Mark Prescott feels Hooray is coming to the boil at just the right time ahead of her bid for Classic glory in the Qipco 1000 Guineas at Newmarket on Sunday.
The Invincible Spirit filly enjoyed a hugely progressive juvenile campaign.
Having made a winning debut in a Kempton maiden, the youngster looked to have had her limitations exposed when stepping up in class for her next three starts.
However, a surprise victory in York's Lowther Stakes kickstarted a terrific run of form that saw her complete a hat-trick in the Cheveley Park Stakes, meaning she ended the year as champion two-year-old filly.
Prescott voiced concerns about the filly's well being at the end of March, with doubts about whether she had trained on from two to three and whether the mile distance she will encounter this weekend was within her compass.
But while stamina doubts remain, the trainer is far happier with his Classic contender now than he was a month ago and he is happy to let her line up at Newmarket.
‘I've been very happy with her for the last two and a half weeks and we'll see what happens,’ said Prescott.
‘I've had no pressure to run her, but I'm perfectly happy to let her take her chance. It's entirely at my door if she's not at her best.
‘I've got every doubt whether she'll stay the mile, but we'll just have to see.
‘She was champion two-year-old filly last year, so she's not got much to lose and it's worth trying.
‘She hasn't grown at all, but she's thrived the last fortnight or three weeks.
‘It's a very open race and we're the best horse on the figures so far, but that was a long time ago. Six months changes everything.
‘I have no concerns about the ground. It was on the soft side when she won the Cheveley Park, but it was fast when she won at York and she's also won on the all-weather - so she's done all three.
‘I would be very pleased to win a Classic and very pleased for Cheveley Park.’
The prestigious prize has gone to France for two of the last three years, courtesy of Natagora and Special Duty, and this time Moonlight Cloud appears to hold outstanding claims for leading trainer Freddie Head.
The Chantilly handler has enjoyed multiple Group One victories, most notably with brilliant mare Goldikova, but is hoping to break his Classic duck as a trainer this weekend.
‘She is travelling over on Friday evening, she is very well and I am very happy with her,’ said Head.
‘She has shown she handles some cut in the ground, but I hope it is fast at Newmarket.
‘It would be lovely to win a Classic.
‘I hope this filly will run a big race.’
Michael Stoute trained Musical Bliss to win the race in 1989 and Russian Rhythm in 2003.
Ryan Moore rides the unbeaten Havant for the trainer this weekend and the former champion jockey anticipates a bold show.
‘I don't think a horse who is a Group Three winner at seven furlongs will lack pace and I'm quite happy with her going there without a run,’ said Moore.
‘You can't plan too far ahead with horses, so let's see how she gets on on Sunday.’
Memory won her first three starts for Richard Hannon before blotting her copybook in the Moyglare Stud Stakes, but the trainer is sure she is better than that.
Buoyed by a superb piece of work at Newbury last week, Hannon told his website: ‘We hit the crossbar with Niche in 1993 and Nasheej finished third behind Speciosa (2006). But Memory is arguably our best chance yet of winning the first fillies' Classic.
‘Hughesie (Richard Hughes) was absolutely delighted with that seven-furlong gallop she did at Newbury last week, and she really seemed to appreciate being back on grass.
‘He pulled her out and she went, 'whoosh', and if the cards drop her way she has a terrific chance.’
Jessica Harrington's Laughing Lashes has history with the reopposing Misty For Me, having beaten her in the Debutante Stakes at the Curragh before coming off second best at the same venue in the Moyglare.
Harrington said: ‘She's in very good form and seems to have travelled over well.
‘The ground will be OK for her as long as there is no jar in it, but I expect it will be safe, and that is all you can ask.
‘I'd hope she'd have an each-way chance in what is a very open race.’
Barry Hills has also trained two previous winners in Enstone Park in 1978 and Ghanaati in 2009.
Like the latter, Make A Dance arrives on the back of just a maiden victory as a juvenile, but the trainer's son and assistant, Charlie Hills, admits she is extremely well regarded at home.
‘Everyone has been very pleased with how she's done through the winter and her work has been very good,’ said Hills.
‘It's a big step up in class for her, but her work would suggest she is well capable of it.
‘The boys at home have certainly been comparing her to Ghanaati and there are definite similarities between the two.
‘We obviously think an awful lot of this filly to be running her.’
John Gosden's Maqaasid ran with credit when third in the Nell Gwyn Stakes under top-weight last time, but the trainer is unsure whether she'll stay a mile.
‘Obviously she ran nicely with a penalty in the Nell Gwyn, seeing the race out well,’ said Gosden.
‘The question will be a mile but she's in good order and Richard (Hills) wants to run.’
Angus Gold, racing manager for owner Hamdan Al Maktoum, is also keeping his fingers crossed the distance does not hold her back.
‘Obviously the thing with her was going to be if she stays the trip, but John Gosden and his team have done a great job of settling her down over the winter," said Gold.
‘She was always quite a fizzy filly last year and I always think it's hard for anything that had the speed to win a Queen Mary to stay a Classic mile.
‘But having said that, we saw the other day at Newmarket what a good job they'd done of settling her down. John hadn't wound her up by any means and she ran a good race with a penalty.
‘As Richard says, if she behaves like that again she'll give herself every chance to stay. Whether she's good enough, only Sunday will tell us. I think she has a squeak anyway.’
