Winning Express, trained by Ed McMahon, is one of the 15 fillies engaged for
the Group 1, £163,500 Cheveley Park at Newmarket on Saturday after she was
supplemented Monday at a cost of £15,000.
The daughter of Camacho is unbeaten in two starts and scored by a comfortable
1 1/4 lengths from Jadanna in the Dick Poole Fillies’ Stakes at Salisbury over
six furlongs on September 6. She had previously come from an unfavorable
position at Sandown to win by a half-length when making her debut over five
furlongs on August 9.
“Winning Express has been fine since she won at Salisbury,” said McMahon, who
trains in Staffordshire. “She didn’t necessarily surprise me with her
performance there because she won very nicely at Sandown before that — not many
fillies come from where she did to win at Sandown on debut. When she won the
Dick Poole Stakes, everything went right for her and she won accordingly. I was
very pleased with her performance.
“She has always been a very professional filly which is why she has won first
and second time out. Her work at home has always been very good and we backed
her into favoritism at Sandown which you don’t do unless you think they know
what they are doing.
“If you look back in history, Rae Guest won the Cheveley Park with Serious
Attitude after she won the Dick Poole and you could go for a Group 3 but it’s
late on in the season and Winning Express has only run twice. The form of the
race at Salisbury is very strong and it was a truly run race so I think she
deserves to take her chance in the Cheveley Park given she hasn’t done anything
wrong this year.
“I don’t think she would want extremes of ground and she would probably go on
going a fraction slower than good but ideally she would want it quicker than
good to be at her best.”
Those going forward for the six-furlong contest include the Irish-trained
Sendmylovetorose, who denied Maureen, from Richard Hannon’s powerful team, by a
neck in the Group 2 Cherry Hinton at Newmarket’s July Festival.
Group 2 Queen Mary scorer Ceiling Kitty is one of two confirmations for
trainer Tom Dascombe, while the unbeaten Group 2 Lowther heroine Rosdhu Queen
remains engaged for Newmarket handler William Haggas.
The Gold Cheongsam, a valuable sales race winner at Doncaster last time
September 13, needs the ground to stay on the fast side and the current wet
spell is unwelcome for connections.
“I was delighted with her performance at Doncaster, because she won a
competitive race on ground which was far from ideal for her,” trainer Jeremy
Noseda said.
“When horses do that, you know they are in good nick and to me the ideal
ground for her would be firm ground. We don’t get that very often nowadays, but
that would be what she really wants. She did a piece of work the other day and I
feel she is at the top of her game. I’m just keeping my fingers crossed for
faster ground come Saturday and, hopefully, we’ll get a big piece of the pie.
She’s a tough genuine filly and she gets better, but the ground is going to be
crucial to our chance.”
Other notable entries include
Italian stakes winner Sandreamer and Michael Bell’s Hoyam, while Aidan O’Brien
could saddle Snow Queen and Infanta Branca.
Saturday’s card is a cracker with two Group 1s, a Group 2 and the
Cambridgeshire Handicap.
Beauty Parlour could have her first race since joining Sir Henry Cecil’s team
in the Group 1 Sun Chariot for fillies and mares at one mile. Formerly trained
in France by Elie Lellouche and owned by Ecurie Wildenstein, Beauty Parlour was
second in the Group 1 Prix de Diane on her latest start in June.
Cecil has also left in recent Group 1 Matron winner Chachamaidee, for which
there are 11 fillies remaining following the confirmation stage. Francois
Doumen’s Siyouma is the sole French-trained entry while there are three possible
Irish challengers in the shape of Dermot Weld’s Emulous, Aidan O’Brien’s Up and
La Collina from Kevin Prendergast’s yard.
Richard Hannon holds a strong hand in the Group 2 Royal Lodge for
two-year-old colts with the unbeaten Toronado and Havana Gold still engaged.
Toronado won the Group 2 Champagne at Doncaster last time out while Havana Gold,
who unseated Ryan Moore in France, has won all his other three starts.
The three-day Cambridgeshire Festival starts Thursday.
Bet Horseracing Free Online at TwinSpires.com