Pretty Pollyanna tops field in France's Prix Morny

Pretty Pollyanna won the Duchess of Cambridge Stakes by seven lengths, a staggering margin in a six-furlong European turf race, and while she’s unlikely to duplicate that sort of performance Pretty Pollyanna is favored to win the Group 1 Prix Morny on Sunday at Deauville.

Trained by Michael Bell in England, Pretty Pollyanna, a 2-year-old daughter of Oasis Dream, was coming off a fifth-place, second-start finish in the Albany Stakes at Royal Ascot when she blitzed the Duchess of Cambridge at Newmarket. Her true mark likely lies somewhere between those two poles and whether that is good enough to win the Morny, a straight-course six furlongs, will be known about 9:45 a.m. Eastern on Sunday.

Land Force, already a three-time winner for trainer Aidan O’Brien, is the general second choice in antepost betting after winning the Group 2 Richmond Stakes at Goodwood last out. Signora Cabello, another English raider, has won four straight since a fourth-place debut finish, but has yet to race beyond 5 1/2 furlongs and will be tested for stamina Sunday over ground expected to be soft.

Also on the card is the Group 1 Prix Romanet for older fillies and mares over 1 1/4 miles. The 6-year-old mare c, making her second start of the year, heads the early betting over Urban Fox, Rhododendron, and Lady Frankel.