Gr3 winner Sacred Angel features among the leading contenders as Lingfield Park stages two Listed races for fillies and mares on Wednesday.
Charlie Johnston’s three-year-old faces 11 rivals in the BetMGM Fleur De Lys EBF Fillies’ Stakes as she makes her first appearance since finishing 13th in the Gr1 1,000 Guineas.
Fillies and mares will take centre stage at Lingfield Park on Wednesday (Pic – Lingfield Park on FB)
Sacred Angel captured the Gr3 Princess Margaret Stakes at Ascot last July before finishing fourth in the Gr1 Prix Morny and third in the Gr1 Cheveley Park Stakes.
Johnston said: “Sacred Angel had an injury after the Guineas, which kept her off for the summer, but she has been back in full training for a good while now and is ready to start off again.
“We had a choice between this race over an easy mile or the Golden Rose Stakes over a stiff six at Newcastle. In an ideal world, we probably would have liked a race over seven furlongs, but we felt it made sense to keep her against her own sex.
“We did not really learn anything in the Guineas in regard to trip, so hopefully we will learn a little bit more about her on Wednesday.”
The Ralph Beckett-trained Ornellaia also boasts some high-class juvenile form, with the Night Of Thunder filly having ended last year with a third in the Gr1 Moyglare Stud Stakes.
Gr2 Duke Of Cambridge Stakes third Doom looks to give William Haggas a third straight win in the mile contest, following Queen Aminatu in 2022 and 2023.
Iken will be a first runner in the UK for Chantilly-based trainer Josephine Soudan. A handicap winner at Compiegne and Chantilly this year, Iken finished third in the Listed Prix Coronation at Saint-Cloud on her most recent start.
Soudan said: “Iken seems to be very well in herself. She does not appreciate very soft ground, so when she ran in the Prix Coronation, that was the maximum she could handle.
“We decided to target this race because we wanted to go for a Listed race on an all-weather track. There were some options in France, but the distance was not right for her.
“Her owner is English, and this will probably be her last race, so we felt it was a good call to travel and have fun in England.
“I used to work for Marco Botti and John Gosden. I was very happy in England and it is nice to be coming back with a runner capable of hopefully putting in a strong performance.”
David O’Meara’s Julia Augusta has been tackling Group races for much of the campaign, while Roger Varian’s Cell Sa Beela looks to recapture the form that saw her score in Listed company at Ascot last year.
Ed Walker has two contenders, with Haydock Park scorer American Arrow joined by Longchamp Listed fifth Rose Prick.
Irish raider Improvista lines up for Jessica Harrington, with Epsom Downs winner Marcella (Andrew Balding), course scorer Sattwaa (Archie Watson) and Back See Daa (Karl Burke) completing the field.
Gr1 Yorkshire Oaks fifth Sea Theme sets the standard in the BetMGM River Eden EBF Fillies’ Stakes over a mile and five furlongs.
William Haggas’ filly shoulders a 3lb penalty thanks to an impressive Listed success at Clairefontaine during the summer, when she beat the reopposing Scarlett O’Hara (Jessica Harrington) by four and a half lengths.
Scarlett O’Hara is one of two Irish-trained runners in the line-up alongside Ger Lyons’ Madam Celeste, who was just touched off in a Listed race at Dundalk on her latest start.
Other contenders to note include Ralph Beckett’s Meribella, who was successful in handicap company at Doncaster’s St Leger Festival, and Sir Mark Prescott’s Lingua Franca, a Listed scorer in Germany earlier this year.
