By Tom Frary
Saturday's G1 Juddmonte Cheveley Park Stakes has a very different feel to it than at the 48-hour declaration stage, with the heavy rain that fell before the middle part of the three-day Cambridgeshire meeting affecting and afflicting the key races. Dynamic on good ground or quicker and unraced on anything softer than good-to-yielding, the sponsors' Babouche (GB) (Kodiac {GB}) has a new examination to sit on her first foray overseas and connections are in the dark as to how she will fare.
Her dam Pavlosk (Arch) was impressive on soft when recording her career-best success at listed level and her full-sister Zarinsk (GB) also proved adept at handling these conditions when registering three of her set of black-type wins on easy going, but there is always a question mark with one who has demonstrated such speed on top-of-the-ground.
Reassuringly, the participation of Ireland's hottest property among its clutch of high-class juvenile fillies is not in doubt regardless of the dramatic shift in the surface. “She will definitely run, whether she'll go on it we won't know until she does,” the operation's Barry Mahon said of the G1 Phoenix Stakes heroine. “We'll all find out together whether she likes it or not, that's the best way.”
“Ger [Lyons] is very happy with her and Colin [Keane] rode her on Thursday morning and thought she was in good form,” he added. “She's got a little bit heavier and a little bit stronger from her last race, which is good to see. I wouldn't swap her for anything else. She's been rock-solid, she's beaten the colts, the form has worked out in the Morny and she's been a pillar of consistency all year.”
Heavy ground is hardly any more suitable for Ballydoyle's Lake Victoria (Ire) (Frankel {GB}), who steps back to six furlongs having collected The Curragh's G1 Moyglare Stud Stakes over seven last time. Her previous win in the G3 Sweet Solera Stakes on the July Course here came on quick ground, so the daughter of Quiet Reflection (GB) (Showcasing {GB}) is also entering unknown territory. Ryan Moore is unfazed, however. “She drops down to six furlongs here, which shouldn't be a problem, and I am not fearing that the slow ground will affect her either,” he confidently stated. “Babouche is obviously our main danger, also being an unbeaten group 1 winner, and it is set up to be a good match.”
Looking to upset the idea of a “match” is The Aga Khan's impressive Chantilly conditions scorer Rayevka (Ire) (Blue Point {Ire}), who recorded impressive sectionals 12 days ago and who has prompted normally-conservative connections into the surprisingly bold action of supplementing her for this tough test. “She's in very good form, she's very well and we are looking forward to running her,” commented trainer Francis-Henri Graffard, who is looking to add to his already-stellar 2024 campaign.
“It was the way she did it when she won last time and the way she has come out of the race, she's come on a lot, so we are going to give it a go before she winters,” he added. “Obviously it's a big challenge, I just hope the ground will not be too heavy, as that is my main worry. She would be happy on good-to-soft, we don't know how she will take to the track at Newmarket but that is the same for nearly all the fillies and we will find out.”
This looks a strong renewal, with Gousserie Racing and Sandrine Gavrois's G3 Prix de Cabourg winner and G1 Prix Morny third Daylight (Fr) (Earthlight {Ire}), Rockcliffe Stud's G2 Lowther Stakes winner Celandine (GB) (Kingman {GB}) and Wathnan Racing's G2 Queen Mary Stakes scorer Leovanni (Ire) (Kodi Bear {Ire}) all with claims. The latter needs to up her game after her latest third behind Celandine in the Lowther, but Wathnan's racing adviser Richard Brown gave cause for optimism on Friday.
“It looks like one of the hottest Cheveley Parks we've seen for a very long time, but she owes us nothing,” he said of the Karl Burke trainee. “There were a few things at York that probably didn't go her way. James [Doyle] was keen to ride her with a view to getting her to stay, but he felt afterwards that she saw the trip out well. We can probably ride her with a bit more confidence this time. It was hard carrying the three-pound penalty and she was beaten under two lengths.”
A Middle Park Quandary…
If the ground is an unknown for Babouche, it also raises question marks over the G1 Juddmonte Middle Park Stakes favourite Whistlejacket (Ire) (No Nay Never). While he has won the G1 Prix Morny and the G2 July Stakes on good-to-soft, he was readily brushed aside by Cowardofthecounty (Ire) (Kodi Bear {Ire}) on this going on debut at The Curragh back in April and it could be that a test at this six-furlong trip stretches him. Stablemate Ides Of March (Ire) (Wootton Bassett {GB}) is unraced on ground slower than good and is probably even more likely to be compromised, suggesting this won't be the Ballydoyle bonanza it appears on paper.
Godolphin's G2 Gimcrack Stakes runner-up Shadow Of Light (GB) (Lope De Vega {Ire}) and Wathnan Racing's unbeaten Defence Minister (GB) (Too Darn Hot {GB}) were both taken out of last Saturday's G2 Mill Reef Stakes after similarly heavy rain came to Newbury, while Eleanora Kennedy's G2 Richmond Stakes winner Black Forza (Complexity) captured that Goodwood contest on quick summer going. With so many unknowns, Nurlan Bizakov's Kempton novice winner Dash Dizzy (Ire) (Wootton Bassett {GB}) could sneak into the picture as a half-brother to Sioux Nation who was sixth in this in 2017.
Ready For Early Blue Riband Clues…
There are two other important juvenile contests on Saturday which given the deterioration in ground conditions and the fact that they are staged at a mile both incline more towards the 2025 Derby than 2,000 Guineas. Newmarket's G2 Juddmonte Royal Lodge Stakes sees the Charlie Fellowes-trained Listed Ascendant Stakes winner Luther (GB) (Frankel {GB}) tackle Ballydoyle's Galway maiden winner Puppet Master (Ire) (Camelot {GB}), while at The Curragh the G2 Beresford Stakes, the Silverton Hill Partnership's G3 Tyros Stakes winner, and G2 Futurity Stakes runner-up Hotazhell (GB) (Too Darn Hot {GB}) is taken on by Ballydoyle's 12-length Galway maiden-winning TDN Rising Star Trinity College (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) and ultra-green Listed Criterium de l'Ouest scorer Lambourn (Ire) (Australia {GB}).
Also at The Curragh is the Goffs Million, where the Joseph O'Brien-trained Listed Criterium du FEE winner Apples And Bananas (Ire) (Wootton Bassett {GB}) encounters Ballydoyle's Naas maiden scorer Antelope Canyon (Ire) (No Nay Never) and a dozen others chasing the bonanza.
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