Ascot preview: British Champions Fillies & Mares Stakes (13.55)
Published:
David Metcalf | October 16, 2015
Candarliya has an impressive strike rate and can further enhance it with victory in the Group 1 British Champions Fillies & Mares Stakes at Ascot (13.55).
Trained in France by Alain De Royer-Dupre, the filly has won five of her nine starts and tasted defeat just once in her last five runs.
That came in the Group 1 Prix Vermille at Longchamp where she was beaten six lengths into second by dual Arc winner Treve.
Although no match for the easy winner, the three-year-old kept on well without being given a hard time once it was clear she would not be winning and had some useful performers in behind.
Candarliya then had little difficulty landing a Group 3 contest at Longchamp earlier in the month, making smooth headway from the rear to lead at the furlong marker and score with far more in hand than the winning margin of 1 1/2 lengths suggests.
The daughter of Dalakhani is clearly on an upward curve and has a big engine, and with several front runners in the field the race could be set up for a closer like her.
Covert Love has been one of the success stories of the season and looks sure to go well in the hands of Pat Smullen.
The Hugo Palmer trained filly has won five of her six starts, landing a lowly maiden on the all-weather Chelmsford before going on to land Group 1 successes in the Irish Oaks at the Curragh and Prix de l’Opera at Longchamp.
Covert Love adopted her usual front running role in the latter and showed tremendous guts to dig deep and beat Jazzi Top by a head.
The daughter of Azamour is massive player judged on that display providing the race doesn’t come too quickly, but Covert Love is unlikely to get an easy lead with the like of Arabian Queen and Journey in the line-up and that has to be slight worry for her legion of fans .
Related
Check out all the latest racing from Ascot.
Coral’s top tip: French raider Candarliya is on an upward curve and looks worth a wager to get the better of Covert Love.
