Following a confidence-restoring success in Royal Ascot's G2 Duke of Cambridge S., Al Shaqab's Qemah (Ire) (Danehill Dancer {Ire}) is back at Deauville on Sunday bidding to record back-to-back wins in the G1 Prix Rothschild. Upping her game from a comeback second in the seven-furlong G3 Chartwell Fillies' S. at
Lingfield on May 13 when beating the 40-1 outsider Aljazzi (GB) (Shamardal) and Usherette (Ire) (Shamardal) at the Royal meeting on June 21, last year's G1 Coronation S. winner is reported in peak condition. “She's a dual Group 1 winner, so she's in the appropriate spot and this has been her target since Ascot,” the owners's racing manager Harry Herbert commented. “As you would expect, it looks a very good race, but Qemah won it last year. She's in very good form and Jean-Claude [Rouget] seems very happy with her, so fingers crossed she can hold onto her title. I don't think we're too worried about ground conditions. I think we'd be more worried about running her on ground that was too quick than too slow.”
Last year's Duke of Cambridge heroine Usherette is still chasing a top-level success, with her penultimate start representing her best effort in this company when third in the G1 Prix d'Ispahan over nine furlongs at Chantilly on May 28. “Usherette has come on for every run this year and is in great form,” the operation's Lisa-Jane Graffard said. “She was possibly a shade unlucky at Royal Ascot, when she didn't get the run of the race, but this is a very tough contest.” Godolphin's blue is also sported by the progressive Arabian Hope (Distorted Humor), who was successful in the Listed Ganton S. at York on June 17 and third in the G1 Falmouth S. at Newmarket on July 14 and Saeed bin Suroor commented, “Arabian Hope ran well to finish third on her first appearance in a Group 1 race at Newmarket and she has done well since. She heads to France in good form and we are looking for another good result.”
Making her seasonal bow is Cheveley Park Stud's G3 Atalanta S. winner and G1 Matron S. runner-up Persuasive (GB) (Dark Angel {Ire}) and the stud's managing director Chris Richardson is hoping she can hold her own despite the absence. “We've just been waiting on the ground and the right race,” he explained. “Royal Ascot came and went–we didn't want to expose her on ground that was too firm–and we've just had to stay patient. She has competed against many of these fillies before and run very well. There's no doubt that she'll improve for the run, but she's in good form and John [Gosden] is very happy with her. If she can run into the frame that would be great and it will be a nice stepping-stone for other races like the Matron again.”
Aidan O'Brien saddles the Falmouth heroine Roly Poly (War Front), who may need the ground to dry further if she is to add to that Group 1 victory.
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