Europe: Sun Goddess, Senorita Bonita collide in Cheveley Park Stakes
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After losing two of her first three starts, the 2-year-old Sun Goddess has won four consecutive races in Britain and Ireland leading to an appearance in Saturday’s Group 1 Cheveley Park Stakes for fillies at Newmarket Racecourse in Britain.
Trained in Ireland by Aidan O’Brien, Sun Goddess will be favored in the $363,800 Cheveley Park Stakes at six furlongs, but not by much. The six-filly field includes the talented Senorita Bonita, who has won her last two starts in Britain and France.
Both Sun Goddess and Senorita Bonita are Group 1 winners. Sun Goddess won the Group 1 Phoenix Stakes at six furlongs against colts at The Curragh in Ireland in August, and the Group 1 Moyglare Stud Stakes against fillies at seven furlongs there on Sept. 13.
Sun Goddess rallied from slightly off the pace to win the Moyglare Stud Stakes by 6 1/2 lengths. For the win, Sun Goddess earned a fees-paid berth the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf at Keeneland on Oct. 30.
Senorita Bonita, trained by the father-son team of Simon and Ed Crisford, won the Group 1 Prix Morny by four lengths over males at six furlongs at Deauville, France, on Aug. 23.
The Cheveley Park Stakes is one of three major races for 2-year-olds at Newmarket on Saturday. The program includes the Group 1 Middle Park Stakes for colts at six furlongs and the Group 2 Royal Lodge Stakes for colts and geldings at a mile.
Inner City Blues and Push The Boat Out, both unbeaten in two starts, will run in a Group 1 race for the first time in the $363,000 Middle Park Stakes.
Inner City Blues, trained by Charlie Appleby, won the Group 2 July Stakes at six furlongs on the July course at Newmarket in the summer. Saturday’s program will be run on the adjacent Rowley Mile course, which has a notable uphill finish.
Push The Boat Out, trained in Ireland by Michael O’Callaghan, won his stakes debut in the Group 3 Round Tower Stakes at six furlongs at the Curragh on Aug. 29 at odds of 17-2.
The Middle Park Stakes includes Orthodox, who won the Group 2 Norfolk Stakes by 3 1/2 lengths against 20 rivals at five furlongs at Royal Ascot on good-to-firm turf on June 20, but was sixth on soft turf in the Prix Morny. The Newmarket course is being watered in advance of Saturday’s program and is expected to be good overall and good-to-firm in places.
The colts Burning Up and First Law, also unbeaten in two starts, are the leading runners in the $165,300 Royal Lodge Stakes.
Burning Up, trained by Karl Burke, has won twice at a mile at Haydock Park in Britain – a maiden race in August and an allowance race on Sept. 3.
First Law, trained by Appleby, won the minor Ascendant Stakes at a mile at Haydock Park on Sept. 5 in his stakes debut.
O’Brien starts Haffner, who earned a fees-paid berth to the BC Juvenile Turf on Oct. 30 with a win in the Acomb Stakes at York Racecourse in Britain on Aug. 19. Haffner, a Kentucky-bred colt by Justify purchased for $375,000 at the 2025 Keeneland September yearling sale, finished seventh of eight in the Group 1 National Stakes at the Curragh on Sept. 13.
The race was run on yielding turf that O’Brien has said did not suit the colt.
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