Tag Archive for: 1000 Guineas

Oaks option open for Caernarfon after fine Guineas effort

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Jack Channon will not rule out the possibility of running Caernarfon in the Betfred Oaks after she stayed on well to finish fourth in the Qipco 1000 Guineas at Newmarket on Sunday.

The daughter of Cityscape had won twice last term, signing off with success in the Listed Montrose Fillies’ Stakes over course and distance.

Having the first run of her three-year-old season in the mile Classic, Connor Beasley’s mount made up plenty of ground and was never nearer than at the finish in very testing soft ground.

Though she had no chance with winner Mawj and runner-up Tahiyra, who put over seven lengths between themselves and third-placed Matilda Picotte, Channon was more than satisfied.

“We were absolutely chuffed with her,” said the West Ilsley handler, who has this season taken over the training licence from his father, Mick.

“We knew once we had that rain, not so much that she needs soft ground, we just suspected all spring that a mile and a quarter or a mile and a half might be her optimum – that’s why we stuck her in the Oaks and the French Oaks – we thought the rain might slow it up (for others).

“It looked to be a very good race and they took six lengths out of them, three (furlongs) down, and she’s done extremely well to stay on all the way to the line.

“She has picked up two Group One-winning two-year-old fillies in the final furlong and I think it was strong form, and I was chuffed with her run.”

Caernarfon’s sire won over nine furlongs, although he was only tried once over 10, while her unraced dam is by Group One-winning sprinter Royal Applause.

However, while not bred to star over 12 furlongs, she has shown all the right signs that she could be a force, should she line up in the Epsom fillies’ Classic.

Channon added: “She could well be an Oaks filly. It is a big step up from a mile to a mile and a half, but I’ve always had the opinion that the best Oaks trial and the best Derby trial are in the Guineas’.

“She is an extremely well-balanced filly and she settles so well, which would give her every chance to stay if we wanted to try that.

“We have got her in over a mile and a quarter in France and we’ve also got her in over a mile and a half (at Epsom).

“We will probably look at one of those options close to the time, but we will see how she trains this week and see how she comes out of it first of all.”

‘She has run a wonderful race’ – Weld so proud of Tahiyra in defeat

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Dermot Weld felt the lack of a recent run cost Tahiyra, who finished a close-up second to Mawj in the Qipco 1000 Guineas at Newmarket.

The Aga Khan-owned daughter of Siyouni had been vastly impressive when taking the Moyglare on her last run in September.

However, her trainer felt that she would have benefitted from an extra couple of weeks and having made a tardy start from the stalls in the mile fillies’ Classic, she had plenty of ground to make up.

The fact that Chris Hayes’ mount got within half a length of the Saeed bin Suroor-trained winner, following a ding-dong battle from the dip, said plenty about her ability.

After the 6-4 favourite’s defeat, Weld said: “She ran a big race, probably the ground was a shade slow for her.

“We know she has a lot of pace, a lot of speed. She has run a wonderful race – she was seven and a half lengths ahead of the third.

“She has run a very good race. The ground just takes the real speed off her. She’s run, she’s quickened, and Chris Hayes has probably told you that there is another gear there we didn’t just quite get today.

“I’m thrilled with her, she has put in a wonderful performance. I would like to have seen the head-on, as Chris did feel she was carried across a bit.”

Weld left it until late before giving Tahiyra the go-ahead for Newmarket, after he felt she could have done with a little more time.

He explained: “Because of the weather and things we had, I had to be careful of my training of her.

“I would have liked to have got a prep race before today. She only had two runs as a two-year-old.

“The ideal plan was to give her a run in Classic trial a couple of weeks ago. The ground has been very heavy and I didn’t want to pull the guts out of her.

“So we came into the race slightly undercooked. We had her 95 per cent and we didn’t have her 100 per cent and we have got beaten half a length.”

When asked about the possibility of running in the Irish equivalent in two weeks’ time, Weld added: “We’ll see how she comes out of the race. She has had a tough, hard race. I have another Aga Khan filly called Tarawa that ran a very nice prep for the Irish Guineas at Leopardstown today – she was second (to Zarinsk). She is a very sweet filly and she was always on my mind for that, but let’s see.

