The Dick Poole Fillies’ Stakes at Salisbury is the feature race across the cards on Thursday, offering some of the best 2YO’s a chance to add their name to the list of winners of this race, which includes:
- Anna Nerium (2017)
- Dark Lady (2019)
- Happy Romance (2020)
- Juliet Sierra (2022)
Richard Hannon has won three of the last six renewals but hasn’t got an entry in this year’s race. The leader contenders look to be Owen Burrows’ unbeaten filly Miaharris, Sweet Solera Stakes runner-up Soprano and Lowther Stakes third Symbology, in what looks a fairly open renewal.
GG editor Jake Russell previews the race, looking at the key trends for the racing and running through the key runners and a couple of outsiders, before giving his expert verdict on who he’s backing to come out on top.
Last year’s renewal went the way of Ralph Becketts’s JULIET SIERRA, who just managed to hold off the late challenge from All The Time:
Key Trends
- 3 of the last 12 winners were favourites/joint favourites, 8 of the last 12 winners were in the top 3 in the betting.
- 6 of the last 12 winners won on their last run before the Dick Poole Fillies’ Stakes, 9 of the last 12 winners had their last run within the last 40 days.
- 8 of the last 12 winners had at least 2 previous runs over 6 furlongs, 8 of the last 12 winners had at least 1 previous win over 6 furlongs.
- 11 of the last 12 winners had at least 2 previous flat runs, 12 of the last 12 winners had at least 1 previous flat win.
- 8 of the last 12 winners had a rating of 85 or higher.
- 11 of the last 12 winners had at least 2 runs that season, 12 of the last 12 winners had a previous win that season.
Key Runners
Miaharris
(Owen Burrows/Oisin Murphy)
It’s no secret that I really rate Owen Burrows highly as a trainer, he does very well in the big races with just the little string of top class horses that he has which does include Hukum, Anmaat and Minzaal to name a few. His filly here Miaharris does look to be potentially a very nice type, as she has won both of her two career starts. A 3 length winner at Sandown on debut where she scorched clear to beat some rivals with runs to their names already, before going on to fire home very late in the day at Newbury last time. Now it was that run last time that really caught my eye, it was a Listed contest over 5 furlongs at Newbury, where she dwelt the start and was at the rear end of the field throughout, before keeping on very well in the closing stages to win, really catching the eye in the manner that she won, as she had plenty to do with just a furlong to go in the race. Looking back at it, it makes you wonder how she won from where she was heading to the line, there is clearly plenty of talent in there. Now she is yet to run over 6 furlongs, with previous trends suggesting that would play in your favour heading into the race, but judging by both of her efforts so far, I would strongly suggest the 6f won’t be an issue, and maybe an ever further step up in trip might come for the daughter of Zoustar, who arguably is bred to stay a little further. This is an intriguing contest, and I think she is the one to beat as she bids to make it 3 wins in just 3 career starts.
Symbology
(Clive Cox/Rossa Ryan)
As we all know, Clive Cox does very well with his sprinting types, with plenty of his previous big race winners coming from his sprinters, Dragon Leader emerging as the new potential superstar for the yard after winning the Yearling Stakes with ease at York last time. However, his filly Symbology in this contest heads here as the joint highest rated runner in the field, with the BHA Rating of 100, I think she could be a little better than that over time. A very taking winner to the eye on debut at York where literally everything went wrong for her, she has been running in some quite decent Group contests since. Including the Group 3 Princess Margaret Stakes at Ascot where she finished 3rd, still not looking the full article, before going on to come 3rd again in the Group 2 Lowther Stakes at York last time, only beaten by just under 2 lengths. She was beaten by probably the best 2yo sprinter this season in Relief Rally, but one major factor that caught the eye was that she was staying on quite well heading to the line, really knuckling down close home in the finish. She was beaten by two very nice horses that day, and the 2nd was pitched straight into Listed company for her debut, so that shows the calibre of horse that only just beat her on the day. I think she arrives into this contest with the best form, and she is still learning on the job, so my feeling is she might improve again, and be to good for the rest of these. She also a winner of 6 furlongs, which the previous trends suggest plays very much in her favour.
