Alex Hammond: Stroll in the Park

How good was Quiet Reflection in the Sprint Cup and which superstar filly, her or Mecca’s Angel, would you fancy if they banged heads at Ascot on Champions Day?

What a mouth-watering prospect it would be to see the two fillies meeting on Champions Day; a real clash of the generations. It was an impressive performance by Quiet Reflection in horrible conditions at Haydock and whilst she enjoys some ease in the ground, that was potentially testing enough for her. She has a devastating turn of foot and crucially seems at her best over the 6 furlong trip of the Qipco British Champions Sprint, whereas Mecca’s Angel has done most of her winning over 5 furlongs. If conditions at Ascot suit one, they will suit the other, so no advantages to be had for either on that front and if pushed I’d be on Quiet Reflection at this stage. Also at 5/1 with Sky Bet and with Mecca’s Angel shorter at 7/2 she looks more appealing.

Some really good action at Doncaster this week, aside from the St Leger what else are you looking forward to seeing on Town Moor?

Well there are a few horses that I’ve been looking forward to seeing on track again and on Saturday the At The Races Champagne Stakes is shaping up to be a significant juvenile race. Richard Hannon’s Mehmas is Sky Bet’s 9/4 favourite after wins in the July Stakes and then most recently in the Richmond at Goodwood where he got the better of subsequent Gimcrack winner Blue Point. So the form is there for all to see and he is a deserved favourite, although this is a step into the unknown over an additional furlong. The Blue Point team are represented by Boynton. Charlie Appleby’s colt is already a winner over 7 furlongs, but was a touch disappointing at Goodwood last time out. Both those colts have a 3lb penalty to shoulder which could open the door for something else. Rivet is the one I’ve been waiting for and trainer William Haggas couldn’t have his team in better form. He steps up from an impressive win in a valuable maiden at York’s Ebor meeting and looked a colt with huge promise there. Incidentally Haggas has a 42% strike rate so far this month.

Another horse I’ve been tracking this season is Nemoralia and I’m looking forward to watching her run in Saturday’s Saint Gobain Weber Park Stakes. At the time of writing the ground is on the soft side which wouldn’t suit Jeremy Noseda’s filly, but it is forecast to remain dry for the rest of the week and should be back to her liking by race day. Being a 3-year-old filly she gets all the weight allowances and she comes here off the back of a win in the City Of York Stakes over Saturday’s trip of 7 furlongs. She is considered a proper Group One horse by her trainer and if that’s to be the case before the season is out then she should make her mark in this Group Two.

On Thursday the race known as the fillies’ Leger, the DFS Park Hill Stakes, looks competitive. I’m looking forward to seeing the John Gosden trained California running in this 1m 6 ½ furlong Group Two. Obviously Simple Verse could be the fly in the ointment, but Ralph Beckett’s mare has yet to sparkle this term and comes here off the back of defeats in all three starts since her magnificent 3-year-old campaign which culminated with wins in a controversial Leger and on …

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