Tahiyra was touched off by Mawj in the Qipco 1000 Guineas
Tahiyra was touched off by Mawj in the Qipco 1000 Guineas (Nigel French/PA)

“I’m very proud of her – she has run a great race. There’s lots of places we can go with her – she’s run big. I’m delighted with her. Full marks to the winner.”

Kieran Cotter will send Matilda Picotte to the Commonwealth Cup at Royal Ascot after her third-place finish under Ronan Whelan.

Like the winner, she had a busy juvenile campaign, running six times, although she was trying a mile for the first time, having finished runner-up to Never Ending Story at Leopardstown on her three-year-old debut.

Matilda Picotte ran a cracker to finish third
Matilda Picotte ran a cracker to finish third (Niall Carson/PA)

Cotter said: “We are all here and are absolutely over the moon. It was brilliant – she got some cheer in the stands, I can tell you. There are about 20 or 30 of us here.

“We said coming here that third was up for grabs and we knew we had a serious chance of third. We knew she’d be running on fresh air late on, but she is a marvellous filly.

“The track is tailor-made for her, because she has so much pace and she can trap down, cruise down into the dip for the climb home.

“I doubt she will run over the mile again. We’ll go back down to six (furlongs) for the Commonwealth Cup. I think she’ll go straight there to Royal Ascot. We’ll make sure we enjoy the celebrations!”

Joe Fanning, who rode Dance In The Grass to finish fifth at odds of 200-1, felt she would benefit for going up in distance after staying on well.

Dance In The Grass was a fair fifth
Dance In The Grass was a fair fifth (Tim Goode/PA)

He said: “She ran a great race, I just got lost a bit halfway. She stayed on very well and is crying out for extra trip.”

Ryan Moore was a place behind aboard Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies’ Turf winner, the Aidan O’Brien-trained Meditate.

“She ran respectably. The ground wouldn’t have been in her favour,” Moore said.

Olivia Maralda (125-1) was seventh under David Egan, who said: “I was pleased with the way she ran and I think she’ll be a better filly on top of the ground.

“I thought she was going to be fourth best the last two furlongs, but being on that tacky ground on the last couple of hundred yards up the hill caught her out. She’s a tough filly.”

Frankie Dettori had to settle for eighth on Lezoo
Frankie Dettori had to settle for eighth on Lezoo (John Walton/PA)

Frankie Dettori, victorious aboard Chaldean in the 2000 Guineas on Saturday, was eighth on his final 1000 Guineas ride.

His mount, Lezoo, was always up against it on ground that was too soft for her.

He said: “We tried but we’ll go back to sprinting.”

In contrast, 17-year-old sensation Billy Loughnane was having his first ride in a Classic and finished 14th aboard another 200-1 chance, Sweet Harmony.

He said: “It was a good run. Me and Spence (trainer Richard Spencer) thought we’d try something (and race on the near side) as it hadn’t been raced on for the last few days.

“It probably didn’t pay off in the end, but she’s run well and she’ll be putting her head in front soon.

“That was a class experience. It’s amazing the speed they go in those races! She’s run a cracker.”

Bin Suroor and Murphy thrilled to be back at the top table

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Saeed bin Suroor and Oisin Murphy were thrust back into the spotlight, with Mawj emerging triumphant in an epic renewal of the Qipco 1000 Guineas at Newmarket.

While neither is any stranger to big-race success, for differing reasons victories at the top table have been harder to come by in recent times.

Murphy was champion jockey for three seasons on the trot between 2019 and 2021, but last year was a troubling one for the rider as alcohol and Covid breaches led to him serving a 14-month suspension imposed by the British Horseracing Authority.

But having made his comeback in mid-February, a man of Murphy’s talents was never going to be left sitting in the weighing room when the top prizes are up for grabs and the 27-year-old proved why with a masterful ride aboard Mawj, for a first success in the Rowley Mile Classic having won the 2000 Guineas with Kameko in 2020.

