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Pretty Gorgeous lands Fillies' Mile at Newmarket

Updated / Friday, 9 Oct 2020 22:34
Shane Crosse flashes a broad smile as Pretty Gorgeous scores in Friday's feature on the Rowley Mile
Shane Crosse flashes a broad smile as Pretty Gorgeous scores in Friday's feature on the Rowley Mile

Pretty Gorgeous toughed it out at Newmarket to give Joseph O'Brien his second victory in the bet365 Fillies’ Mile as a trainer.

Ridden by Shane Crosse – who should have been aboard the yard’s St Leger winner Galileo Chrome last month, only to miss the ride after a positive test for Covid-19 – the Lawman filly got the better of Indigo Girl by half a length.

Pretty Gorgeous had missed her own intended target last weekend, as she was caught up in the contaminated feed issue that led to the O’Brien family runners being withdrawn at Longchamp on Sunday.

The chief threat came from John Gosden’s Indigo Girl, winner of both her previous outings including an impressive success in the May Hill Stakes at Doncaster.

Indigo Girl made ground seamlessly from the rear, but Pretty Gorgeous, who had been closer to the pace, then quickened away.

It was to Indigo Girl’s credit that she made a second challenge, but she could only get to within half a length of the 5-2 favourite, with Aidan O'Brien's outsider Snowfall thought to have finished third, but it was stablemate Mother Earth that filled that minor placing. However, she will be disqualified from the race in due course and her trainer faces the prospect of a significant fine. 

O’Brien had previously taken the race in 2018 with Iridessa.

He said: "It's fantastic and I thought Shane gave the filly a great ride.

"He was patient on her and committed when he had to. Shane is a young man, but he is a very good rider – strong and cool in a finish, and he doesn’t panic. She was fighting them off at the line.

"She has got a great constitution. She went to France last weekend and came back. The lad that rides her out at home said she had taken the journey well and was in good shape, and all credit goes to them as they said she would come here with every chance.

"I was quite worried myself and I had a good conversation with Mr Oxley (owner) during the week and he was keen enough that if she was in good shape that we would take the chance and let her run.

"The way it worked out the French race looked a tough race and the ground was nicer here. She has won her Group One and whether that was here or France, I wouldn’t be fussy. It has worked out well in the end."

He went on: "She is an exciting filly going forwards. I would think (the 1000 Guineas) is the obvious target now. She has the options of the Breeders’ Cup, but we will probably decide to put her away for the season.

"She is a Lawman, so she would not be bred to go very far. I think Lawman’s can get 10 furlongs and I see her more as an eight to 10-furlong filly rather than an Oaks-type filly at this stage."

Of Indigo Girl, Gosden said: "It was a great run and I’m very happy with her.

"Her mother won the French St Leger and her sister won a Group One over a mile and a half. She will be trained more for a mile and a quarter and middle-distance races. She won’t be trained as a Guineas filly."

Saffron Beach (9-4F) set up a potential outing at next month's Breeders’ Cup at Keeneland with victory in the Godolphin Lifetime Care Oh So Sharp Stakes.

Having run out an impressive winner over course and distance on her debut 13 days ago, the Jane Chapple-Hyam-trained filly took a step up in class in her stride in the seven-furlong Group Three.

Moving into contention approaching the final quarter of a mile, the favourite found plenty for pressure to hold off the attentions of Thank You Next by half a length, with Shine For You third. 

Chapple-Hyam said: "That was very good and the staff at home have done a wonderful job. She is a quick learner and I’d love to have a crack at the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf at Keeneland, if the owners will allow me.

"We know she is good. I had Annie Skates who was second in the Juvenile Fillies’ race at the Breeders’ Cup and this one is probably a quicker learner than Annie.

"For what she has done at home, we thought this was a suitable step up in grade. She has got a good lead horse in Suzi’s Connoisseur, so thank God for him."

Winter Power (10-1) showed no signs of a busy campaign catching up with her after making virtually all to claim the Newmarket Academy Godolphin Beacon Project Cornwallis Stakes.

The Tim Easterby-trained daughter of Bungle Inthejungle secured her fourth victory from nine starts this season with a clear-cut success in the Group Three prize.

Although briefly headed midway through the five-furlong dash, the winner, who claimed Listed honours at Ayr on her last outing, quickly pressed on once regaining the initiative to cross the line three lengths clear of runner-up and favourite Method, with Burning Cash third. 

Winning jockey Silvestre de Sousa said: "She won quite well at Ayr and has bounced back in great form. She has done really well and won very easily. She just ran in a very competitive race (Flying Childers) at Doncaster where I got beat on her.

"She has shown me plenty of encouragement today to travel very handy and when I asked her the question coming down the dip she handled it well and put the race to bed very nicely."

Happy Power (7-2) streaked clear of Pogo up the hill to win the Godolphin Stud & Stable Staff Awards Challenge Stakes at Newmarket.

Silvestre de Sousa was keen not to let Pogo get loose on the front end.

That looked a wise decision as the front two dictated the race throughout, with De Sousa always looking confident on Andrew Balding's grey.

Up in grade again to a Group Two, he assumed control from Pogo with over a furlong to run and streaked clear up the hill to win by a length and a half.

Glorious Journey stayed on from the rear to claim third.

De Sousa said: "I was really disappointed with him at the beginning of the year as I thought I had a really good horse for this year, but he has just taken a long time to get going. He now feels like he is flying and is in top form.

"Andrew’s horses are running well and he is just following the wagon. We’ve always liked him and Andrew had found a couple of easy options for him, but today he has proved he is a nice horse.

"We thought we had him right at the beginning of the year, but he is a horse that has probably taken a long time to get 100% fit. He ran really well first time, then his next couple of runs were disappointing. He wasn’t tailed off, but he wasn’t good enough to win – since Salisbury it looks like he has found his way.

"He likes the ground. It is soft and on the slow side and it maybe just tired the other horses out. That race at Salisbury made you realise there was a little more in the tank than what he had been giving.

"Mentally there is always huge improvement when a horse wins their first race easily. When they come home and enjoy the race, you know there is improvement.

"He is in top form and he probably shouldn’t miss the chance to go there (Champions Sprint at Ascot on 17 October)."

Balding believes a swift return at Ascot next week is a "possibility".

He said: "We will confirm him for the Champions Sprint on Monday and make a decision later in the week, but it’s a possibility. I think a stiff six on soft ground would be fine for him."

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