Tag Archive for: Juliet Sierra

Juliet Sierra to sidestep Guineas challenge

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Juliet Sierra will bypass the Qipco 1000 Guineas and head to Lingfield on Saturday week, reducing trainer Ralph Beckett’s challenge in Sunday’s fillies’ Classic to two.

The Juddmonte-owned daughter of Bated Breath won two of her four starts as a juvenile, including the Group Three Dick Poole Stakes at Salisbury in September.

She was last seen chasing home stablemate Lezoo when fifth in the Cheveley Park at Newmarket in September and Beckett had been targeting a return to the Rowley Mile with both fillies, as well as his recent Newbury scorer Remarquee.

However, while Remarquee and Lezoo remain firmly on course, Beckett has confirmed Juliet Sierra will miss out and instead step up to seven furlongs the following weekend, having been campaigned exclusively over six last season.

“We have decided not to run Juliet Sierra in the Guineas, as we feel she needs a little more time,” said the Kimpton Down handler.

“So, we are re-routing her to the Chartwell Fillies’ Stakes at Lingfield on Saturday week.”

Lezoo and Juliet Sierra set to enhance Beckett’s Guineas bid

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Saturday’s Newbury heroine Remarquee is set to be joined by stablemates Lezoo and Juliet Sierra in the Qipco 1000 Guineas at Newmarket next month.

Successful in a Salisbury novice event on her sole start at two, Remarquee confirmed herself a major contender for the first fillies’ Classic of the season with an impressive comeback victory in the Group Three Dubai Duty Free Stakes – better known as the Fred Darling.

And while trainer Ralph Beckett is looking forward to seeing the daughter of Kingman line up on the Rowley Mile, he also feels it would be dangerous to overlook two other fillies trained at Kimpton Down Stables who will also line up at Newmarket in a fortnight’s time.

Winning connections with Remarquee
Winning connections with Remarquee (PA)

“We’ve still got five in it (1000 Guineas). Bluestocking won’t run, she’ll go for an Oaks trial, but Juliet Sierra will go straight for the Guineas and Lezoo will go straight there as well. Lose Yourself won’t as she’s not quite ready,” Beckett told Racing TV’s Luck On Sunday programme.

Lezoo is set for a step up in trip after striking Group One gold over six furlongs in last season’s Cheveley Park Stakes at Newmarket.

Her stablemate Juliet Sierra, previously successful in the Dick Poole at Salisbury, could finish only fifth in the Cheveley Park, but Beckett feels she is overpriced for the Guineas.

He added: “It’s a leap of faith on pedigree whether Lezoo will get a mile, but she’s a very relaxed filly, does nothing at home and she loves the Rowley Mile. It’s a shot to nothing. If she doesn’t stay, we’ll just go back sprinting.

“I never felt Juliet Sierra was a six-furlong filly – I always felt she won the Dick Poole against the curve in that sense.

“She was quite a free-running filly and we were always trying to get her to settle, which is why I didn’t step her up in trip, and I felt she got a bit lost two down in the Cheveley Park and then galloped out really well.

“I think she’s a big price for the Guineas at 50-1.”

While hopeful for his two bigger-priced runners, Remarquee has undoubtedly established herself as the trainer’s chief contender for Guineas glory, with Beckett anticipating further improvement.

He said: “I think she’ll have learnt a lot yesterday and I’ll probably put a sheepskin noseband on her next time, just to help her rider out.”