Saeed bin Suroor back in the big time
Saeed bin Suroor back in the big time (David Davies for The Jockey Club)

“All the Group Ones are important and it’s a relief as well. The Guineas are such important races,” he said afterwards.

“I was on a long losing run here at Newmarket. I had four full racedays with no winner here and lots of chances and I couldn’t get on the scoresheet, but Teumessias Fox won yesterday and Running Lion was so impressive earlier, so I went out on Mawj full of confidence.”

On securing a Classic winner so soon after his return, Murphy added: “It’s beyond my wildest dreams. I had a really good start back thanks to lots of different trainers supporting me. Just to get back in the big races with a crowd here, it’s a great feeling.

“All the Group One winners mean a lot, even my first winner back meant a lot. I just realise, particularly as I’ve got older, these top-class horses are super hard to find.

“There were 20 horses in the race today who thought they had a chance of winning the 1000 Guineas and there’s only one winner, so you’ve got to savour the moment when you can get those victories.”

Oisin Murphy celebrates Mawj's success
Oisin Murphy celebrates Mawj’s success (David Davies/The Jockey Club)

Bin Suroor has saddled close to 200 Group One winners around the world during his long and illustrious training career, with names such as Dubai Millennium, Daylami, Sakhee, Swain and Lammtarra adoring his CV. But it had been 14 years since Mastery provided him with the most recent of his 12 previous Classic triumphs in the 2009 St Leger.

The hugely popular trainer has had to watch on as his fellow Godolphin handler Charlie Appleby has become the sport’s dominant force, and Bin Suroor was delighted to show that when given the ammunition he can still get the job done.

He said: ““I think this my 195th Group One winner around the world.

“It means a lot as it has been a long time since we won a Classic race in England. It means a lot to myself, Godolphin and the sport also. It has taken us a long time to win another 1000 Guineas.

“Charlie and myself are a good team. He worked for me for a long time and he has become one of the best trainers now. We are good friends.

“When we started we had very good horses in those days but recently things have been slow with the quality of horses but luckily when I saw this filly start to work, despite her being tiny, she showed her class.

“We ran her in Group races last year and she managed to win one in England then we stepped her up to a mile in Dubai and she won the Jumeirah Fillies Guineas well.

“We talked to Sheikh Mohammed and he let her run in the Guineas today and Oisin gave her a good ride. She has a big heart and I thought she was going to win when they were close.

“I thought she would do well as her last two pieces of work here in Newmarket were brilliant.

“It is a great boost for the stable and everybody at the yard will be really happy.”

Mawj digs deep to land epic Guineas for Bin Suroor and Murphy

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Mawj gained a scintillating success in the Qipco 1000 Guineas, getting the better of favourite Tahiyra after an epic duel up the Rowley Mile at Newmarket.

Trained by Saeed bin Suroor, the Exceed And Excel filly showed guts aplenty under a superb ride from Oisin Murphy to score by half a length.

The 9-1 winner had to do the hard work on the near side as the 20-strong field split into two groups – and it always looked like being a two-horse battle from the dip.

Tahiyra fell out of the stalls, but made silky-smooth headway under Chris Hayes and the Dermot Weld-trained filly looked the most likely winner a furlong out.

However, on her first start of the season, the Moyglare winner – sent off the 6-4 market leader – just lost out to the battle-hardened Mawj, who had twice won in Meydan over the winter.

The pair were seven and a half lengths clear of Kieran Cotter’s Matilda Picotte, who had helped the set the pace on the far-side group and stuck to her guns gallantly. Caernarfon was fourth at 50-1 for Jack Channonn.

It was a welcome return to the big-race winner’s enclosure for Bin Suroor and his third success in the race following Cape Verdi (1998) and Kazzia (2002), while it was Murphy’s second Classic after Kameko’s 2000 Guineas win in 2020.

Bin Suroor said: “I think this is Group One number 195 around the world.

“The filly was doing well before the race. If you saw her last year she was really tough and strong. She is a tiny filly, but she has a big heart. She is a Group Two winner here and unbeaten in Dubai.

