Views from connections ahead of Saturday's action at Newmarket and the Curragh

2.25 Newmarket - Juddmonte Cheveley Park Stakes

Connections of the “rock solid” Babouche are confident she will put up a staunch defence of her unbeaten record in the Juddmonte Cheveley Park Stakes. The Kodiac filly has carried the Juddmonte silks to a hat-trick of wins this summer for trainer Ger Lyons, making rapid progress from a Cork maiden win in June to a Group One victory against the colts in last month’s Phoenix Stakes at the Curragh.

On the latter occasion, she readily accounted for the subsequent Prix Morny winner and Saturday’s Middle Park favourite Whistlejacket and while not taking anything for granted, Juddmonte’s racing manager Barry Mahon “wouldn’t swap” Babouche for any of her Rowley Mile rivals.

“She’s in great form, she’s unbeaten so far this year. Ger is very happy with her and Colin (Keane) rode her on Thursday morning and thought she was in good form,” he said. “She’s got a little bit heavier and a little bit stronger from her last race, which is good to see.

“I think it looks a very hot renewal with the Moyglare winner (Lake Victoria) in there, which is very unusual, and I think some of them French fillies look very good. She hasn’t let us down all year, so hopefully we can keep it up. Put it this way, 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.”

A total of 32 millimetres of rain fell at the track from Thursday into Friday, turning the ground heavy before it was later changed to soft. Connections will roll the dice, however. Mahon added on Friday: “She will definitely run, whether she’ll go on it (testing ground), we won’t know until she does. We’ll all find out together whether she likes it or not, that’s the best way. We’re looking forward to seeing her again in a different challenge on a different track and it will be interesting to see how she fares out.”

The biggest threat to Babouche appears to be the Aidan O’Brien-trained Lake Victoria, who is turned out just under a fortnight after completing a hat-trick of her own in the Moyglare. The daughter of Frankel has been campaigned exclusively over seven furlongs thus far, but jockey Ryan Moore does not see the drop to six being a major issue.

He told Betfair: “I am looking forward to getting back on Lake Victoria, who I rode on debut at the Curragh over seven furlongs when beating a nice type in Red Letter, who has since franked the form.She stepped up into Group Three company next time out in the Sweet Solera at Newmarket’s July course and handled the track well to see off Mountain Breeze, and last time out she kept her unbeaten run going when taking the Moyglare Stud Stakes on Irish Champions Weekend and that was a good race.

“She drops down to six furlongs here, which shouldn’t be a problem, and I am not fearing the slow ground will affect her either. Babouche is obviously our main danger, also being an unbeaten Group One winner, and it is set up to be a good match.”

There is a strong presence from France, with Patrice Cottier’s Prix Morny third Daylight joined by Francis-Henri Graffard’s impressive Chantilly scorer Rayevka, who was supplemented on Monday.

“She’s in very good form, she’s very well and we are looking forward to running her,” said Graffard. “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. 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.”

Ed Walker’s Celandine earned her shot at top-level honours with a Group Two triumph in last month’s Lowther Stakes at York, while Leovanni looked the part in winning her first two starts for Karl Burke, but had to make do with minor honours in third behind Celandine on the Knavesmire.

Richard Brown, racing adviser to Leovanni’s owners Wathnan Racing, said: “She’s in great nick. It looks like one of the hottest Cheveley Parks we’ve seen for a very long time but she owes us nothing.

“She’s already won a Queen Mary (at Royal Ascot), so she’s going to line up and take her chance. 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 penalty and she was beaten under two lengths with a 3lb penalty. She’s in very good nick and though it looks a phenomenally hot race, it is the obvious place for her.”

2.35 Curragh - Montane Developments Beresford Stakes

Jessica Harrington expects Hotazhell to continue his progression in the Montane Developments Beresford Stakes at the Curragh on Saturday. Fourth when favourite to make a successful start to his career at Leopardstown, the Too Darn Hot colt has since won at the Curragh and landed the Group Three Tyros Stakes back at Leopardstown in late July.

He was last seen pushing Henri Matisse all the way at Group Two level in the Futurity Stakes and Harrington believes her charge will improve for the step up to a mile this weekend.

“We’re hoping he’ll run a big race. I think he’s improving and getting stronger all the time, so fingers crossed I think he’ll run a very big race,” said the Moone-based trainer. “I think the step up to a mile will definitely suit him. We’ve had a fair bit of rain, not as much as Newmarket, but if the ground is on the soft side, that will be fine for him.”

The Beresford Stakes has unsurprisingly been dominated by Aidan O’Brien, with Saratoga Springs (1997), St Nicholas Abbey (2009), Saxon Warrior (2017) and Luxembourg (2021) among his 21 previous winners.

This year, the Ballydoyle handler fires a twin assault, with Trinity College – a 12-length winner on his latest outing at Galway – joined by his blinkered stablemate Lambourn, who followed up a debut victory at Killarney with a Listed triumph at Craon in France.

