Sweet Repeat?

Trainer Charlie Appleby | Racing Post

Godolphin have made a habit of collecting Newmarket's G3 Sweet Solera S. of late and Saturday's edition features another of their unexposed types in the mold of their recent winners in Bint Al Reem (Ire) (Elusive Quality).

Off the mark in encouraging style when notably green on debut over this track and trip July 17, the bay needs to improve on the bare form of that contest, but that is exactly what happened to three of the five winners for the boys in blue since 2009 in Certify (Elusive Quality), Discourse (Street Cry {Ire}) and White Moonstone (Dynaformer). Trainer Charlie Appleby is openly eyeing the same pattern-race route used for those past starlets.

“Bint Al Reem is a filly that we have always liked. We were very pleased with how she performed first time out on a racecourse,” he commented. “The form has worked out well as the third horse has since come out and won a maiden at Goodwood, which is pleasing to see. Hopefully, this is a stepping stone along a well-trodden path we have used before. This race will determine her autumn campaign. If she wins we can look at bold targets like the G2 May Hill S. [at Doncaster Sept. 11] and G1 Fillies' Mile [at Newmarket Oct. 9] and if she doesn't run as well then we will go the nursery route.”

In an intriguing renewal, there are several who could reach the highest level on limited evidence so far, including one from the burgeoning Hugo Palmer set-up in Chris Humber's July 1 Kempton maiden scorer Hawksmoor (Ire) (Azamour {Ire}) and Cheveley Park Stud's impressive Ascot maiden winner Marenko (GB) (Exceed and Excel {Aus}). The latter beat her subsequent winning stable companion Light Up Our World (Ire) (Zoffany {Ire}) in that rain-affected July 24 event over this trip and trainer Richard Hannon commented, “She blew the start on her debut at the July meeting and also ran green, but she looked a different filly at Ascot next time, making all and finding more when challenged. The runner-up has won since, so the form is solid, and, though the ground will be very different at HQ, there is no reason why she should not cope with it.”

Of the form fillies, the July 10 G2 Duchess of Cambridge S. third Blue Bayou (GB) (Bahamian Bounty {GB}) and Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed Al Maktoum's July 23 Listed Star S. scorer Fireglow (GB) (Teofilo {Ire}) have outstanding claims with the former's conditioner Brian Meehan stating on his Manton website, “Blue Bayou confirmed her initial promise from her maiden win when finishing a rapidly-closing third in the Duchess of Cambridge S. She has come out of that race well, is working very nicely and the step up to seven furlongs should be of extra benefit. We think she should be very hard to beat.”

 

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