his best bets of the day… 1:50pm…
Thu 26 Sep 2024
THE FIELD
The second French hope is Rayevka for the all conquering Francis-Henri Graffard. She steps into Group company for the first time here, but could not have been much more impressive in winning at Chantilly on her second start last week and few can doubt her trainer’s confidence after taking some notable scalps on these shores this term.
The remaining trio are all home hopefuls, with Leovanni the most likely challenger. She was only third to Celandine last time out, but may have been forced to make her challenge on the wrong side of the track and could easily turn that form around; her previous form in winning the Queen Mary Stakes still looks very strong.
Arabian Dusk took out a Group 2 on the July Course when still a maiden but looked to have her limitations laid bare in the Prix Morny while Magic Mild has some decent form in the book, but at too low a level to be seriously considered here.
VERDICT
Significant rain may well fall in advance of the off, which asks an uncomfortable question of Babouche, especially as her trainer has really struggled when sending runners over to Britain of late. He did win this race in 2011, but travel and ground concerns suggest a better bet may be French challenger DAYLIGHT. Her third in the Prix Morny can be upgraded, and she has already won on soft, so the collateral form she has to make up with the likely favourite looks surmountable. Aidan O’Brien obviously has a fine record in this race and it is a sign of confidence in Lake Victoria’s ability that he relies solely on her, albeit she looked a more obvious candidate to step up to 1m than drop to 6f. Bigger challenges could come from the other French filly Rayevka given how well Francis-Henri Graffard has done this season in England, and Leovanni, whose Royal Ascot form should still be her primary marker.
- Daylight
- Babouche
- Rayevka
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