Confidence behind Gallic raider Vorda’s Cheveley Park challenge
A fine second to American powerhouse No Nay Never in the Prix Morny, the Philippe Sogorb-trained youngster takes on a headline role after the defections of Lucky Kristale and Rizeena.
Sogorb, who hung up his riding boots earlier this year and is only in his third season as a trainer, said: “She has come on from each of her races, physically and mentally.
“Following the Morny, where she didn’t have a hard race, she has been in good form and I’m very happy with her.
“I’d already decided to run in the Cheveley Park before the Prix Morny.
“I thought that if she ran well in the Morny, she would either have the option of running in the Cheveley Park or in the Jean-Luc Lagardere.
“But the Jean-Luc Lagardere is over seven furlongs, which might be a bit long for a filly that has always run over a straight course over five or six furlongs.
“It didn’t really matter that she would have taken on the colts, but let’s say that six furlongs over the straight course is a bit of her speciality.
“She is full of speed and quick off her feet. She is very easy to ride and to train.”
Asked if a mile would be beyond her, he said: “Not at all. If you look at her way of running, she sleeps during her races, doesn’t pull and has a great turn of foot.
“So can we go over the mile? I don’t really ask myself that right now. She is bred for speed, but her temperament indicates that she can go further. Just for this race, I’d rather do what I know.
“I don’t think that she is ground dependent.
“I cannot find the slightest flaw with this filly. If there is no rhythm in the race she adapts, if there is loads of pace she follows, if it is good ground or soft, she just goes. And I’m not worried about the dip in Newmarket either. Obviously she has never run on that kind of track, but she is well balanced, so I’m not worried.”
Should all go well, Sogorb, who once rode a winner on the July Course in an Arabian race, will look to the Breeders’ Cup for the Sheikh Mohammed Bin Khalifa Al Thani-owned filly.
He said: “This is not her last race of the season as we are looking at the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies’ Turf. If she wins, we would look at that race. If she is beaten, then we shall see. But I think if a horse is in good form then you should run it. The owner won it last year (with Flotilla), so why not win it again?”
The only Irish-trained representative in the field is David Wachman’s unbeaten filly Come To Heel, who landed a Cork maiden before claiming Listed honours at the Curragh.
Wachman said: “She’s a very green filly and still unexposed, but she’s done nothing wrong and she’s entitled to take her chance.
“She’s won her maiden and she’s won her Listed race and there isn’t a lot else for her now, so we’ll see what happens.
“She came back to five (furlongs) last time, but that was more to do with lack of opportunities than anything else. Six furlongs is fine for her.”
The Charlie Hills-trained Kiyoshi is on something of a retrieval mission having finished second to RIzeena in the Moyglare Stud Stakes at the Curragh and subsequently demoted to third for causing interference.
Hills said: “She ran first time out here and handled the track pretty good when fourth.
“We’ve been pleased with her since Ireland, she hasn’t missed a day and we’re going there pretty confident.
“Her Ascot performance was breathtaking and if she produces anything like that then she’ll be hard to beat.
“The French filly (Vorda) has got some decent form and would be the obvious danger.”
