While Frankie Dettori has opted to ride Lyric of Light over Discourse (Street
Cry {Ire}) in Sunday’s Group 1 One Thousand Guineas at Newmarket. While both are
unbeaten daughters of Street Cry, the former completed a hat-trick in the
course-and-distance Group 1 Fillies’ Mile when last seen in September while
Discourse has been out of action since winning the Group 3 Sweet Solera Stakes
on the July Course in August.
“I’m very happy with Lyric of Light and she is a very nice mover,” their
trainer Mahmood Al Zarooni said on Friday. “She’s professional and has a good
kick and turn of foot. Discourse had a knee problem. I think she’s more of an
Oaks filly, but we’re going to run her in the Guineas and she showed a good turn
of foot when winning her Group 3 well.”
One of the race’s unknown quantities is Raymond Mould’s Gray Pearl, who was
third in only her second start in the Group 2 Rockfel Stakes going seven
furlongs in October.
“She’s a fine, scopey filly who has a lovely strong action and she seemed to
relish soft ground when we worked her on it, so I don’t think that will be a
problem,” trainer Charlie Hills said of the Excellent Art filly.
Ralph Beckett is another trainer who is happy with conditions for Lady
Marchwood’s unbeaten Group 3 Fred Darling Stakes winner Moonstone Magic, who is
by Trade Fair.
“I’m glad we supplemented her, as the ground has come for us,” he said on
Friday. “She was a very big and backward two-year-old and I never thought we’d
end up here, but I’m confident we are doing the right thing.”
Connections of last year’s Group 1 Cheveley Park Stakes winner Lightening
Pearl, a daughter of Marju, will leave the decision as to whether to run late.
“The intention at this stage is for her to travel over to Newmarket tonight,
but I’ll speak to David Redvers and if he tells me the ground is soft and not
drying out she won’t go,” trainer Ger Lyons told PA Sport. “The one question
mark we have with her is whether she’ll stay the seven furlongs to a mile. She
has a lot of quality and cruises through her races, but we don’t want to run her
over a mile first time on proper soft ground and then not have an answer about
whether she stays.”