Joseph O’Brien is represented by Tennessee Stud, who confirmed the promise of his debut third at Galway with a clear-cut win at Tipperary four weeks ago, while the field is completed by Andrew Balding’s British raider Windlord.

O’Brien said: “It looks a good race, as you’d expect, but our horse won well last time and we think he’s going to be capable of competing at this grade. I think you’ll find that it will work out a strong race and we’re hopeful our horse can hold his own. He won over nine furlongs the last day, so we know he stays and we’re looking forward to running him.”

The Juddmonte-owned Windlord has an impeccable pedigree, being by Dubawi and out of a daughter of Goldikova, and was visually impressive when opening his account at the third attempt at York.

“He obviously ran a big race the last day to win a maiden at York and we’ve had a bit of rain in Ireland, so that will suit him,” said Juddmonte’s European racing manager Barry Mahon.

“I think a mile in the Curragh and on good ground is just perfect. He showed Andrew a nice level of ability and we probably thought he would do that on his second start, but he was still a bit green. I think it took the last run for the penny to really drop for him and he was impressive when it did.”

3.00 Newmarket - Juddmonte Middle Park Stakes

Ryan Moore considers Whistlejacket “the one they all have to beat” in the Juddmonte Middle Park Stakes. The No Nay Never colt lines up on the Rowley Mile bidding for back-to-back Group One victories following last month’s success in the Prix Morny at Deauville.

Aidan O’Brien’s youngster is also a previous winner at Newmarket, albeit on the July Course in the Group Two July Stakes, with a runner-up finish behind Cheveley Park Stakes favourite Babouche in the Phoenix Stakes at the Curragh providing more evidence of his top-level capabilities.

“Whistlejacket is my ride and he is the one to beat in the field,” Moore told Betfair. “He has been very active this season, but he has taken his form to a new level on his last three runs. After winning over six furlongs in the July Stakes in good style, he then finished a good second to Babouche who we take on (with Lake Victoria) in the Cheveley Park earlier on in the day. That is good form.

“He managed to land his first Group One at Deauville when last seen in the Prix Morny, seeing off Coventry Stakes winner Rashabar. Whistlejacket is the one they all have to beat on form, having already won in slow conditions.”

O’Brien has a second string to his bow in the form of dual winner Ides Of March, who Moore believes is also capable of making his presence felt.

He added: “I have ridden him on his last three starts. He is an improving horse who has some good form behind The Lion In Winter when a good third in a maiden over seven furlongs. Dropped to six furlongs at the same track, he got off the mark in good style and improved again next time out to land a nice Group Three in taking fashion. He holds good claims as well and this looks another good race.”

Charlie Appleby is represented by the promising Shadow Of Light, who impressed in winning his first two starts at Yarmouth and Newmarket before pushing Cool Hoof Luke all the way in the Gimcrack at York.

Having sidestepped last weekend’s Mill Reef at Newbury, the son of Lope De Vega instead tests his powers at Group One level and Appleby’s assistant, Alex Merriam, is optimistic about his chances.

He said: “Shadow Of Light seems in good order and has run some nice races this year. It got very heavy at Newbury last weekend and he was obviously entered here, so Charlie thought we would wait and see what the ground does. I think he will cope with it softish, but we’ll just have to see what the weather does. In hindsight, he probably was on the wrong side at York to be fair, but ran a solid race with some good horses behind him and hopefully he will improve again. That was his first run in Group company and hopefully he will come forward again – and I don’t think he will be too far away.”

Defence Minister has cost owners Wathnan Racing a pretty penny in the last couple of weeks without yet running, missing the Mill Reef after being supplemented on account of the testing conditions and then being added to the Middle Park field earlier this week at a cost of £20,000.

Trainer Hamad Al Jehani is keeping his fingers crossed the ground at Newmarket does not deteriorate further for his July Course and Haydock winner.

“Defence Minister is one of the nicest horses I have and deserves to be in a stakes race,” said the Newmarket-based trainer. “I think it will be very hard for all the horses in this race, to be honest (with the ground). He is in good shape and ready to run in this race, but a lot will depend on how the ground will be.”

Other contenders include Michael O’Callaghan’s Richmond Stakes winner Black Forza, who was last seen finishing fourth in America, and Andrew Balding’s Sirenia Stakes runner-up Jouncy.

Barry Mahon, racing manager for Jouncy’s owners Juddmonte, said: “He’s in great form, he’s a very lazy, sleepy horse and it has taken us a couple of goes to get him to learn what it is all about.

“But I think his last two starts have kind of shown that the penny has dropped, and Andrew is very happy with his work. He’s obviously a big outsider but with what was left for him this year, we just felt that we’d roll the dice. If the penny drops, there’s no doubt he has the ability, it’s just a case of getting him to put his mind towards it. I don’t think it (soft ground) would inconvenience him, to be honest. Ground-wise, he is pretty straightforward.”

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