QIPCO 1000 Guineas field packed with star quality

Maybe runs out the impressive winner of the Moyglare Stud Stakes at The Curragh last August, the latest victory in her five race unbeaten career. Image courtesy of racingfotos.com.

Eighteen fillies have been declared for Sunday’s QIPCO 1000 Guineas, race two of the 2012 QIPCO British Champions Series, in a contest teeming with female talent.

Aidan O’Brien saddles the red-hot favourite, Maybe, who has a big advantage over many of her rivals – she is proven with cut in the ground, having won impressively on a soft surface at Royal Ascot last year.

Unbeaten in five races in 2011, including the Moyglare Stud Stakes at The Curragh, Maybe looks to tick all the right boxes and O’Brien reports her in top form ahead of her biggest assignment to date.

“Everything has gone well so far and we’re very happy”, he said.

Ground is a concern for two of her biggest rivals, however. The Godolphin-owned pair of Discourse and Lyric Of Light, who like Maybe bring unbeaten records and big home reputations into the race, are untried on soft ground and their pedigrees do not offer too much hope that they will adapt to it.

The ground on Friday lunchtime was officially soft on the Rowley Mile, though with a predominantly dry weekend forecast and a course that drains very quickly, it is almost certain to dry out to good-to-soft by Sunday and even possibly for tomorrow’s QIPCO 2000 Guineas Day programme.

That may not pose a problem to the high class Godolphin pair who are both trained by Mahmood Al Zarooni, victorious in the race last year with Blue Bunting.

Frankie Dettori, who rode Blue Bunting, will partner Lyric Of Light, whose hat-trick of victories last year included the Shadwell Fillies’ Mile over the QIPCO 1000 Guineas course and distance.

Mickael Barzalona will ride Discourse, impressive winner of both her races last year.

The prospect of good-to-soft ground will hopefully be enough for Lightening Pearl to run, another potentially tough opponent for Maybe with a definite preference for good or faster ground.

Owned by Pearl Bloodstock, part of QIPCO Holding who sponsor the British Champions Series and Newmarket’s Guineas Festival, Lightening Pearl is trained in Ireland by Ger Lyons and put up a fine performance to win the Jaguar Cheveley Park Stakes on the Rowley Mile last October.

A final decision on her participation is likely to be made on Friday evening, just before she is due to make the journey from Ireland, but the indications are that she will travel.

Other potentially top class fillies in the line-up include Moonstone Magic, the easy winner of her only two starts, both on soft ground last month, French challenger Mashoora, who was a facile winner of the Prix Imprudence in Paris a month ago, and The Fugue, impressive winner of her only start at the Craven Meeting at Newmarket last month.

It is unquestionably the best Sunday raceday of the year in Britain, so get along to Newmarket if you can. Tickets will be available at the gate. CLICK HERE for more information.

If you can’t get there, make sure you catch the action live on Channel 4 with the big race due off at 3.15pm. It promises to be a cracker…Maybe!