Cornwallis Stakes (Group 3)

Fillies have a decent record against the colts and geldings in the Group 3 Newmarket Academy Godolphin Beacon Project Cornwallis Stakes, with winners this century including subsequent big-race heroines Dominica (King’s Stand), Quiet Reflection (Commonwealth Cup, Sprint Cup) and Winter Power (Nunthorpe).

Hopes must be high that this year’s race can follow in that pattern, as Coto De Caza (Simon and Ed Crisford/Harry Davies) and Grande Marques (Fozzy Stack/William Buick) dominated the finish despite racing on opposites sides of the track, the pair separated by three-parts of a length and fully three and a quarter lengths ahead of Kalayaan (James Tate/Neil Callan) in third.

The field split into two groups after the start, with the 13/2 winner tracking early leader River Seine on the stands rail, while Treasure Isle led the bigger group in the centre to far-side group.

Coto De Caza moved to the head of the smaller bunch with two furlongs to go and quickly went clear, while Grande Marques quickened on the far side. There was little to choose between the fillies as they hit the final climb, but Coto De Caza stayed on strongly for a narrow win.

Both fillies, incidentally, had been beaten at the Ayr Western Meeting, with Coto De Caza third to Star of Mehmas in the Harry Rosebery Trophy, while Grande Marques filled the same spot in the six-furlong Firth of Clyde Stakes.

Quiet Reflection and Winter Power won the Harry Rosebery before taking this contest, so Coto De Caza is treading a familiar path, and it will be interesting to see how she develops; she was awash with sweat when winning at Goodwood in the summer and was notably late into the parade ring here, getting on her toes but coping better with the occasion otherwise.

Oh So Sharp Stakes (Group 3)

There was a 25/1 surprise in the Group 3 Godolphin Lifetime Care Oh So Sharp Stakes as Merrily (Aidan O’Brien/Wayne Lordan) got the better of favourite Cathedral (Ralph Beckett/David Egan) by half a length, with the pair pulling three and a quarter lengths clear of Flight (Ollie Sangster/Oisin Murphy) in third.

The daughter of No Nay Never comes from an excellent Juddmonte family, with her granddam being a full-sister to Emulous, dam of Arc winner Bluestocking.

The field raced as a bunch here, tending to stay middle to far side, despite the result of the Cornwallis, and Merrily was held up from the highest stall as Cathedral tracked early leader First Instinct.

With over two furlongs to run, Cathedral and Flight moved up on either side to tackle the leader, while Merrily began to move closer when pulled out by Lordan, and she quickened up well to join Cathedral out of the bushes. Staying on strongly, she had to contend with a rally from the market leader, but held on comfortably enough.

Again, it bears mentioning that the first two came from the highest two stalls, while the winner’s better fancied stablemate Ecstatic faded into a modest fifth, having raced closest to the far rail in the closing stages.

Lordan said: “She’s a lovely, straightforward filly. She’s been running well all year, we just needed to find her day and today was her day.

“She’s done everything right. I jumped good and I travelled nice - got a bit of cover - and I eased through, she went forward quite well, and I thought we hit the line good. She’s a tall filly, so I think she’s going to improve plenty from two to three.”

Challenge Stakes (Group 2)

The Group 2 Challenge Stakes proved one-way traffic, as Christopher Head’s five-year-old Topgear was heavily supported into favouritism at 3/1 and cleared right away from pacesetting pair Royal Scotsman and Quinault to score unchallenged by five and a half lengths.

Royal Scotsman raced alone on the stands rail, while Quinault raced up the centre, the pair setting strong fractions, and while they deserve credit for hanging on for minor honours, neither could match the turn of foot shown by the winner, an entire son of Wootton Bassett. Topgear has been slow to mature, and only joined Head at the start of the year.

He had shown improved form on his previous start to land the Group 3 Prix du Pin at Longchamp from Ten Bob Tony, but he left that bare form behind in victory here, with Ten Bob Tony beaten over seven lengths in fourth place here. The time of this contest was almost exactly a second faster than the Oh So Sharp and a second and a half quicker than the opening maiden contest.

Bet365 Fillies’ Mile (Group 1)

10/11 favourite Desert Flower (Charlie Appleby/William Buick) took the Group 1 Fillies’ Mile by five and a half lengths from market rival January (Aidan O’Brien/Ryan Moore), with the runner-up’s stablemate Ballet Slippers (Wayne Lordan) half a length further back in third.

The pace was honest with Dreamy and Ballet Slippers racing abreast, and it looked briefly at halfway as if January was travelling much better than Desert Flower, but having raced lazily mid-race, she picked up strongly to challenge January, who had taken up the running two furlongs out, and skipped away in fine style as the runner-up lost momentum on the final climb, looking every inch a 1000 Guineas contender as she made it four wins in as many starts.

Desert Flower had beaten some useful fillies including Flight and Prestige Stakes runner-up Duty First on her debut on the July Course and didn’t need to match that form to double up in an ordinary novice over seven furlongs here.

She showed her class by beating January by a length and a half in the one-mile May Hill Stakes at Doncaster last month and it has to be a positive sign that she was able to stretch her margin over that rival here.

She certainly outstayed January for her latest win and her pedigree also suggests she will stay beyond a mile, with dam Promising Run a dual Group 2 winner over one-mile, one-furlong at Meydan, who has already produced Solario Stakes winner Aablan.

“I loved the way she paraded today,” said Charlie Appleby. “I think she challenged herself and everybody else at Doncaster; she was a bit of a handful.

“Hopefully, she’ll be a maturer filly in the spring. She’s a scopey filly, but you’d love to see her put a few kilos on over the winter. She hasn’t put a kilo on since mid-summer, and she’s had nice gaps between her races to do so, but it’s just the make-up of her so far.”

Pride Stakes (Group 3)

Rossa Ryan ended the week as he had started it – by winning a stakes race on a Ralph Beckett-trained mare.

Lady Boba (5/1) has a bit to go to emulate Bluestocking but, like the Arc winner, she is a very consistent performer and thoroughly deserved her day in the Group 3 Pride Stakes over 10 furlongs.

The four-year-old daughter of Lope De Vega won a listed race in France last season and had shaped well on all four of her starts in Britain this season, without winning. Here, she turned around recent Yarmouth form with Sound Angela, who finished second. The Henry de Bromhead-trained Higher Leaves took third.

Around the Tracks

MONAGHAN trainer Anthony McCann saddled a nice winner at Chepstow on Friday when Rockstown Girl (14/1) won a warm mares’ novice hurdle under jockey James O’Sullivan.

A maiden hurdle winner at Tipperary last May, Rockstown Girl was last seen finishing a distant third behind Drumgill at Sligo in August.

Stepping up in trip slightly at Chepstow, the six-year-old by Iffraaj travelled sweetly and comfortably accounted for the well-fancied pair of Dameofthecotswolds and Regatta De Blanc.