Beauty and Beast

With the memory of her impressive maiden win at Newmarket’s July festival still fresh, Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed Al Maktoum’s Lumiere (GB) (Shamardal) bids to put substance to style in York’s G2 Pinsent Masons Lowther S. on Thursday.

Maybe her six-length thrashing of rivals in that July 9 six-furlong introduction was just a flash in the pan and it is significant that her dam Screen Star (Ire) (Tobougg {Ire}) took her only race, a Redcar maiden in 2007, by 11 lengths. Connections are as much in the dark as everybody but trainer Mark Johnston’s son and assistant Charlie is abuzz as he waits for confirmation of her class on the Knavesmire.

“It is not the ordinary route for us to jump straight from a maiden win to a Group 2, but we don’t think she is an ordinary filly,” he said. “She was very impressive at Newmarket and we are still dreaming. William [Buick] was incredibly complimentary about her that day and feels she is up to this grade. I am not sure that she beat a lot at Newmarket, but she couldn’t have done it any better and we shall learn a lot more about her at York. A lot of her rivals have form at stakes level and will have had plenty of racing. We are looking forward to it.”

In contrast to Lumiere, Sheikh Rashid Dalmook Al Maktoum’s Besharah (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}) has an abundance of experience in these type of events already under her belt and she looked to have improved last time when winning the G3 Princess Margaret S. with real authority at Ascot July 25. Prior to that, the bay was third in the Royal meeting’s G2 Queen Mary S. over five panels June 17 and a nose second to Illuminate (Ire) (Zoffany {Ire}), with the subsequent G3 Sweet Solera S. winner Blue Bayou (GB) (Bahamian Bounty {GB}) a short head behind in Newmarket’s G2 Duchess of Cambridge S. July 10.

“This is the best opposition she’s taken on, but she’s very good,” the owner’s racing manager Bruce Raymond said. “Lumiere looked impressive, but it was probably against ordinary horses. Besharah has beaten much better horses. She has raced at this level most of the time. She worked well the other day and William [Haggas] is very happy with her. She seems in good form.”

Splitting Acapulco (Scat Daddy) and Besharah in the Queen Mary was Al Shaqab Racing and Ritchie Fiddes’ Easton Angel (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}), but she was only fourth in the Duchess of Cambridge S. and has to rebound from that effort.

“Although she was in good form, possibly the Newmarket race came a bit quickly after Ascot,” trainer Michael Dods said. “I feel we’ve got her back to the form she was in going to Ascot. She seems in better form now than she was before she went to Newmarket. Although she goes on fast, a bit of juice would help and I’m sure she’ll run a big race. I think she’ll make a nice three-year-old–she’s built like a colt.”