Quadrilateral retained her unbeaten record as she cemented her place at the head of the market for next seasons' 1000 Guineas with a gutsy Group One win as the 9-4 favourite in the Fillies’ Mile at Newmarket.
Victory seemed unlikely for much of the contest, with the winner one of the first runners off the bridle in the nine-strong field.
As Jason Watson stoked along the supplemented runner two furlongs out, the well-backed Love (4-1) and Powerful Breeze (7-1) came with what looked like menacing bids, with the latter hitting 1.11 in-running on Betfair.
However, Quadrilateral’s stamina kicked in as Powerful Breeze’s began to empty as the line approached, with the Roger Charlton inmate prevailing by a head, with Love a length and a half further back.
111
— Racing TV (@RacingTV) October 11, 2019
All class - the unbeaten Quadrilateral shows a fine attitude to land Group 1 honours in the Fillies' Mile for @Jason7Watson1 and @RogerCharlton at @NewmarketRace pic.twitter.com/MPij54Q188
Afterwards, Charlton said: "I've not really watched the replay. I don't know if it was two out or even three out that I thought, 'we're not running well here. We're coming off the bridle and it's not going to happen', but she kept responding and I thought she did really well to get there.
"I guess the gap was diminishing up the rail a bit, but she fought like a good one and handled the track.
"It was a great effort, really, as it was a proper race today."
He added: "We don't gallop the two-year-olds that hard, so when she won first time out she needed the race, but class won it for her.
"She then took us a bit by surprise when she won so easily last time. We didn't learn that much and we hadn't done much work since, but today was a proper test.
"The easier option was to go for the Oh So Sharp Stakes. I was a bit of a chicken really. It is not often you get good fillies come along and I thought, 'hopefully she can win that and keep the dream open for May', rather than taking on the best.
"But the management encouraged me to run her in this race and result was good.
"I guess we'll come back for the Guineas - I see no reason not to come back. I guess we would probably come straight here without a prep run.
"She looks like she might stay further as she didn't look like a short runner there today.
"I've not won a Guineas or a Group One with a two-year-old until now, so she would be the best filly I've had."
Palmer was understandably proud of Powerful Breeze's performance - and she too is likely to return for the first fillies' Classic of 2020.
"She has lost precious little in defeat. I think with any May Hill winner that runs in the Fillies' Mile, you are already thinking of her as a Guineas prospect," said the Newmarket handler.
"She galloped here three weeks ago and handled the track well, and she certainly handled it better than the winner.
"She ran great. I think she was in front for a very long time, but I don't think she was in front too soon. You have to play the hand you are dealt.
"Quadrilateral was going nowhere in the dip. Hopefully she learnt to hate Newmarket and will never come again, rather than practice makes perfect!"
