2024 1000 Guineas Newmarket

I bet e/w on Soprano today jamespWill was not overly hard on her so upwards and onwards.

This year's Albany looks an extremely poor renewal. I think the runners will struggle to win later in the season even remaining at Gp3 level.

jamesp, it depends on how good each Commonwealth Cup is. As it's limited to 3yos there can be a big difference in levels from year to year. It wasn't the worst Albany in recent years. I make it better than the ones won by Brave Anna, Main Edition and Dandalla, but that isn't saying much.

Actually all of those went on to win other group races, so I may have been hasty to say this lot will struggle in the near future. Obviously it depends on the strength of the opposition. However, without serious improvement I couldn't even be thinking of these fillies having a bearing on next year's Guineas.

Jamesp, it's not unusual for the ground to dry out significantly between the first and last race at this time of year, particularly on artificially watered ground, but that can only ever be a matter of opinion on the day. Actually I have this year's Queen Mary as the best since Raffle Prize won. I'm not generally a big backer of 2yos, but I'd be interested in the first two fillies in upcoming sprints. Obviously the Guineas is a different matter.

2 out of the last 3 Guineas wnrs have been btn in The Albany
Wouldn't right the race off just yet.Alfa Centuari was
also done in this not that long ago.

Cursory Glance was a really smart filly: such a shame for Roger Varian and connections that an ankle injury curtailed her career and she never raced after her Gr.1 Moyglare Stud Stakes win (where she had future Guineas runner-up Lucida, Arc winner Found and Oaks winner Qualify trailing in her wake)...

Ylang Ylang (Aidan O'Brien) moved to the head of the 1000 Guineas market following her winning debut at the Curragh yesterday. She always looked in control and strode out nicely to win comfortably from a bunch of newcomers. The result was fully expected, she was odds-on and had been working well with colts at home. We'll surely hear a lot more of this filly, and her trainer is already thinking in terms of the Gr.2 Debutante Stakes. It's no surprise that the bookmakers have taken evasive action, now a general 10/1 chance for the Guineas (12/1 in a place).
O'Brien has run some top class fillies in this maiden race in recent years, including Qualify (2014) (4th in this maiden, went on to win the Oaks); Alice Springs (2015) (multiple Gr.1 winner at three); Rhododendron (2016) (2nd in this maiden, multiple Gr.1 winner); Happily (2017) (dual Gr.1 winner at two); Hermosa (2018) (4th in this maiden, won the 1000 Guineas and Irish 1000 Guineas); Love (2019) (2nd in this maiden, multiple Gr.1 winner including 1000 Guineas and Oaks); Snowfall (2020) (8th in this maiden, went on to win the Oaks, Irish Oaks, Yorkshire Oaks); Tuesday (2021) (2nd in this maiden, won the Oaks and Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf); Never Ending Story (2022) (Gr.3 winner, runner-up in Gr.1 Prix de Diane).
Given O'Brien's track record in this Curragh maiden and the high regard in which the filly is held, it's no surprise to see Ylang Ylang introduced at such a short price for the Guineas. But 10/1 for the Guineas off the back of a maiden win at this stage of the season makes no appeal at all: it's another example of how O'Brien's dominance has squeezed all value out of the ante-post market (unless you're prepared to look beyond the confines of Ballydoyle). She's by Frankel out of Shambolic, who won over a mile at two and was campaigned unsuccessfully over middle distances at three (placed in Listed races over 10-12f). Shambolic is a half-sister to several other 10-12f winners, and the grand-dam Comic (out of a Shirley Heights mare) was a 10-11f winner, so on breeding Ylang Ylang looks sure to stay middle distances next year and could be more of a Fillies' Mile and Oaks filly than a Guineas one.

There's a fair amount of stamina on the dam's side of the pedigree, with the dam being by High Chaparral out of a winning miler, but Matrika seems to be a speedy type and Aidan O'Brien said after her win at the Curragh on Saturday that he's in no hurry to step her up in trip:
"She’s not slow, she has plenty of speed. Obviously you’d hope that she might get seven, because she is very relaxed, but she is No Nay Never and they have a lot of natural speed and find it very easy to go very fast. We’ll stay at six for a while and if we have to step up to seven we will. She’s a Group Two winner now and there are probably not too many places we’ll be able to go with her. You’d be hoping she’s going to be a Cheveley Park filly."

She didn't need to make any improvement on her Albany performance to win this arguably weaker event (technically a higher grade, but without much strength in depth), and she did it comfortably. She's clearly a very useful 6f filly but I wouldn't be thinking of the Guineas for her at this stage.

That was a funny ole race yesterday.7 rnrs and split into 2 groups,miles apart
from each other.

