Emily Upjohn back with fillies and mares in Pretty Polly Stakes

Racing against males has not gone well in the last year in Britain and Dubai for Emily Upjohn.

A 5-year-old mare, Emily Upjohn was second and seventh in Group 1 races against males last July in her final two starts of the 2023 season, and is winless in two starts this year – a fifth-place finish in the Group 1 Sheema Classic in Dubai in March, and a disappointing fourth in a field of five as the 7-4 favorite in the Group 1 Coronation Stakes at Epsom Racecourse south of London on May 31.

For her third start of the year, Emily Upjohn races against fillies and mares for the first time since October 2022 in Saturday’s Group 1 Pretty Polly Stakes at 1 1/4 miles at the Curragh in Ireland.

Emily Upjohn, trained by John and Thady Gosden, was the second choice at 9-4 in early betting in a field of eight as of Thursday. Bluestocking, winner of the Group 2 Middleton Fillies’ Stakes at York Racecourse in Britain in May, was the 7-4 favorite.

While Bluestocking has a recent win, Emily Upjohn has a more comprehensive career résumé, having won 5 of 11 starts, including Group 1 victories in the British Champion Fillies and Mares Stakes at Ascot in October 2022, and the 2023 Coronation Cup against males.

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Both Bluestocking and Emily Upjohn run from off the pace.

Bluestocking, trained in Britain by Ralph Beckett, has experience at the Curragh. Emily Upjohn will be starting at the famous Irish course for the first time.

Last June, Bluestocking finished second by a half-length in the Group 1 Irish Oaks at 1 1/2 miles. The Middleton Stakes, run at 1 5/16 miles, was her first stakes win in her eighth start, and her 4-year-old debut. She beat four rivals by six lengths after stalking the early pace.

British shippers are expected to dominate the Pretty Polly Stakes. Trainer Hughie Morrison, based west of London, starts Stay Alert, a 5-year-old mare who was second in the 2023 Pretty Polly Stakes.

Stay Alert, winless in five career starts in Group 1 races, won her lone start this year in the Group 2 Dahlia Stakes at 1 1/8 miles at Newmarket on May 5. A winner of 4 of 13 starts, she is a closer.

British Triple Crown bonus announced

The bookmaking firm Betfred will be the title sponsor of the English 1000 and English 2000 Guineas at a mile at Newmarket Racecourse beginning in 2025, adding to its existing sponsorship of three other classic races for 3-year-olds in Britain – the English Oaks, English Derby, and St. Leger.

Betfred, the first title sponsor of all five races at the same time, will offer a bonus of approximately $2.52 million to the owner of a horse that sweeps the 2000 Guineas at a mile in early May, the English Derby at 1 1/2 miles at Epsom in June, and the St. Leger at 1 3/4 miles at Doncaster in September.

The last horse to achieve the sweep was Nijinsky in 1970. Camelot was the last runner in position to complete the sweep, but finished second in the 2012 St. Leger.

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Because of the varying distances of the races, few runners even start in all three races. Springtime milers who win the 2000 Guineas are often running in much shorter races in late summer than the more-demanding St. Leger.

Aside from the bonus, no financial terms of the Betfred sponsorship were revealed in an announcement on Thursday.

As a bookmaker, Betfred has more than 1,300 retail locations in Britain as well as an online presence. The company is active in 10 American states that have legalized sports betting.

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