Seven fillies line up for this £22,000 prize and it looks a typically competitive contest which sees the top British and Irish stables go head to head. Guineas winning trainers John Oxx and Barry Hills both have solid chances in the shape of Roses For The Lady and Simple Solution respectively but they have stiff opposition from Aidan O'Brien and Sir Michael Stoute.
It looks most sensible to start with forecast favourite Roses For The Lady, who represents the in-form pair of John Oxx and Mick Kinane, who took the 2,000 Guineas with the impressive Sea The Stars on Saturday. Oxx rarely sends a horse across the Irish Sea unless they have a winning chance and this representative looks sure to go close. A winner last time out, she certainly benefited for the step up in trip and looks the type to improve further as she goes up in distance again. She beat Jakarta Jazz by a short-head at Leopardstown that day over 1m 2f and stayed on dourly to hold on from her rival's challenge. It is most interesting that her trainer is willing to put her straight into Listed company following that maiden win and he obviously holds this daughter of Sadler's Wells in high regard, especially when seeing she still holds an Oaks entry. She looks assured to give her running and if the money comes, the market support must be noted.
Hidden Brief looks the type to improve for her shrewd trainer, especially after seeing her stay on well in her last race. Michael Jarvis has his string in superb form and his filly made a very pleasing return to action last time out at Sandown. She was beaten by Peter Chapple-Hyam's Star Ruby, who looks very useful, and definitely appreciated the step up in trip. The pair were eight lengths clear of third and it is fair to say both horses look the type to do well this season. Frankie Dettori is one of the best jockeys around when leading from the front and if he were to adopt such tactics then he may be able to steal the race if he can kick on early enough. Fresh from her reappearance and coming from a stable bang in form, she is one to watch in the market before the off.
Phillipina is a very interesting runner for her powerful connections but must improve on her bare form if she is to feature here. She has been well backed for the Oaks in recent days suggesting she is ready to go and may well prove up to it. However, she does have to put her recent flop behind her, where she struggled in a Newbury maiden despite being heavily supported in the market before the race. She finished sixth lengths behind the winner and was never competitive, even though she plugged on in the final two furlongs. The softer ground that day may have been against her and the quicker surface here could play to her strengths, as will the step up in trip. She has champion Ryan Moore aboard and her trainer has been amongst the winners in the past two weeks. It would be unwise to ignore her in the betting, especially the way she has been supported for the fillies Classic in June, but she must improve on her two starts to date.
Simple Solution is the pick for 1,000 Guineas winning trainer Barry Hills and she is another intriguing filly going up in trip. She won an all-weather maiden last time out in taking fashion, winning readily by four lengths over the 1m trip. She is in unknown territory here but may improve radically for the switch to turf and it must said that has a similar profile to that of Ghanaati, who the fillies' Classic on Sunday, who had also won on the all-weather before improving massively for the step up in distance. Simple Solution will appreciate the going, having run well on it in her first start, and still has an Oaks entry, which suggests she has the class to cut it at this level.
Perfect Truth is yet to win in seven starts but represents the strong Ballydoyle stable of Aidan O'Brien, who took this race last year with Sail. This filly was beaten two starts ago by Roses For The Lady and looks likely to struggle to reverse that form off level weights. Even though she still has many Classic entries, these look unrealistic and will need to improve on her previous form if she is to justify her trainer's beliefs. This daughter of Galileo has Johnny Murtagh in the saddle but in all fairness looks too exposed in a race where there are a lot of unknown quantities.
Selections: 1st - Roses For The Lady, 2nd - Hidden Brief, 3rd - Phillipina.
Result: 1st - Perfect Truth, 9/1, 2nd - Phillipina, 9/2, 3rd - Roses For The Lady, 11/4.
Johnny Murtagh gave Perfect Truth a really enterprising ride and stole the race from the front, but she only just prevailed by a short-head from the fast-finished Phillipina. Murtagh took his mount to the front, set a frenetic gallop from the off and kicked on rounding the final bend. After he went five lengths ahead, it was clear that the jockeys in behind knew he had been given too much rope but the only horse who was able to stay on well enough was Phillipina, who was flying down the outside but could not find the extra to edge out the winner. Perfect Truth looked up against it here, as her starting price suggested, but she shed her maiden tag by showing a good reserve of stamina as well as a very pleasing attitute. Both fillies are entered in the Oaks and Phillipina would look the more suited to that race. Sir Michael Stoute's filly looked much more at home on this quicker surface and looks likely to improve throughout the season. Roses For The Lady finished a length behind in third and ran a good race considering the huge step up in class. She was always prominent for Mick Kinane but found herself too far behind Perfect Truth and only plugged on at the one pace without ever seriously threatening. Hidden Brief was well supported before the off, eventually going off favourite, but she ran a disappointing race. It was evident that Frankie Dettori was not happy on his mount as he began to roust her along with three furlongs to go and the response was limited as she could only plug on up the straight. She could be better suited to a more galloping track and is not one to rule out just yet. Simple Solution finished a long way behind the first four as she struggled to keep pace on this tight track. She did not seem to appreciate this step up in trip and could be better dropped back down to a mile.
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