Yes, seemed an unusual debut choice, especially as market confidence seemed to suggest she'd been showing some speed, maybe they see her as a Guineas and Oaks filly?

Look out for Nathra in the mile fillies' maiden at Goodwood next Tuesday.  She's John Gosden's sole entry for the Gr.1 Prix Marcel Boussac later in the season, and Frankie has been booked for the ride.  Must have been showing plenty of promise at home.

Also need to keep a very close eye on the Flame of Tara Stakes (Listed) at the Curragh on Sunday: Aidan O'Brien's unraced fillies Best In The World (full sister to Found) and Seventh Heaven (Galileo half-sister to Crusade) feature among the entries (a tip in itself, wherever they run next).  They hold a stack of big race entries and have just been entered for the Prix Marcel Boussac.

Well, I wouldn't be too hasty in writing off Lumiere's chances.  Firstly, she missed a few days work in the lead-up to the Lowther, which meant she was a bit fresher and keener than they wanted her.  Secondly, I wouldn't read anything into the fact that the dam only raced once - she sustained an injury after that debut victory and never fully recovered.  My main concern is that she is reportedly so very fast at home that she may turn out to be a sprinter, even though her pedigree says she ought to get a mile.  If they can get her to switch off in her races, she will obviously have a much better chance of getting a mile.

Her debut winning time was nothing special (compared with the July Stakes on the same card), but the Lowther time figures look very decent, and she showed plenty of speed on both occasions.  The Lowther form looks solid, and if she can learn to settle in her races she could still be high class up to a mile.

Joseph O'Brien rides the very promising How High The Moon in the Listed race at the Curragh on Sunday.  Her pedigree strongly suggests that she's a middle distance filly for next year.  She's likely to be a warm order on Sunday.

I'm sure that Besharah is an improved filly, but I'd expect Illuminate to have a fair bit of improvement in her too (and on breeding is more likely to get a mile).  Lumiere was too keen at York and is also open to plenty of improvement (she was head and shoulders the most impressive specimen in the Lowther).  Illuminate is my pick of those three at this stage (looking ahead to the Guineas).

Yes, I agree that the best performances are almost certainly yet to come (in the Cheveley Park, Rockfel, Fillies' Mile, Prix Marcel Boussac etc).

The Flame of Tara Stakes (Listed) produced a tight finish, with one of Aidan O'Brien's staying types Kind Of Magic showing a lot of improvement (up in trip, suited by the soft ground) to shade it from stablemate How High The Moon (stayed on well, will need further).  The running of Leafy Shade (always prominent, beaten half a length in third, previously beaten more than 4 lengths in the Debutante Stakes) suggests that Ballydoyle is still comfortably the best of Aidan's juvenile fillies.

La Rioja was hugely impressive at Salisbury today, and the visual impression was backed up by what appeared to be a fast winning time (for the conditions), though it's hard to know how much the soft ground contributed to her superiority.  This filly is all speed, and I think her chances of staying a mile are very slim indeed.  There's a small amount of potential stamina on the dam's side of the pedigree (the unraced dam is a full sister to a horse that stayed a mile+), but the grand-dam was a sprint winner (by Storm Cat), La Rioja herself is by the sprinter (and speedily bred) Hellvelyn, and she's a half-sister to three sprinters.

Nathra, whom I mentioned on here a week ago, finally made her racecourse debut in one of the divisions of the 7f fillies maiden, and she was quite impressive, staying on well to beat a fancied Haggas-trained newcomer, the pair well clear.  It will be interesting to see where John Gosden goes next with this promising daughter of Iffraaj.  She is Gosden's sole entry in the Gr.1 Prix Marcel Boussac, a race he's won on three occasions.

Pascal Bary's highly regarded filly Antonoé maintained her unbeaten record with an impressive win in the Gr.3 Prix d'Aumale at Chantilly this afternoon.  Smartly into her stride, she was always at the head of affairs, and she quickly took control of the race with a smart turn of foot with under two furlongs to race and won very comfortably.  The winning time was quite slow, reflecting the modest pace through the first few furlongs.  Next stop is the Gr.1 Prix Marcel Boussac, provided the ground is not testing.  It will take a smart one to beat her there.  Previously unbeaten Gherdaiya ran well but was never able to get on terms with the winner, and was just run out of second place close home by the fast-finishing Pleasemetoo.  Antonoé is clearly a smart filly, but it's anyone's guess whether she will come over for the Guineas next May- it will largely depend, of course, on how she performs in the Prix Marcel Boussac.  Pascal Bary is not averse to bringing over a smart filly if he thinks she's good enough (he won the Guineas with Natagora in 2008 and had the runner-up with the well-fancied Six Perfections in 2003).  Bookmakers are not currently quoting her for the Guineas, but that might all change if she wins the Boussac...

