Ballydoyle shuffle the pack ahead of £600,000 Filles & Mares Stakes

Superstar filly Minding powers clear of her rivals in the Qatar Nassau Stakes. Picture: Racingfotos.com

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The first three home in last year’s QIPCO British Champions Fillies’ & Mares’ Stakes – Simple Verse, Journey and Beautiful Romance – are among a total of 54 entered for this year’s renewal.  Aidan O’Brien’s middle-distance fillies have carried all before them this year and the Ballydoyle maestro has 11 entries to shuffle.

Minding, the six-time Group 1 winner and dual Classic heroine, is the ace in his pack, with Seventh Heaven, the Darley Irish Oaks winner, Even Song, the Ribblesdale victor, giving him strength in depth, especially with his squad also including Found, winner of last season’s Breeders’ Cup Turf.

One horse who has the race at the top of her agenda is the Charlie Appleby-trained Endless Time, a daughter of Sea The Stars who made it six wins from eight starts when landing the Group 2 bet365 Lancashire Oaks on her reappearance at Haydock last month.

“She‘s a lovely big filly who is getting better with age,” Appleby said. “Her main aim all season has been the QIPCO British Champions Fillies’ & Mares’ at Ascot on Champions Day and we feel she has got all attributes you need for the race. We will look at the Darley Yorkshire Oaks and the Prix Vermeille along way but Ascot is the target and we are relaxed to be sitting on the sidelines. She won’t have more than one more run beforehand.”

Reflecting on her comeback win at Haydock, Appleby said: “I think her class pulled her through that day. She likes juice in the ground but the heavy going wasn’t ideal first time out, plus they went steady and it turned into a little bit of dash, which again would not be ideally suited to her style because she’s a horse who grinds it out. She’s a filly who wants decent ground, preferably on the easy side of good. That’s when she’s in her comfort zone.”

List of entries:

1. Agnes Stewart (IRE)
2. Ajman Princess (IRE)
3. Almela (IRE)
4. Al Wathna (GB)
5. Anzhelika (IRE)
6. Architecture (IRE)
7. Arya Tara (IRE)
8. Ballydoyle (IRE)
9. Bateel (IRE)
10. Beautiful Romance (GB)
11. Best In The World (IRE)
12. Bocca Baciata (IRE)
13. California (IRE)
14. Candarliya (FR)
15. Carnachy (IRE)
16. Coolmore (IRE)
17. Deremah (USA)
18. Endless Time (IRE)
19. Even Song (IRE)
20. Fashion Parade (GB)
21. Found (IRE)
22. Furia Cruzada (CHI)
23. Harlequeen (GB)
24. Highlands Queen (FR)
25. How High The Moon (IRE)
26. Journey (GB)
27. Koora (GB)
28. Left Hand (GB)
29. Maleficent Queen (GB)
30. Mambomiss (FR)
31. Mango Tango (FR)
32. Minding (IRE)
33. Miss Marjurie (IRE)
34. Mountain Bell (GB)
35. Nezwaah (GB)
36. Pacific Angel (IRE)
37. Prefer (IRE)
38. Pretty Perfect (IRE)
39. Promising Run (USA)
40. Queen’s Trust (GB)
41. Seventh Heaven (IRE)
42. Shamreen (IRE)
43. Simple Verse (IRE)
44. Skiffle (GB)
45. Somehow (IRE)
46. So Mi Dar (GB)
47. Sotteville (FR)
48. Speedy Boarding (GB)
49. Swiss Range (GB)
50. The Black Princess (FR)
51. To Eternity (GB)
52. Turret Rocks (IRE)
53. Very Dashing (GB)
54. Zhukova (IRE)