“I spoke to Sheikh Mohammed before we ran her in Dubai over a mile. We tried her over a mile and she did well out in Dubai. I talked to Sheikh Mohammed before we declared her and it was a great decision from him, and the filly won well – we’re happy with her.

“Me and Charlie (Appleby) are a good team and he was with me for a long time before becoming the best trainer now. We’re good friends and have the best horses in the country, maybe even the world in our stables. We will sometimes have luck like with Mawj today, she’s a nice filly.

“We will keep options open and see how she comes out of the race. She’s entered in French Guineas but that is probably too close to this race, but she is also in the Irish Guineas so we will take to Sheikh Mohammed and will make a decision after a week.”

Former champion Murphy – who this season has returned to the saddle following a 14-month riding ban – said: “The sun is beating down, there are lots of people here and she walked round like she was half asleep. When I got on her back I started to believe it could happen.

All smiles from winning connections
All smiles from winning connections (Nigel French/PA)

“I was worried there wasn’t a lot of pace in the race and I rode her a bit like Frankie (Dettori) rode Chaldean yesterday – I set my own fractions on the wing with no cover. 

“It really was a very good training performance, she hasn’t run in nearly three months and I got a huge buzz out of that. These are such important races.”

Chris Hayes relishing Classic opportunity with Tahiyra

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Chris Hayes is determined to enjoy the fact he is riding the favourite Tahiyra in the Qipco 1000 Guineas at Newmarket on Sunday.

Not seen since a scintillating display in the Moyglare Stud Stakes on just her second start, the unbeaten Dermot Weld-trained filly has headed the market for the Classic all winter.

There had been some doubt as to whether she would be ready in time for Newmarket, but Weld confirmed earlier in the week she would take her chance and Hayes is understandably delighted.

“It’s great she’s been declared. Obviously she was very impressive last year and you’d have to be looking forward to her. To get the chance to ride the favourite in any English or Irish Classic is special, so we’ll enjoy it and hope for a bit of luck,” he said.

“Before Galway, she just felt a like a special filly in her work. She’d never blow you away but she just felt different, everything came with an ease to her. She excited me in Galway and when I got off that day, I felt she could potentially be a Group One filly.

“But if you’d said to me she would go and win the Moyglare next time, I wouldn’t have believed you and anybody being honest would say the same – to take that step up and put a field of that quality to bed with 100 yards to go, I don’t think anybody would have thought that.

“She looked terribly exciting that day, she seems to have wintered well so I’m looking forward to it.

“If I’m honest, since I got off her at the Curragh I’ve been looking forward to her next race tremendously. I just love riding her as she’s a pleasure to do anything with.”

Hayes won the Irish 1,000 Guineas on Weld’s Homeless Songs last year and is savouring the link with another potential star.

Chris Hayes celebrates winning the Moyglare Stud Stakes on Tahiyra
Chris Hayes celebrates winning the Moyglare Stud Stakes on Tahiyra (Donall Farmer/PA)

“I’m very excited, to get on any favourite in a Classic is rare, for me it’s the stuff of dreams so we’ll see what we can do. She’s in good shape and she’s trained by the right man, hopefully things go well,” he said.

“Meditate ran her race in the Moyglare, I know they said the ground was slower than ideal for her but we drew a long way clear of the third. Her form is rock solid.

“Obviously, like the boss has said, there’s always the question if they train on from two to three, but on her home work she appears to have and she’s just a pleasure. She’ll never get you excited going up the gallops but she turns it on at the races.

“That Moyglare form is rock solid and I certainly wouldn’t swap her for anything else.”

Aidan O’Brien’s Meditate was subsequently second in the Cheveley Park Stakes and then went to Keeneland where she won the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf over a mile.

Lezoo is the mount of Frankie Dettori
Lezoo is the mount of Frankie Dettori (David Davies/PA)

The winner of the Cheveley Park was the Ralph Beckett-trained Lezoo, the mount of Frankie Dettori, but she will be stepping up two furlongs in distance.

According to the market, Beckett’s first string is the Fred Darling winner Remarquee, who will be ridden by Rob Hornby.

Saeed bin Suroor’s Mawj will team up with Oisin Murphy for the first time after winning twice at Meydan earlier in the year.

