Obligate puts perfect record on line in Prix Rothschild

Obligate, unbeaten in three starts, will face by far the toughest test of her young career in Sunday’s Group 1 Prix Rothschild for fillies and mares at a mile on turf at Deauville, France.

Obligate is one of three 3-year-olds in a field of nine in the $333,840 Rothschild Stakes, the leading race for female milers at the summertime Deauville meeting. Judging from her recent performances, Obligate has every chance to extend her winning streak in her first start outside of her age group.

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Both of Obligate's starts this year came one-mile turf races for 3-year-old fillies at Chantilly – the Prix des Lilas on May 6 and the Group 2 Prix de Sandringham on June 2. She is owned by Juddmonte Farms and trained by Pascal Bary.

Laurens, bred in France and based in England with Karl Burke, is the expected favorite. A 4-year-old, Laurens was second in the Group 1 Lockinge Stakes at Newbury Racecourse in May and sixth in the Group 1 Queen Anne Stakes at Royal Ascot on June 18. Those races were against males at a mile.

In her last start against fillies and mares, Laurens won the Group 1 Sun Chariot Stakes at Newmarket last October. This will be the first start for Laurens in France since she won the Group 1 French Oaks, known as the Prix de Diane, at Chantilly in June 2018.

The English-based filly Move Swiftly is rated as a leading contender in the Prix Rothschild on the basis of her win in the Group 2 Duke of Cambridge Stakes for fillies and mares at Royal Ascot on June 19 in her 2019 debut. Trained by William Haggas, Move Swiftly will have her Group 1 debut in the Prix Rothschild.