By Daithi Harvey
Karl Burke enjoyed a phenomenal year in 2017 winning group 1 races with Laurens (Fr) (Siyouni {Fr}) and Unfortunately (Ire) (Society Rock {Ire}) and it is the first named filly who will possibly form part of a dual assault by the Middleham trainer on the G1 QIPCO 1000 Guineas at Newmarket in May. Burke also has the progressive Ellthea (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}) among the 64 entries for the second leg of the British Champions Series which takes place a day after the colts' race May 6. Laurens rounded off a fine 2-year-old campaign with a gutsy win over fellow Guineas entrant September (Ire) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) in the G1 Bet365 Fillies' Mile at Newmarket having previously shown her talent when scoring in the G2 William Hill May Hill S. at Doncaster. Burke reports the filly in good shape though he did sound a note of caution about her participation in the Classic.
“Laurens has wintered really well and couldn't look any better, I am very happy with her. She has filled her frame and is still a beautiful-looking filly who is very light on her feet,” he said.
“We are not committed to running her in the QIPCO 1000 Guineas but it is the favoured option for both John [Dance, her owner] and myself. It would only be if she began to train more like a mile and a quarter or a mile and a half horse that we might possibly wait and run her in the Musidora Stakes instead. She will tell us more about that over the next month or six weeks.”
While Laurens is bred to go further than a mile that is not the case with her stable-mate Ellthea who bolted up in a seven furlong group 3 at Naas on soft ground last September before weakening in the last furlong when fifth to Laurens in the Fillies' Mile on her next start. “Ellthea is a different type of horse, more compact, who has already proved herself very effective on slow ground. Colm [O'Donoghue], her jockey was adamant that she had got the trip in the Mile, she had simply found the ground too fast. She could start back in Ireland for one of the seven furlong trial races as she should definitely get her ground there,” Burke added.
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