Some nice fillies have won this group one over a mile including Roly Poly, Alice Springs, Sky Lantern and Siyouma and ten fillies will line up to try and get their names onto this illustrious role of honour.
Aidan O'Brien has trained the past two winners of this and is represented by three runners in this. Clemmie appears the stable fancy as she will be partnered by Ryan Moore. She is a multiple group winner at two but has been well beaten three times behind Alpha Centauri this season. Last time out, she was beaten by Laurens and the aforementioned filly in the Matron Stakes. That was a huge improvement from other runs this season. To win this, she will have to have come out of the Leopardstown run a lot better than Laurens. Happily had a successful two year old season too as she beat the likes of Alpha Centauri and Masar, the Derby winner. She hasn't transferred that form to her three year old season. Her best run was third in the 2000 Guineas behind Billesdon Brook and Laurens, who beat her four and a quarter lengths last time out, and would prefer it softer. O'Brien's other runner is I Can Fly, who would probably be the pick of these three based on the fact that she bolted up in a group two last time out but she has been beaten a few times by runners in this line up- Altyn Orda, Billesdon Brook and Laurens, when she finished eleventh in the 1000 Guineas, and was beaten over seventy lengths in the Oaks.
Billesdon Brook was this year's 1000 Guineas winner but she has run twice since and not shown that sparkle she did on that early May afternoon. She has been fourth two group ones since and finished ahead of Clemmie on one of those occasions and Veracious has finished ahead on both of those starts. I would like to see her run a better race than then in this to prove it wasn't a fluke as she beat some very nice fillies. Based on those runs, it seems as though LAURENS can reverse the running with her from the 1000 Guineas. The John Dance owned filly led that race and just tired towards the end but wasn't disgraced as she was only beaten just under two lengths into second. A winner of six of her nine starts, she has been one of the standout performers of this season. At two, she won the Fillies' Mile and May Hill and, after her Guineas second, she won two group ones in France. Connections raised her up in trip to one mile two and she struggled in that and could only manage sixth but then won incredibly well at Leapardstown beating top filly Alpha Centauri, who, admittedly, did injure herself in that race but take nothing away from Laurens as she probably would've won anyway.
Her two main challengers will probably be Veracious and Wind Chimes. The former is very unexposed compared to the majority of these as she has run just five times, winning two. She made her seasonal debut in the Coronation Stakes, after two runs at two, suggesting she is thought highly of. She was an admirable third in that and finished in the same placing in that in the Nassau beating Billesdon Brook and Wilamina. A group three winner last time out, she will have come on from that and hasn't stopped improving. At the time of writing this, Wind Chimes was the favourite, best priced 9/4. She won a listed race at two and then was unplaced on three year old debut and was then third behind Teppal in a group one. She was third in and the won a group three in mid-August. Second in a group one behind Recoletos is good form and she's the highest rated so has an obvious chance. It is hard to judge how her form ties in to the British and Irish runners but Teppal beat Wind Chimes in a group one and was later on beaten a long way by Alpha Centauri and Laurens beat Alpha Centauri last time out so that gives the British filly an advantage based on form.
There has been one five year old winner in the past seven years and Aljazzi and Wilamina are looking to make that two but they are the outsiders in the line up. The former was a winner of a group two in spectacular style at Ascot in June and she finished ahead of Wilamina in that race. She was last seen fourth in a group one in Deauville and is a classy mare so is likely to go well and a bit overpriced. Wilaminabattled gamely to win a group three at Epsom at the beginning of the season before finishing behind the aforementioned Aljazzi. She hasn't featured on her past two starts so will need to step up. Altyn Orda is the other outsider. This three year old broke her maiden as a surprise winner of a group three beating I Can Fly. Fifth in the 1000 Guineas, she was beaten just over five lengths and hasn't won since so may struggle.
Verdict
1st- Laurens
2nd- Wind Chimes
3rd- Veracious
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