1.50pm - Listed William Hill Pretty Polly Stakes
A pretty decent contest kickstarts the card at Newmarket, and it is the 3yo fillies who do battle for this Listed contest. This can be a race that gives us pointers towards the Oaks at Epsom next month, and although the main runners heading the market for this on Sunday do not have Oaks entries, there could still be a nice winner that comes out of the race for the season ahead.
Kalpana heads the market for Oisin Murphy and Andrew Balding, who was a very taking winner of a handicap contest at Newmarket last time off the mark of 78, and she was quite clearly chucked in off that mark as she dwelt the start, but still won by an easy 10 lengths in the end. She would have to show she is up to this sort of level, and although she was visually impressive last time, I do have my doubts about her.
Therefore, I feel there could be plenty more to come from Winter Snowfall, who is very well bred and was a cosy winner of a Chelmsford maiden last time. Not the usual profile heading into this contest, but she beat an odds-on runner of the Gosdens that day who has since come out and hacked up by 10 lengths and looks to be a potential Oaks candidate.
The race was not run to suit Winter Snowfall at all last time, but she still capitalised on it and won a shade cosily in the end, and with that run under her belt I can see her taking another step forward for this on Sunday. As mentioned, she is very well bred, beat a next-time-out winner and has the guidance of William Buick once again (who rode her on debut), therefore she is definitely the one for me, and is the one who can take a nice step forward for this on Sunday.
- Selection - Winter Snowfall (7/2)
2.25pm - Group 2 William Hill Dahlia Stakes
Probably not the best Group 2 contest of the season, but it is a pretty competitive one at that, where seven closely-matched fillies will go to post to battle it out for the £71,000 prize money on offer to the winner.
Running Lion blew hot and cold last term, a very nice winner of the Pretty Polly Stakes at this meeting 12 months ago (Sumo Sam was in 2nd who has since gone on to win at Group level) and the form of that race has worked out well. She then went on to miss the Oaks at Epsom for the French Oaks, but ran very disappointingly to finish last of the 15 runners that day. She then went on to end the season with a placed effort in a Listed contest at Salisbury before going on to come 3rd in a Group 3 at Newmarket but was beaten by 6 lengths, before ending the season with a disappointing effort at Ascot on Champions Day.
I think she might be the sort to be an early season type, so now is the best time to catch her, and if she can reproduce that effort from the Pretty Polly from last season then she might be hard to beat here. I am unsure what ground she prefers, but the expected good ground should pose no issues for her, back at this 1m2f trip where she seems to do her best running.
She goes well fresh, and as previously mentioned, so now might be the perfect time to catch her, in a contest that she should probably be winning. There might not be an easier opportunity for her to land a Group 2 all season long than this one on Sunday.
- Selection - Running Lion (9/4)
3.40pm - Group 1 Qipco 1000 Guineas Stakes
Much like the 2000 Guineas this weekend, I think this is a brilliant race, and you would argue it should be as it is the first fillies’ Classic of the season, but I feel there is some extra depth in the contest this year with some really nice fillies doing battle for the brilliant prize on offer. You could make a case for literally any of these fillies, as they all have a chance of running well and even outrunning their odds, as shown by Billesdon Brook a few seasons back when she landed this contest at the odds of 66/1.
There tends to be one or two more shocks in the 1000 Guineas compared to the 2000, but with that firmly in mind (of course I take no notice of that) I just can't wait to see Fallen Angel as a 3yo. I really hope she has trained on, and according to Karl Burke, he is very confident that she has. There will be plenty of pressure on Karl to get this right, as he will most likely have the market leader for the 1000 Guineas this season, but as he showed with how he campaigned her so brilliantly last season, I feel he will very much get it right heading into the classic on Sunday.
She was impressive as a 2yo, especially in her final start of the season in the Group 1 Moyglare Stakes, but before that she had won on debut at Haydock, before coming 2nd in a Listed contest at Sandown, and then going on to land a Group 3 at Newmarket in splendid fashion by 3 lengths, with some nice types in behind that day.
It was then her turn to tackle Group 1 company for the very first time, and take on the hot pot of Aidan O'Brien in the shape of Ylang Ylang who was almost odds-on that day. However she finished very disappointingly, coming last of nine runners, and Fallen Angel took full advantage of that by winning the feature Group 1 contest by just under 2 lengths in the end.
She could be a real force this season against the fillies, and I can not wait to see how she fares in this top-class renewal of the 1000 Guineas on Sunday afternoon. I just hope and pray that she has trained on from 2 to 3, as we have seen some very good 2yo's unfortunately not train on in years gone by.
Another one that I want to give a mention to at a decent price currently is Star Style for Richard Hannon, who clearly knows what it takes to train a Guineas winner. Although she does lack the racecourse experience and only made her debut just 16 days ago at Newbury, she won like she was a filly out of the ordinary that day. She was pretty well fancied in the market on her debut, sent off the 3/1 joint favourite in the end, and although the form of that is hard to read, she travelled incredibly well and made all, to win pulling away in the closing stages by a little under 6 lengths.
She has clearly needed time to get things together as she never ran as a 2yo, but it is clear to see that time and patience might have worked out for the daughter of Zoustar, as she really could be anything this season. Ultimately the lack of racecourse experience might catch up with her on Sunday, but the manner in which she won on debut would suggest she is a patterned class filly in the making, and she might just improve enough to run very well in this contest on Sunday, providing she handles the undulations of Newmarket. I am excited to see both her and Fallen Angel this weekend, as I think they could be top class.
- Selections - Fallen Angel (10/3) & Star Style (12/1 EW)
All prices are from Planet Sport Bet and are subject to change
All previews and tips provided by @ Jake Russell