Simmering (GB)

In what is teed up to be a potentially stellar renewal of Newmarket's G1 Betfred 1,000 Guineas on Sunday, Godolphin's TDN Rising Star Desert Flower and Ballydoyle's TDN Rising Star Lake Victoria head a cast of ten. As in the 2,000 Guineas, Aidan O'Brien has just one contender in the unbeaten triple top-level-winning daughter of Frankel, having withdrawn his other three entries including Bedtime Story and Exactly, and her meeting with the Charlie Appleby-trained G1 Fillies' Mile-winning daughter of Night Of Thunder is one to relish. Other notables include another Frankel special in Juddmonte's...

Most were expecting that Aidan O'Brien would be welcoming back a 10th winner of The Curragh's G1 Moyglare Stud Stakes on Sunday and that it would be an unbeaten daughter of Frankel (GB), but few would have predicted that it would be Lake Victoria (Ire) and not Bedtime Story (Ire). Like her deservedly much-vaunted stablemate, Lake Victoria held TDN Rising Star status heading into this seven-furlong test having beaten the re-opposing Red Letter (GB) (Frankel {GB}) on debut over this course and distance in June and gone to Newmarket to...

Sunday's field have now been set, with the group 1 races at The Curragh and ParisLongchamp hosting some major names including Ballydoyle's elite-level winners Kyprios (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) and Opera Singer (Justify). The former bids for a second G1 Irish St Leger during the second day of the Irish Champions Festival in Kildare, while the latter is one of a dozen fillies set to contest the G1 Qatar Prix Vermeille which is the feature of the French Arc Trials card. Kyprios will face seven in the 14-furlong contest, including Scuderia...

Relishing the step up to seven furlongs on Saturday, Al Shaqab's G3 Princess Margaret Stakes winner Simmering (GB) (Too Darn Hot {GB}--Cashla Bay {GB}, by Fastnet Rock {Aus}) mastered her peers with a degree of comfort in Deauville's G2 Prix du Calvados to suggest she can enter elite territory sooner rather than later. Always travelling easily under Dylan Browne McMonagle tracking the pace, the Ollie Sangster-trained 7-5 favourite cruised to the front two out and once committed soon after gave generous response to inflict a three-length defeat on the previously...

With York's Ebor Festival drawing the elite performers next week, Saturday's action across Europe is lacking a championship contest but not intrigue as some progressive types put their reputations on the line at Deauville, Newbury and The Curragh. Perhaps the biggest name on the day is Ballydoyle's G1 St Leger hero Continuous (Jpn) (Heart's Cry {Jpn}) in the G3 Royal Whip Stakes at the Kildare venue, looking to build on his comeback effort in a renewal of Royal Ascot's G2 Hardwicke Stakes that has taken on extra gravitas with the...

Compensating for her agonising reversal in the Royal meeting's G3 Albany Stakes, Al Shaqab Racing's acquisition Simmering (GB) (Too Darn Hot {GB}--Cashla Bay {GB}, by Fastnet Rock {Aus}) got up late to break her maiden in style in Saturday's G3 Princess Margaret Stakes back at Ascot. Third on debut at York behind the high-class Arabie (GB) (Dandy Man {Ire}) prior to her standard-setting Albany performance behind Fairy Godmother (Ire) (Night Of Thunder {Ire}), the 11-8 favourite was held up early by Ryan Moore who had already ridden the opening race's...