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Great Heavens boasts the best recent form on her 6th in the Arc when a late substitute for her brother. She was entitled to be a bit rusty after a mid-season break and did well in the circumstances. The Irish Fillies have failed to keep any of their own group 1 fillies events at home this season, Sapphire couldn’t cope with Izzi Top under similar conditions and this looks tougher. Was has shown her best form on a sounder surface. Dancing Rain is returning from a long absence and her victory last year was against inferior opposition to tomorrow’s line-up. It would be a training feat of some quality if she can prevail. Testosterone has some excellent form from last year but has shown precious little since switching stables. She has the assistance of the master jockey at Ascot Mr Dettori and his presence means she is probably over-priced and offers a sporting alternative to the favourite.
Great Heavens is the most likely winner, she should be spot on after her prep run in the Arc. The going does make heavy wagering unwise despite her apparent relish for the conditions.
On form this year and assuming the Arc didn’t take too much out of her as she was beaten a long way I can’t see past Great Heavens as the obvious winner unless Dancing Rain makes a remarkable comeback.
I’m a big fan of Great Heavens, but is it possible to run as well as she did in the Arc and not have a hard race?
I think John Gosden was preparing her specifically for this contest before the owner decided to deploy her as a late substitute in France. A gruelling race on testing ground is not what he wanted, I’m sure, and that must surely have jeopardised her chances at Ascot.
Some quality fillies in the field, but I’m going to take a chance on
Shirocco Star
to finally land ‘the big one’. Hughie Morrison’s tough cookie has been knocking on the door all season and displayed an admirable level of consistency against top opposition.
I don’t think we have yet seen the best of her and I’m confident this good looking filly has more potential than most to make a better 4YO. She will certainly go in the ground and the testing conditions will place greater emphasis on stamina, which she has in adundance.
She won’t be too far away and Ascot is always a difficult place to make up ground under such testing conditions in top races, so tactically it should play to her strengths.
She will be hard to keep out of the frame.
I think it is possible, Bosranic (for what it transpires to be worth..). Stoute gave that impression. Almost an exercise run, I suppose. We shall see.
I think it’s good, mind you, that Dancing Rain ran in a tuppeny ha’penny race, rather than a taxing one, last time. And if she close to her peak, the figures seem to say, I believe that she’s as good as Great Heavens is, at this stage, anyway.
I think Great Heavens faded a bit in the Arc but, given Gosdens train to the minute policy, it may be that she was not at her peak because of the late decision to run when this was her original target. I reckon 4/1 is worth a chance rather than side with Sapphire at 5/2
Thanks for the good crack. Time for me to move on. Be lucky.
I think most hearts go out to Shirocco Star. A lovely filly who tries so hard, but has found one too good in six of her nine outings – four at Group 1 / 2 level.
I have said for some time that she will make up into a lovely 4YO and it’s nice to hear Hughie Morrison mention next season in a post-race interview.
I couldn’t have Great Heavens after her Arc exertions, but she is better than that effort and could prove best of these over twelve furlongs next season.
We could have a fantastic collection of middle distance fillies and mares next season, but I have faith that The Fugue will prove the best of them over ten furlongs and could mix it with the colts if given the green light for a campaign nest year.
Hopefully some of those 3yo fillies will stay in training and looking at this year’s 3yo colts we could do with them.
I think most hearts go out to Shirocco Star. A lovely filly who tries so hard, but has found one too good in six of her nine outings – four at Group 1 / 2 level.
I have said for some time that she will make up into a lovely 4YO and it’s nice to hear Hughie Morrison mention next season in a post-race interview.
I couldn’t have Great Heavens after her Arc exertions, but she is better than that effort and could prove best of these over twelve furlongs next season.
We could have a fantastic collection of middle distance fillies and mares next season, but I have faith that The Fugue will prove the best of them over ten furlongs and could mix it with the colts if given the green light for a campaign nest year.
I was disappointed with Great Heavens and thought she was beaten too early in the race to blame the Arc run. She is quite small and I am not sure she will make the progress of some of the others. Her best performances this year were when she dominated from the front. It could be that as she rose in class, she was unable to do that but she looked in trouble trying to come from behind in the Irish Oaks before staying on and again seemed to struggle when unable to make all in her last two runs. I would be wary about her, particularly considering that her brother Nathaniel, although admirably consistent, didn’t really make much improvement, if any, in my book this season.
Thanks for the good crack. Time for me to move on. Be lucky.
Great Heavens was restricted to just one run as a 2YO and has been on the go since May. She may have been in trouble at the Curragh, but was still a commanding winner, beating an ultra-consistent yardstick and an impressive Ribblesdale winner.
Her Arc performance was very sound and she had a number of top class horses behind. It wasn’t her preferred target and John Gosden said she was a gallop short of being 100%, making it all the more impressive.
Fillies can be hard to predict at this time of year and I can’t imagine John Gosden was too impressed with the decision to run her at Longchamp. Making any athlete compete at the highest level – human or equine – when they are not fully fit can have a detrimental influence instead of ‘putting them right’, particularly if the following contest is in fairly close proximity.
Nathaniel didn’t improve, but I don’t think he regressed and his effort in giving an impressive Arc winner 3lb and narrowly going down in the King George was proof of this – it was the only occasion he actually competed over his preferred trip this season.
I think The Fugue will prove the best older filly next year and she is more than capable of mixing it with the colts.
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