Pinatubo was giving Godolphin their third win in the Chesham in 2019 and they have another likely big player in New Science after he impressed on debut at Yarmouth. Godolphin also ran their Derby winner, Masar, in this race when finishing third in 2017 so the Chesham has featured two domestic Classic winners in its last five runnings (Churchill being the other) so it has become a much more fashionable race of late.
The one-mile Poule d’Essai des Pouliches, France’s 1000 Guineas, was too short for Philomene, but Sunday’s Prix de Diane, the French Oaks, could be just right.
Only eight programs remain in the long Hong Kong racing season, and Sunday’s card at Sha Tin is a good one.
Better Kick, unraced since late November, starts in a five-furlong handicap at Bendigo Racecourse, north of Melbourne, on Sunday.
The Kentucky-based filly Campanelle maintained her perfect record in major European stakes when she was rightfully promoted from second to first in Friday’s Group 1 Commonwealth Cup for 3-year-old sprinters at Royal Ascot.
This is the second running of this 5f handicap for three-year-olds rated 0-105 won in convincing style last season by the 6/4 favourite (in a 21-runner handicap), Art Power, who ran here off a mark of 97 rather than contest the Group 1 Commonwealth Cup.
Our ideal contender will be a four or five-year-old arriving here off the back of a victory and drawn in double figures - three strong trends for this handicap over 1m4f for older horses. Baghdad hit all the square on the head two years ago when justifying favouritism giving Mark Johnston a fourth win in this race.
This handicap for three-year-old fillies over a mile has been part of Royal Ascot since 2002 but it isn’t that strong a stats race. For the fourth year it is being run as a standard handicap rather than a Listed handicap so to all intents and purposes, it is basically now the fillies’ Britannia Stakes.
Of the big three European versions of the 1000 Guineas, the Newmarket version has fared best being responsible for ten of the last 18 winners and seven of those finished in the first six at Newmarket so that has to the first port of call and starting with Mother Earth who then found just one too good in the French 1000 Guineas when attempting the Classic double. Especially as the second and fourth from Newmarket headed to the Oaks.
Axe returns to the track in Saturday’s $135,730 Eye Liner Stakes at 6 3/4 furlongs at Ipswich Racecourse where he figures to be a second choice behind Amish Boy.