In the first of those victories she beat Dream Of Love, while in the second she was a long way clear of Fairy Cross. Both of those are trained by Charlie Appleby and will attempt to gain their revenge.

Mammas Girl was an impressive winner of the Nell Gwyn
Mammas Girl was an impressive winner of the Nell Gwyn (Tim Goode/PA)

Mammas Girl was impressive in the Nell Gwyn for Richard Hannon and is another unbeaten contender and she will be joined be stablemate Powerdress

Polly Pott, now with Ben Pauling following the retirement of Harry Dunlop, is another Group winner in the race.

Caernarfon will attempt to give Jack Channon a Classic winner in his first season, Matilda Picotte represents Kieran Cotter while Billy Loughnane continues his rapid ascent through the ranks with a first Guineas ride on Richard Spencer’s outsider Sweet Harmony.

Only Beckett’s Juliet Sierra and O’Brien’s Never Ending Story were not declared at the 48-hour stage.

Tahiyra stars as 20 fillies declared for 1000 Guineas

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Tahiyra will attempt to maintain her unbeaten record as she takes on 19 rivals in Sunday’s Qipco 1000 Guineas at Newmarket.

Trained by Dermot Weld and owned by the Aga Khan, Tahiyra went straight from winning her maiden into Group One company for the Moyglare Stud Stakes and was an impressive two-and-a-quarter-length winner.

Back in second that day was Aidan O’Brien’s Meditate and the two will clash again.

O’Brien’s filly was subsequently second in the Cheveley Park Stakes and then went to Keeneland where she won the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf over a mile.

Lezoo is the mount of Frankie Dettori
Lezoo is the mount of Frankie Dettori (David Davies/PA)

The winner of the Cheveley Park was the Ralph Beckett-trained Lezoo, the mount of Frankie Dettori, but she will be stepping up two furlongs in distance.

According to the market, Beckett’s first string is the Fred Darling winner Remarquee, who will be ridden by Rob Hornby.

Saeed bin Suroor’s Mawj will team up with Oisin Murphy for the first time after winning twice at Meydan earlier in the year.

In the first of those victories she beat Dream Of Love, while in the second she was a long way clear of Fairy Cross. Both of those are trained by Charlie Appleby and will attempt to gain their revenge.

Mammas Girl was an impressive winner of the Nell Gwyn
Mammas Girl was an impressive winner of the Nell Gwyn (Tim Goode/PA)

Mammas Girl was impressive in the Nell Gwyn for Richard Hannon and is another unbeaten contender and she will be joined be stablemate Powerdress

Polly Pott, now with Ben Pauling following the retirement of Harry Dunlop, is another Group winner in the race.

Caernarfon will attempt to give Jack Channon a Classic winner in his first season, Matilda Picotte represents Kieran Cotter while Billy Loughnane continues his rapid ascent through the ranks with a first Guineas ride on Richard Spencer’s outsider Sweet Harmony.

Only Beckett’s Juliet Sierra and O’Brien’s Never Ending Story were not declared at the 48-hour stage.

Palmer keen on Guineas bid for Stenton Glider

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Stenton Glider booked her ticket for the Qipco 1000 Guineas when narrowly touched off at Newbury on Saturday.

Reeled in by Ralph Beckett’s Remarquee, with both fillies having just their second starts, the Fred Darling looked well up to standard as a Classic trial this year.

Having won a Chester novice on her debut in September, Stenton Glider was due to run in December, but refused to go in the stalls. She appeared to have done well through the winter, however, and looked in rude health in the Newbury paddock.

Trainer Hugo Palmer believes the striking daughter of Dandy Man warrants her place in the Rowley Mile fillies’ Classic on Sunday week after such a narrow defeat under Tom Marquand.

“Handsome is as handsome does,” laughed the Cheshire-based handler.

“As a trainer, you can’t go making expensive entries like the Guineas with a maiden winner, get beaten two-foot in a trial and then say ‘no’.

“She has got to step up and she’s a 25-1 shot, but she’s only two-foot behind a 6-1 shot. Two foot is nothing.”

