Covert Love on course for #ChampionsDay

The 2015 Classic winners Covert Love and Simple Verse are set to take each other on in an international renewal of the Group 1 QIPCO British Champions Fillies & Mares Stakes which has attracted 16 five-day entries from four different countries.

Covert Love, the Irish Oaks heroine, is set to reappear less than two weeks after landing the Group 1 Prix de l’Opera while Simple Verse will revert to taking on members of her own sex having seen off the colts in the Ladbrokes St Leger. John Gosden’s Journey is the solitary supplementary entry here (at a cost of £35,000) so the race will have a total value of £578,130.

Hugo Palmer, trainer of Covert Love, said:

“She’s been amazing since the Prix de l’Opera. I’m bowled over by how fresh she’s been since she came back. She went to Paris and had what looked like a tough race and but she barely blew afterwards.

She lost 8kg in the whole thing and you can lose more than that racing at Newmarket. She’s taken everything well and is eating up.”

“She’s certainly outstayed Jazzi Top and I think if we’d had another half a furlong we’d have won more easily. I have no concerns coming back to a mile and a half.”

“We didn’t make all in the Irish Oaks but she likes to go forward. We’re not going to get in to a battle for the lead but we’re happy to take it up.”

Ralph Beckett, trainer of Simple Verse, said:

“She worked this morning and worked well. We’re very happy with her. We run. We know she’s beaten the colts but running against her own sex is the key to running in this race [instead of the QIPCO Long Distance Cup].”

“I think she’s improved as the year has gone on – she’s battle-hardened and a mile and a half won’t hold any concerns. She doesn’t seem dependent on ground. She won on fast in the summer.”

“I think she’s surprised herself [with her progress] never mind the rest of us. It’s been great fun and we’ve had a great trip – hopefully we can finish it off on Saturday.”