Jean-Claude Rouget's filly Kotama recorded her second win in the 5½f conditions race earlier on the same card this afternoon.  She holds an entry in the Gr.1 Cheveley Park Stakes, but she would need to step up considerably to play a role there.  A couple of form lines suggest that she has a bit to find with Freddie Head's Cheveley Park entry Yakaba.

Can never get bolger right, anyway I'll be disappointed if Pure Diamond doesn't win this.

There are 10 runners for the Gr.1 Moyglare Stud Stakes on Sunday.  It promises to be the most significant juvenile fillies' race so far this season.  Waiting for confirmation of jockey bookings for the Aidan O'Brien-trained runners...

Well, she's quite highly regarded by her trainer, who sees her as a nice middle distance prospect for next year.  The step up to a mile will suit her and she'll handle the ground.  The form of her maiden has worked out well, but the winning time was very slow, and this represents a big step up in class.  If the Bolger filly fails to meet expectations it looks a very open race, so it wouldn't be the biggest surprise if the Hills filly were to prevail.

"fails to meet expectations"

yet she's hardly the favourite is she...

If Ballydoyle runs to her latest form on Sunday it's difficult to see her being beaten unless one of the others makes big improvement. Tanaza is the second fav but I didn't see that she could be better than the bare result last time and on that form Ballydoyle should have the beating of her. I think Ballydoyle could win here and still not necessarily show Guineas winning form unless she does it very impressively. It looks like it should be a well run race so unlike last time we should get to see what she can really do.

It will be disappointing if Ballydoyle gets beaten on Sunday, but it looks quite a tight race (on ratings).  I see Tanaza, Now Or Never and Blue Bayou as the main dangers.  I'm prepared to believe that Blue Bayou is a bit better than the bare form of her races to date, but of course she'll need to be if she's to win on Sunday!  Tanaza looked a classy filly last time and there's nothing between her and Ballydoyle using Turret Rocks as a guide (it depends whether or not you think Turret Rocks put up an improved performance in the Debutante Stakes and whether you think Alice Springs ran a bit below par in the same race).  Now Or Never is entitled to plenty of respect following her excellent effort against the colts last time, and she will appreciate any ease in the ground.  It will be disappointing if Great Page proves good enough, but she will enjoy conditions if it buckets down.

I'm inclined to agree with you about Turret Rocks improving in the Debutante, but I suspect that Alice Springs ran slightly below par in the same race (hence the application of a hood in Sunday's race).  If the forecast heavy showers materialize at the Curragh and there is plenty of ease in the ground, it wouldn't surprise me if Tanaza put up an improved performance in Sunday's race.  She has raced only on fast ground so far, but her dam won on heavy ground, several of the dam's siblings won with cut in the ground, the grand-dam won on yielding ground, Tanaza's half-sister Taniyar won on very soft ground, and plenty of Dubawi's progeny act on soft ground.  Dermot Weld said of Tanaza after the Silver Flash Stakes: "I think she would like it a little easier than this [good to firm ground]".  I agree that 2/1 would be a tempting price about Ballydoyle, but on yielding ground I would be interested in Tanaza at an each-way price (5/1 or bigger).

Yes, Tanaza is still unbeaten so it would be foolish to say she couldn't show improvement, and as Turret Rocks improved from the same race then of course Tanaza could do also. I just think the way her last race was run there was nothing concealed so she'll need to improve physically. Also, we all have yards we favour and ones we don't and, for all the past achievements of the Weld yard, in recent years I'm not too keen on their runners stepping up to the higher class races or pitched against Coolmore runners. They seem to have lots of runners that appear to win easily at lower levels, seemingly capable of being stepped up but then find little or no improvement when they are.

I've gone with Tanaza. Admittedly I'm concerned that the galloping nature of the track might blunt her turn of foot, but she's looked so impressive so far at the price it's a must bet. I also like the angle that she'll improve for a bit of give, and the way the race will be run should suit her, with now or never and ballydoyle likely to be dueling for the lead.

Was impressed with Minding there. The further she goes the better she's going to be so hard to believe that Ballydoyle is going to reverse the placings again over another furlong.

In fact she looks like the stamp of her sire so will surely make into an oaks filly as well.

Initial take on the form and time is Ballydoyle ran to form and the winner improved, as did the third. Looks some way short of Guineas winning form to me.