The fourth Group 1 on Ascot's card on Saturday is the QIPCO British Champions Fillies And Mares S. and last year's winner Simple Verse (Ire) (Duke Of Marmalade {Ire}), although entered, is far from certain to take her chance. Her trainer Ralph Beckett is favoring a crack at the G2 QIPCO British Champions Long Distance Cup over a half a mile further. “We won't decide until declaration time on Thursday. It will depend on ground and how we thought the race was shaping up,” said Beckett. “At the moment I'd probably lean more towards the Long Distance Cup, because I feel that her optimum is further than a mile and a half,” he added. An intriguing challenger for the fillies race is the Dermot Weld trained Zhukova (Ire) (Fastnet Rock {Aus}). The lightly raced 4-year-old, bred by Weld's late mother out her G1 Irish 1000 Guineas winner Nightime (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), has only run seven times, and not yet at the highest level. However she has been ultra impressive so far and her last time out dismissal of G1 Investec Epsom Derby runner up US Army Ranger (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) in the G3 KPMG Enterprise S. at Leopardstown Sept. 10 was very eyecatching.
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