No doubt Pearls And Rubies is a promising filly and she's bred to be quite smart, but the bare form of that Chesham Stakes, with little more than a length covering the first five home, looks woeful. Little better than a novices event. Considerably more will be needed if she's to make a mark in higher grade.

Soprano (close third in the Albany Stakes at Royal Ascot) is due to turn out for the Gr.2 Duchess of Cambridge Stakes at Newmarket on Friday 14 July. With regular jockey William Buick switching to a Charlie Appleby-trained filly, Soprano will be ridden by Ryan Moore for the first time. This will be a good test for George Boughey's filly and it will hopefully tell us whether or not she's potentially top class. She holds Persian Dreamer, Pretty Crystal and Komat on the Albany form. The impressive Empress Stakes winner Star Of Mystery (Charlie Appleby) will be a tough nut to crack and could well follow up, but she's a speedy type and unlikely to get a mile next year - she's by Kodiac out of a 6-7f winner, and the grand-dam Misheer won this Gr.2 race in 2009 (and was later runner-up to Special Duty in the Gr.1 Cheveley Park Stakes but finished last in the Guineas).

I see that With Style is entered for what is normally a competitive 7f fillies maiden at Leopardstown on Thursday. Full sister to the useful miler Horoscope.

Farcical indeed. Professionals messing up big time. I hope the horse does not suffer any ill-effect from the "stimulant". Imagine a medical surgeon chopping off the wrong leg (good leg) of a patient?

If I was the owner of Soprano I'll immediately take the horse away, sue the trainer and the vet.

The Albany Stakes form has been boosted somewhat by subsequent Gr.2 wins for Matrika (in the Airlie Stud Stakes) and Persian Dreamer (in the Duchess Of Cambridge Stakes today), though the form of both those Gr.2 races looks quite weak. I suspect that the favourite Star Of Mystery ran a bit below par on the rain-softened ground today. Nevertheless, it should give connections of Soprano extra confidence going into the Gr.3 Princess Margaret Stakes later this month.

Yes, a good debut from the promising Bellezza, though I thought the third and fourth did too much up front and paid the price in the latter stages. She's in the Debutante and Moyglare, and there's plenty of stamina on the dam's side of the pedigree so she should stay 10f next year.
BTW, does anyone know what's happened to the Gr.3 Silver Flash Stakes? I was expecting to see it in its usual place on the Leopardstown card next Thursday evening, but it's missing. Has the race been discontinued? It used to be a good stepping stone to the Debutante Stakes.

For me its a watching brief for Ylang Ylang. Done to the minute for her debut. The new Minding ? Lets see.

Looking forward to seeing Christopher Head's exciting filly Ramatuelle in action today in the Gr.2 Prix Robert Papin over 6f at Chantilly. Her 5-length romp in the Gr.3 Prix du Bois marked her out as one of the best sprinting juvenile fillies in Europe so far this season, and she is unsurprisingly odds-on for today's Group 2 contest, for which there is a disappointing turnout of just five runners. Aidan O'Brien sends over His Majesty (third in the Gr.2 Railway Stakes), but he will need to improve markedly on his recent form to take a hand if Ramatuelle is on song. Christopher Head's filly is likely to get further than 6f, as she's by Justify out of a Raven's Pass mare who was a multiple 6-7f winner but bred to stay further (from the family of Sueboog, who was third in the Musidora and fourth in the Oaks). A potential Guineas filly, if she continues to progress throughout the season.

Wow, that was impressive, Ramatuelle quickening clear and eased down to score by 4 lengths from the decent yardstick His Majesty. Could have won by 6+ lengths. I guess it will be the Gr.1 Prix Morny next, which should be a much sterner test. If she wins the Morny she could well be a Guineas filly in the making, though enthusiasm is tempered by the fact that she has so much speed. Is it sheer class than enables her to win so easily, will she be able to maintain this level of form over longer distances, or is she just an out-and-out sprinting juvenile? It's hard to tell. You need class and speed to win a Guineas, and there's every possibility (on breeding) that she'll eventually get 7f and a mile.

Her winning time in the Gr.3 Prix du Bois (18 June), 1m 08.05s on good to soft ground, was exceptional. She travelled supremely well, kicked clear and won eased down by 5 lengths from the previously unbeaten Zorken. It's worth watching a recording of that race: https://www.france-galop.com/en/horse/aUEvUk1lYy9EQnp1Zm42UDlNOGhqUT09
She's a nice medium-sized filly and doesn't look like just a sharp early two-year-old type. But I agree, she's so quick that one wonders whether she'll be able to get a mile next year.
There wasn't much pace in the Prix Robert Papin on Sunday, and as a result she took a keen hold through the early stages, so it wasn't really run to suit. Winning time of 1m 09.55s (on good ground) was 1.5s slower than the Prix du Bois. She was more impressive in the Prix du Bois off a faster pace.