With the ground deteriorating at Newmarket, proven ability to handle it testing could be essential in Saturday's G1 Juddmonte Cheveley Park S. and Threading (Ire) (Exceed and Excel {Aus}) has that in her favour as she defends her unbeaten record. Scything through desperate conditions when winning by six lengths on debut at the storm-hit Glorious Goodwood meeting Aug. 2, Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed Al Maktoum's homebred relative of the great Dubai Millennium (GB) followed up on more manageable good-to-soft going in the G2 Lowther S. at York Aug. 24 and lacks for nothing in toughness.
“Threading is very well and this race has long been her target,” trainer Mark Johnston said. “She has only had two races in her life, so is anything but exposed. We know that she will handle the current conditions as she has won both her races with some cut in the ground, but there is nothing to say that she needs it soft. Her pedigree suggests she may be better suited by a faster surface and I am never one to pigeonhole a horse after just two starts. We will get this race out of the way before we start thing about stepping her up in trip. At the moment there is no reason why she won't stay a mile next year and I see her as a Classic filly for 2018.”
Aidan O'Brien is one who would not have wanted the rain that has afflicted Suffolk this week, with Clemmie (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) having been withdrawn from the G1 Moyglare Stud S. due to worsening ground. She was last seen beating Friday's G2 Rockfel S. runner-up Nyaleti (Ire) (Arch) on the July Course in the G2 Duchess of Cambridge S. here July 14 and as a full-sister to Churchill (Ire) wants a quick surface to show her true form. “She's in good form. She had a little break and we're happy with her,” the Ballydoyle trainer said. “We don't want much rain.”
Two Royal Ascot winners are in opposition in the June 21 G2 Queen Mary S. heroine Heartache (GB) (Kyllachy {GB}) and June 23 G3 Albany S. scorer Different League (Fr) (Dabirsim {Fr}), with the former taking the G2 Flying Childers S. over five furlongs at Doncaster 15 days ago.
“I am very pleased to report that Heartache has come back 100% from the Flying Childers. She is in tremendous form,” trainer Clive Cox commented. “I think and hope that the step up to six furlongs will be within her boundaries. She's more at home on a sound surface, so going the extra furlong on soft ground would be the concern. Heartache is clearly very classy and, as a very well-balanced filly, I hope that she will handle the course well.”
Different League, who was subsequently third in the G1 Prix Morny at Deauville Aug. 20, is still unbeaten among her own sex and trainer Matthieu Palussiere is hopeful she can keep that record intact. “All has been going well since the Morny,” he said. “It was a very good run against the colts. She's got the big black-type already, so we've nothing to lose by running her. She won her first race on soft and is a powerful filly, so I'm not worried about the ground.”
The least-exposed in the line-up is the 'TDN Rising Star' Betty F (GB) (Frankel {GB}) and she will have to be out of the ordinary to win this off just a novice win on the July Course here Aug. 26, even allowing for the taking nature of that performance.
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