Cutting A Dash

Saturday's G1 British Champions Fillies & Mares S. is one of the strongest on the Ascot card, with at least two fillies who would have held major claims in the feature race itself in Seventh Heaven (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) and Zhukova (Ire) (Fastnet Rock {Aus}). The latter has long promised to become a significant presence in this company and looked to be building towards a peak when beating the June 4 G1 Epsom Derby runner-up US Army Ranger (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) in the G3 Kilternan S. over this trip at Leopardstown Sept. 10. Previously, the imposing bay had Found (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) and Bocca Baciata (Ire) (Big Bad Bob {Ire}) well in arrears when winning the Listed Alleged S. over 10 furlongs at The Curragh Apr. 3 before overpowering Pretty Perfect (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) by 7 1/2 lengths in the G3 Blue Wind S. over 10 furlongs at Naas May 11. “We always thought she was capable of making up into a Group 1 filly,” jockey Pat Smullen said. “It's a very strong race with Seventh Heaven and a couple of other very good fillies in there, but we're happy with ours and always felt she was capable of mixing it at the top level. She goes there in great form and this has been the plan for a while, so we're looking forward to it.”

Were it not for Found and Minding (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) being in the same stable, it is possible that Seventh Heaven could have even more than a G1 Irish and Yorkshire Oaks to her name by now. Her heavy defeats of Architecture (Ire) (Zoffany {Ire}) in the July 16 Curragh Classic and of Found at York Aug. 18 mark her as a leading light among her generation and with the seven-pound weight-for-age allowance she sets the standard. Last year's runner-up Journey (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) is hard to leave out of the equation and may be in danger of being a touch under-rated being a daughter of Montare (Ire) (Montjeu {Ire}), who progressed with age. Her latest success in Newmarket's Listed Princess Royal S. over this trip Sept. 23 was her first since winning Haydock's G3 Pinnacle S. also at that distance May 28 and George Strawbridge's homebred could be about to post a career-high. “She won well at Newmarket the other day and the runner-up, Lady of Camelot, has since run another good race there,” trainer John Gosden said. “We are aware of the task in hand with the good Irish filles coming over, but we will give it a go. It's a very polished version of the race.” Her rider Frankie Dettori added, “Journey gave me a lovely feel when winning at the Cambridgeshire meeting. She had an eight-pound penalty that day, so it was no mean feat for her to win in the fashion she did. Twelve months ago she had an identical prep before running well at Ascot, so I've no reason to think she won't go well again. She's not been out a whole lot this term and John has taken it steady with her. That could prove critical as we near the end of a long season.”

There is only one other Group 1 winner in the line-up other than Seventh Heaven and that is Helena Springfield Ltd's Speedy Boarding (GB) (Shamardal), who is back in action 13 days after the second of her two successes at that level in Chantilly's G1 Prix de l'Opera. That was an improvement on her performance when capturing the G1 Prix Jean Romanet also over 10 furlongs at Deauville Aug. 21, but there is a feeling that she will have to progress again to land this prize. “She came out of her last race well, she looks well and she's still got her summer coat, so we decided to give it a go,” trainer James Fanshawe commented. “I think she's had excuses on her previous attempts over a mile-and-a-half. A lot of her relatives stayed well and she's built to stay, so we'll see. It's a strong race and I think a lot will depend on which filly is in the best form on the day. It's the end of a long year, but our filly has only had the five runs, so she's not been over-raced. This will be her last run.”