Newmarket Friday

bet365 Fillies’ Mile (Group 1)

FOR much of the Group 1 Fillies’ Mile, the much-hyped 9/4 favourite Quadrilateral (Roger Charlton/Jason Watson) looked unlikely to win, but she produced a strong run from the dip to catch May Hill winner Powerful Breeze (Hugo Palmer/James Doyle) and Moyglare Stud Stakes winner Love (Aidan O’Brien/Ryan Moore), winning by a head and a length and a half. Jessica Harrington’s Cayenne Pepper caught the eye having been outpaced and then crossed by the winner before being switched and staying on well. All four could be classic fillies next season.

Quadrilateral shot to the head of the market for the 1000 Guineas (displacing Powerful Breeze) when winning a Newbury novice by nine lengths last month, but the daughter of Frankel’s performance there did not quite merit the reviews it received, and that lack of experience at pattern level looked like finding her out here.

That she could regather herself after being taken off her feet to get the better of Powerful Breeze, who travelled best, marks the winner out as out of the top drawer. Charlton said: “I guess we’ll come back for the Guineas, we would probably come straight here without a prep run.”

Blustery

That’s not to diminish the performance of the runner-up, and it was no advantage to be out in front in blustery conditions here. The Doncaster winner more than backed up her effort to defeat Boomer in the May Hill, and did much more right than she did wrong here.

Given how she travels, and her ability to quicken on demand, she is arguably a better prospect for the fillies’ classic, although Quadrilateral should have learnt a lot from this baptism of fire, and is clearly open to improvement.

Love needs no excuses, and despite having raced seven times now, is a daughter of Galileo and still likely to improve again with a winter behind her, as so many of her erstwhile stablemates by that stallion have done in the past.

Cayenne Pepper lacks the speed to be considered a serious Guineas contender on this evidence, but the daughter of Australia has Oaks written all over her.

THE Group 3 Cornwallis may have fallen short of the expected standard, but it served up a competitive heat as a result, and Dave Evans recorded a rare pattern win as his tough daughter of Due Diligence, Good Vibes (12/1). She made most under Richard Kingscote, and proved game in holding off the strong challenge of Aidan O’Brien’s Pistoletto (Ryan Moore) to win by a neck.

Jouska (Henry Candy/Shane Foley) never looked like winning, but finished best for third, just three-quarters of a length behind the winner at the line.

Good Vibes has come up short in Group 3 company a couple of times since winning the Listed Marygate Stakes at York in May, and her win here doesn’t represent a huge advance on what she’s achieved before. She was given a 25/1 quote for the Commonwealth Cup, but there weren’t many beating a path to the counter to avail of that. She is, however, a strong sort with more hope of training on than many who excel at five furlongs as juveniles, so has prospects of doing well if placed carefully next season.

Pistoletto has disappointed since winning at Naas in May, but showed belated improvement here, and simply seems best granted a pure test of speed.

The 5/4 favourite Platinum Star was left poorly placed, and failed to cope with the drop back to five furlongs after producing a career-best effort over six at Ripon on her previous start. She can be forgiven this.

SHE had already run 11 times and was up against progressive rivals in the Group 3, but Rose Of Kildare (Mark Johnston/Joe Fanning) proved typically determined as she turned back every challenge to gain her second successive win at this level, rewarding backers with an SP of 12/1.

The winner looked there to be cut down as challenges materialised on both sides, but found plenty to prevail by a neck and the same from Valeria Messalina (Jessica Harrington/Shane Foley) and Separate (Richard Hannon/Sean Levey). Harrington’s other runner Nope was a head behind in fourth.

The winner is from the first crop of French Guineas and Prix de La Foret winner Make Believe out of Listed Ballymacoll Stud Stakes winner Cruck Realta from the family of Ibn Bey and Roseate Tern, and looks remarkably cheaply bought at just €3,000 at the Tattersalls Ireland September Sale last year. This was a likeable performance, but it’s not easy to view it too positively with Separate having been beaten in a nursery off 88 on her previous start, although it could be pointed out that the winner was winning off 81 here not long ago, and improving fillies are not always easy to pin down.

Valeria Messalina is arguably the best prospect having come here on the back of a maiden win on debut, and her half-brother Pincheck won the Group 3 Desmond Stakes (one mile) at Leopardstown last year for Harrington.

THE drop to seven furlongs may have looked a worry for Lockinge Stakes hero Mustashry (Sir Michael Stoute/Jim Crowley), but the 2/1 second favourite was soon in pole position. Using his stride to put the others under pressure, he not only didn’t look like being beaten at any point, but suggested that he was better than ever in beating Limato (Henry Candy/Ryan Moore), who had taken this Group 2 prize for the past two years.

The runner-up gave his all but was still one and a quarter lengths adrift of the impressive winner at the line, although two and three-quarter lengths ahead of Oh This Is Us in third. Race favourite Shine So Bright had a battle royal with Laurens at York in August, and like her has run as if that race has left a mark since, although there is a more obvious excuse for him here in that he seemed not to cope with the tacky ground, his Knavesmire win coming on a firm surface.