Soprano
(George Boughey/Ryan Moore)
Heading into Royal Ascot this season, I really thought the George Boughey trained filly was going to be the one with the best chance of winner of the Albany Stakes, that didn’t materialise unfortunately, however she did run well to come 3rd only beaten by 2 lengths, with the two horses ahead of her winning or running well in some decent contests since. I think connections have hit a bit of a roadblock with Soprano, as the last two runs of hers she has been contesting in 7 furlong contests, and was fairly comprehensively beaten in those two runs, coming a 2 length 3rd in a Listed contest at Sandown, before coming a 3 length 2nd in the Group 3 Sweet Solera Stakes last time. Dropping back down to the 6 furlongs might help here, but it’s quite hard to judge looking at her previous form. She is however operating in decent form in some good races this season, however I just feel there might be one of two slightly more unexposed improvers who could just be a little better than her, however she has experienced over a further distance, so should push come to shrove she will be staying on, also Ryan Moore is an eye catching jockey booking for Salisbury.
Dorothy Lawrence
(Karl Burke/Daniel Tudhope)
Karl Burke is another flat trainer who does so well with his sprinting types, but we associate him more of a master of the 2yo’s, with a 22% win strike rate for his 2yo’s on the turf, and a 31% win strike rate for his 2yo’s on the all-weather (39 winners on turf, 4 on the all-weather) His runner in this is the more experienced runner of the field currently operating at the BHA Mark of 100, which seems to be improving with each passing run due to her running in some decent contests over the season. She tackled 6 furlongs for the first time last time out in the Group 2 Lowther Stakes at York, where she finished 4th just a head behind Symbology, where she was rallying on well before Danny Tudhope’s whip got knocked out his hands, so who knows how much closer to the others she might have finished. I still feel a few might have improved from their last run, and improve past the daughter of Soldier’s Call, but she could put her experience to good use and try to take the lead again like last time to really take the sting out the lesser experienced rivals. She’s a hard one to gauge and needs to back that good 4th from last time in a Group 2 contest, but she was 66/1 that day and the outsider of the field, so was she flattered somewhat because she was so keen and took a fairly easy uncontested lead? For me she needs to back that last run up here to be in with a chance of winning.
Outsiders To Watch
Queen Of Mougins
(Ralph Beckett/Hector Crouch)
Ralph Beckett is having an absolute brilliant season so far, just being three winners off the 100 mark for the season, and the yard currently operate at an excellent 33% win strike rate for the last 14 days. His filly here does lack the experience of some of these, so is more in the “could be anything” category, but Ralph wouldn’t pitch her straight into Group 3 company after just one run if he feels she isn’t good enough to compete in it. She lined up over 6 furlongs in a Newbury Novice, where she did look green and babyish during the race, but when push came to shove and Rossa Ryan asked her to put the race to bed, she obliged by keeping on nice to win by three quarters of a length, edging slightly left in the closing stages. Now as mentioned she was a little babyish in that debut run, and the form in behind doesn’t really give us any clues with essentially none of the horses running since, but I think she could improve nicely and run well in this, the way she travelled through the contest last time was nice, and she looked to potentially be a classy sort, and with the usual expected improvement to come, it wouldn’t surprise me should she get in the places come Thursday.
Juniper Berries
(Eve Johnson Houghton/Charlie Bishop)
Although she has a little to find on the ratings and is very much more exposed than the rest of these, sometimes in these contests experience can count for a lot, plus she has been running in some very decent contests this season. Finishing fourth at Royal Ascot, also coming 2nd in the mud behind Flora Of Bermuda in a decent Novice Conditions contest at Goodwood, she was also beaten by Miaharris in the Listed contest at Newbury last time. She has been busy already in her career, but sometimes that can work out nicely for these 2yo’s, and as we know the yard do know how to get a horse to bounce back to form and win these types of races, just look at Chipotle last year who looked to have been loosing his way, before going on to win the Ripon 2yo Trophy on his final start of the season. I think she has been written off to soon, and she could use the experience she has in her locker to good use in this contest.
Big-Race Verdict
Quite a tricky race to gauge on the face of it, but there are some decent runners in the line-up this season with some Royal Ascot placed horses in there. I am going to side with the Clive Cox runner Symbology, who I really feel can win a contest of this nature, and I’m sure connections would feel a little disappointed should she not win this on Thursday as its a race tailor made for her. A winner over 6 furlongs on debut, which the previous trends suggest plays in her favour the fact she has ran at this trip, she has also been running in some decent races this season coming 3rd on both occasions, taking the step up in class in her stride with each passing run, I think there is more to come from her. Queen Of Mougins falls into the could be anything category, and the way she won last time suggests there is much more to come from her, no matter the result on Thursday I think she could be a nice type for an inform yard and finish in the places of this race.
SELECTION: Symbology – To Win (4/1 Best Price) & Queen Of Mougins – EW (17/2 Best Price)*
*Odds correct as of 10:35am Wednesday 6th September*
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