Doncaster Sunday

MATILDA Picotte (Kieran Cotter/Oisin Murphy) bounced back to winning ways with an all-the-way success in the Group 3 Sceptre Fillies’ Stakes at Doncaster on Sunday.

The 1000 Guineas third had been runner-up in a similar contest at Tipperary a fortnight earlier but showed improved form to blitz her rivals, despite typically looking quite a handful in the preliminaries.

Murphy had Matilda Picotte quickly into her stride, chased by last year’s 1000 Guineas winner Cachet.

That filly had been off the track since Royal Ascot last season, however, and she was feeling the effects of the strong pace with a couple of furlongs still to travel, leaving Matilda Picotte clear.

She kept up the gallop to beat Nigiri (Ralph Beckett/Hector Crouch) by almost four lengths, with a further two lengths back to Vetiver (Andrew Balding/P.J. McDonald). The winner was returned at an SP of 6/1.

Matilda Picotte is likely to be sold at the end of the year and that is also the case for Cachet, who ran well considering her absence and may head back to Newmarket for the Sun Chariot Stakes next according to George Boughey.

French target

The winning trainer suggested that Matilda Picotte would be kept at seven furlongs, with the Group 1 Prix de la Foret at ParisLongchamp and the Challenge Stakes at Newmarket possible end-of-season targets for her before a trip to the sales ring.

“She deserved that,” said Cotter. “She got chinned by a good horse of Jim Bolger’s (Clever And Cool) last time out. I thought today back at seven and on less testing ground she’d take the beating.

“She’s a serious horse. I don’t think next year she’ll have a problem dropping back down to six, but this year I just felt three-year-olds find it hard against the older sprinters.

“She’s never ducked a challenge from day one. Her run in the Guineas was good enough to do what she did today, and we felt we had her back to 100%.

“It was fantastic, she put some serious fillies to bed there.

“She’s probably going to the sales at the end of the year so she might not be mine, but she could be a serious sprinter next year with another year on her back.”

The Listed Scarborough Stakes on Sunday saw just four go to post, and Tom Clover’s 9/4 second favourite Rogue Lightning (Danny Tudhope) proved too good for favourite Raasel in the finish, winning by a comfortable three-quarters of a length.

The son of Kodiac had won handicaps at Doncaster and Ascot (Shergar Cup) on his previous starts and looks worth another crack at group company on this evidence.