Simple Verse, the champion daughter of Drakenstein Stud’s Cartier Champion sire Duke Of Marmalade, bounced back to winning ways with a gutsy victory in Thursday’s Gr2 DFS Park Hill Stakes at Doncaster.
Returning to the same track at which she won last year’s Gr1 Ladbrokes St Leger, the Oisin Murphy ridden four-year-old was content to bide her time, as Pretty Perfect and Mill Springs set a strong pace.
Simple Verse got caught in a pocket and looked unlikely to beat Pretty Perfect but the star daughter of Duke Of Marmalade began making ground once in the clear and ran on strongly to reel in the very gutsy Pretty Perfect and register a neck victory.
It was another five lengths away to third place finisher California –who had won her last two outings, including the Gr3 Markel Insurance Fillies Stakes at Goodwood.
Simple Verse, one of two Duke Of Marmalade fillies in Thursday’s race, has now won six times and earned £892 480 in stakes. Four of her six victories have come in group races, with Simple Verse’s other notable wins including not only the G1 St Leger but also the G1 Qipco British Fillies & Mares Stakes last year.
Duke Of Marmalade – exciting young sire
Her trainer Ralph Beckett commented after his star filly’s win in the historic Park Hill, “I thought she was beat because she couldn’t get out and it didn’t look good at the half-furlong pole. I didn’t think she had a snowball’s chance of getting there.
“This is her optimum trip, possibly even two miles, I would be keen to go that way next time – the Long Distance Cup would look an obvious race for her on Champions Day.
“It’s great to get her back because it hasn’t been easy. She had a nice long break after Ascot, she came back and had a few issues and we just struggled to get her back on-song again.
“But she did a lovely piece of work on Sunday morning on the grass and showed all her old zip.
“If she ran like she worked on Sunday we were going to be in business and that’s how it’s proved, so I’m thrilled to bits.”
Her sire Duke Of Marmalade’s 30 stakes winners also include former Gr1 Prix de Diane (French Oaks) winner Star Of Seville and recent pattern race winners Can’thelpbelieving and Diamond Made.
www.capebreeders.co.za