Stenton Glider showed plenty of ability, taking a keen hold in the Group Three contest, before being collared inside the last 150 yards.

Palmer has no qualms about the additional furlong in the Guineas as he seeks another Classic success following Galileo Gold’s 2000 Guineas victory in 2016 and the Irish Oaks success of Covert Love in 2015.

He added: “She is going to meet a different test at Newmarket. She’s going to meet a big field and she is going to meet undulations and almost certainly going to encounter quicker ground.

“She showed loads of speed, but I’m certain she’ll stay – and Tom Marquand said a mile will be absolutely no problem to her.

“All her work suggests she’s a miler. She showed loads of speed, but they went very steady. Nothing wanted to lead, the time was very slow for good fillies.

Hugo Palmer feels the Rowley Mile will suit Stenton Glider
Hugo Palmer feels the Rowley Mile will suit Stenton Glider (Mike Egerton/PA)

“We feel she will be better on better ground. She could possibly have been a non-runner if her owner hadn’t given up tickets for the snooker World Championships to come and watch her!”

Along with her son Tom, Jane Mairs owns the filly, who is named after the famous racing bicycle invented by her grandfather, Percy Stenton.

The Stenton Glider Cycle Company was based in Ardwick, Manchester, and advertised its machines as ‘The cycle that gives you a sporting chance’.

Palmer added: “Jane’s maiden name was Stenton and her grandfather invented the first drop-handled racing bike, which was called the Stenton Glider, which debuted at the Olympics in the 1920s (Amsterdam 1928).

“All racing bikes now have handles in the drop-handle position and for Jane, who has owned horses in syndicates for a number of years, it has always been her dream to have a horse and call it Stenton Glider.”

Flaming Rib (centre) runs in Hong Kong on Sunday
Flaming Rib (centre) runs in Hong Kong on Sunday (Tim Goode/PA)

Meanwhile, Palmer’s high-class sprinter Flaming Rib, who was runner-up to Perfect Power in the Commonwealth Cup last summer and took a valuable sprint in Doha in February, has settled in well ahead of Sunday’s bid for the six-furlong Chairman’s Sprint Prize in Hong Kong.

“Flaming Rib is in good order,” said Palmer. “He was invited and he has got to raise his game to feature, but he has travelled over there in good shape and seems to love getting on an aeroplane.

“He won well in Doha and seemed to be on the wrong side in Dubai, the way the race panned out.

“It is over six furlongs and he does seem to have produced his best efforts round a bend.”

Mawj in good form ahead of 1000 Guineas challenge

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Mawj will take her chance in the Qipco 1000 Guineas on Sunday week after showing Saeed bin Suroor all the right signs since returning from Dubai.

The Exceed And Excel filly, who won the Group Two Duchess of Cambridge on Newmarket’s July course in mid-summer, was last seen in Britain finishing a close-up third to Lezoo in the Cheveley Park on the Rowley Mile course in September.

While she tackled six furlongs exclusively in her two-year-old career on these shores, she was upped in trip with success when shipped to Dubai over the winter.

Mawj duly won the seven-furlong Jumeirah Fillies Classic and then scooted to an eight-and-a-half-length success in the Jumeirah Fillies Guineas on her first try over a mile.

Though not the biggest, she has proven herself to be all heart in winning four of her seven career starts, and she is as short as 12-1 for the mile fillies’ Classic.

Bin Suroor said: “She is good, has been working well and in good form. She will run in the Guineas.

“She is a nice filly and a proven filly. She has shown plenty of speed, but she stayed a mile well in Dubai and now we will give her a chance in the Guineas.

“It is a very tough race, but we have to give her a chance and see how she goes, as she has earned that chance.

“She has grown a little, but not much. That is why we gave her a break between races. Two-year-olds, when you give them a break, they generally grow and strengthen.”

Tahiyra ‘in great form’ – but no decision yet on Newmarket

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Dermot Weld will give Tahiyra a workout later this week before determining whether or not she will take her place in the Qipco 1000 Guineas at Newmarket on Sunday week.

