Stoute fillies facing crucial workouts

Tomoohat and Discuss face key pieces of work this week that will determine whether they join stablemate Shanghai Lily in the 1000 Guineas on May 1.

Trainer Sir Michael Stoute put all three – and another Guineas possible, Echelon – through routine paces on the Newmarket gallops this morning and then gave an insight into plans for his star three-year-old fillies.

Shanghai Lily, who cantered in company with Tomoohat, appears on schedule for the distaff Classic on the Rowley Mile.

Stoute said: “It was never the plan to give her a prep- the plan was to go straight to the Guineas with her. She had two races last year and I felt she was the type that didn’t need a trial two weeks before the big event.

“It’s been difficult with all the fillies. There have been some weeks when you’ve been very unhappy with them, but her work seems okay.”

According to the ante-post market, Shanghai Lily looks to be Stoute’s best chance of landing the UltimatePoker.com-sponsored Classic for a third time after Russian Rhythm two years ago and Musical Bliss in 1989.

But she would need to step up on her juvenile form, which saw her undefeated after two wins at Newbury, the second of them in a minor event last September.

Tomoohat suffered a slight setback earlier this spring, and when asked about the daughter of Danzig’s chances of making the Guineas, Stoute replied: “We will work her on Wednesday and Saturday and we’ll have a better idea after that.”

It is pretty much the same story with the once-raced Discuss, runner-up in a six-furlong Newmarket maiden last back-end.

Stoute said: “We haven’t made a final decision on her, either. We’ll decide on the weekend, when she works.

“She’s a big strong filly, but in the cold snap she went backwards. Some fillies handle it better than others.”

Connections have also yet to make a final Guineas decision about Echelon, who emerged third from a three-way photo in the Dubai Duty Free Stakes last Saturday.

Stoute said: “My reaction afterwards was that we’ll leave her a little bit longer and let her get some sun on her back. In fact 10 days before the race, I thought ‘I won’t run her in a trial’, but then she started to perk up a little bit and was eating better, so we went there and nearly won it.”