Aidan O’Brien eyes six of best in QIPCO British Champions Filles & Mares Stakes

Aidan O’Brien has dominated the Fillies & Mares category of this year’s Qipco British Champions Series – winning five of the first six legs through the exploits of Minding, Alice Springs and Seventh Heaven and he is not short of candidates in the Group 1 QIPCO British Champions Fillies & Mares Stakes, either, which has attracted 18 five-day entries.

O’Brien has left in Minding, Found, Seventh Heaven and Pretty Perfect. Minding and Found have alternative options on the card, but this is the only race that Seventh Heaven, decisive winner of the Darley Irish Oaks and Darley Yorkshire Oaks on her past two starts, is entered in on QIPCO British Champions Day.

Dermot Weld has long had the race in mind for the exciting Zhukova, who extended her winning sequence to four in a Group 3 contest at Leopardstown last month, while Journey, runner-up to Simple Verse in a pulsating renewal 12 months ago, will seek to go one better after winning at Newmarket last time.

Other entries include Architecture, who has the distinction of finishing runner-up in three versions of the Oaks this year (English, Irish and German) and Queen’s Trust, placed in the Qatar Nassau Stakes and Darley Yorkshire Oaks on her past two starts.

John Gosden, the trainer of Journey, said:
“Journey was second in the Fillies & Mares last year and she’ll definitely be having a go again. I see that there are a lot standing their ground this year. Aidan’s got some wonderful fillies this year, maybe Minding is more likely for the Champion, I don’t know, but it’s a very, very polished version of the race – being a trainer you’re always looking for easier, smaller fields, but these are certainly monstrous fields.”

Kevin Buckley, UK Representative for Coolmore Stud, said of Seventh Heaven;

“She is in very good form and, after she probably didn’t handle Epsom, things got back on track and she was obviously a decisive winner at York last time.”