The Aga Khan’s beautifully-bred daughter of Siyouni is vying for favouritism with Meditate for the fillies’ Classic at Newmarket, having beaten Aidan O’Brien’s multiple Group One winner in a strong renewal of the Moyglare Stud Stakes at the Curragh.

That two-and-a-quarter-length victory, her second in two starts, came on her last run in September, with Meditate subsequently franking the form when taking the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf at Keeneland in November.

Pat Downes, who manages the Aga Khan’s Irish studs, reported Tahiyra in fine fettle ahead of a possible run on the Rowley Mile.

He said: “She is in great form and had a great winter, and we are very happy with her.

“Dermot has been keeping all his options open until he couldn’t – until he has to make a final decision. And that’s pretty much where we’re at.

“She will be doing a bit of work this week and I would imagine after this week we will be making a decision as to where she is likely to go.

“Meditate more than franked the form of the Moyglare in the Breeders’ Cup and she is very exciting. We are really looking forward to seeing her run again and see what happens from two to three.”

A half-sister to Tarnawa, who won the Prix Vermeille, Prix de l’Opera and the Breeders’ Cup Turf for Weld in 2020, Tahiyra has abundant stamina in her pedigree.

However, she showed plenty of speed in taking the seven-furlong Moyglare and may not prove herself to be an Oaks filly.

Downes added: “We couldn’t be happier with her – she’s in a very good place and we’re really pleased with her.

“We will take it one step at a time. Her sister maybe stayed better than we would have expected her to do, and as Dermot correctly said, Tahiyra shows more speed than Tanarwa did, so what her optimum trip will be in due course I really wouldn’t be able to say at this stage.”

Murphy pencilled in for Polly Pott Guineas ride

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Oisin Murphy looks set to partner Polly Pott in his bid for a first Qipco 1000 Guineas victory after putting the filly through her paces in a racecourse gallop at Newbury on Sunday morning.

The three-year-old was trained by Harry Dunlop last year and saw her stock rise drastically from the beginning to the end of her juvenile season.

In July she began a steep upward climb that saw her land four successive races, culminating in a Group Two victory in the May Hill Stakes at Doncaster.

The daughter of Muhaarar was then fourth in the Group One Fillies’ Mile at Newmarket in October, finishing the campaign on a mark of 106 having been given an opening rating of 68.

Dunlop ceased training at the end of the season and Polly Pott’s owners, the Megsons, transferred her to the stable of Ben Pauling to continue her career.

Jockey Daniel Tudhope after winning the May Hill Stakes with Polly Pott
Jockey Daniel Tudhope after winning the May Hill Stakes with Polly Pott (Tim Goode/PA)

Pauling has been preparing her for a tilt at the 1000 Guineas and has three-times champion jockey Murphy pencilled in to take the ride in the first fillies’ Classic of the season.

“She had a racecourse gallop at Kempton a fortnight ago and that all went rather well,” the trainer said.

“Then she went to Newbury this morning and worked over seven (furlongs) with Oisin on, all went to plan and she seems on track and in good order for a fortnight away.

“She left Harry’s and then wintered with Georgie Nicholls, then she came to me at the beginning of January.

“She’s been very straightforward to train, she’s a lovely little filly who enjoys her job and seems to have strengthened up over the winter. She looks great and is in a good position to take her place in the Guineas.

Polly Pott at Doncaster
Polly Pott at Doncaster (Tim Goode/PA)

“Harry is very much still part of the team, he did a fabulous job with her last year and it’s important that he’s credited with the success that she’s had.”

Of riding plans, Pauling added: “At the moment he’s (Oisin) very much planning on riding, so it’s great to have him on board. He seems to really like her and was pleased with the work she’s done.”

The Guineas may be the initial target for the filly, but there is a long season beyond and hopefully plenty for connections to look forward to.

Pauling said: “We truly think she might possibly be more suited to the Oaks and there are various options. There’s no two ways about it, we’re well aware that we’re shooting for the stars but some of her form from last year was very good.

“There are plenty of others in behind her in the May Hill that are in the Guineas, we go there with our heads held high and look forward to seeing how she can perform.”