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Falmouth Stakes 2009 |
Princess Of Wales’s WBX.COM Stakes
Fanshawe Points Spacious at Falmouth Stakes
25/06/09
James Fanshawe has an enviable record in the £200,000 Group One Etihad Airways Falmouth Stakes and the Newmarket trainer is hoping to enhance that when Spacious takes her Royal Ascot winning form to the July Course on Wednesday, July 8.
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The prestigious mile contest for fillies and mares is the highlight on the opening day of Newmarket’s three-day Champagne Lanson July Festival - Wednesday, July 8 to Friday, July 10.
Fanshawe is eying a fourth success in the race that he first won with Macadamia in 2003. He followed up the following year with the crack miler Soviet Song and completed the hat-trick in 2005 when the popular mare landed back-to-back triumphs.
Spacious, a strapping filly who has inherited a fluent long stride from her sire Nayef, returned to the form of her second place in the 2008 Stan James-sponsored 1000 Guineas when winning the Group Two Windsor Forest Stakes over a mile at Royal Ascot on June 17.
Fanshawe revealed this morning: “We are aiming Spacious at the Falmouth Stakes at this stage. I haven’t done much with her since the Windsor Forest but she looks very well for her run and she seems in good form.
“She was second in the 1000 Guineas last year and I just think that took a lot out of her. I think what everyone hopes is that she benefits from having won. She was very game at Ascot and she seems to have come out of the race fine.
“She prefers a galloping track to a tight one and her second in the Guineas on the Rowley Mile suggests that the July Course will be fine for her. She’s won on soft and good to firm and I think she just doesn’t want extremes of going.”
The Cheveley Park Stud-owned filly is one of 28 classy fillies and mares engaged in the prestigious contest.
Among them is this years stanjames.com 1000 Guineas heroine Ghanaati, who put together a scintillating performance to win the Group One Coronation Stakes at Royal Ascot. The Barry Hills-trained filly defeated the Alain de Royer-Dupre-trained Reggane by two lengths, with last season’s champion juvenile filly Rainbow View in third and Group One Poule d’Essai des Pouliches heroine Elusive Wave back in fourth.
Another top-class entrant is Goldikova, one of the stars of 2008 with three Group One victories to her name. After taking the Prix Rothschild and the Prix du Moulin de Longchamp in France last summer, the Freddie Head-trained filly blitzed the best that the US had to offer in the Grade One Breeders’ Cup Mile at Santa Anita.
Triple Group One winner Lush Lashes could bid to bounce back after a disappointing sixth to Spacious at Royal Ascot. Trained by Jim Bolger in Ireland, the four-year-old may be joined by her stablemate Cuis Ghaire, runner-up in this year’s stanjames.com 1000 Guineas.
As well as entering Elusive Wave, French handler Jean-Claude Rouget has engaged the progressive Homebound, who defeated Reggane when winning the Group Two Prix de Sandringham at Chantilly on May 31.
The Sir Michael Stoute-trained Heaven Sent, competing in the same ownership as Spacious, was runner-up to that rival in the Windsor Forest Stakes and may seek revenge, while Again, trained by David Wachman, won the Irish 1000 Guineas at the Curragh in May, defeating Lahaleeb by a neck.
Four of this season’s 1000 Guineas winners from around Europe could contest this year’s Etihad Airways Falmouth Stakes, with Ghanaati, Elusive Wave and Again each among the entries, alongside the Richard Hannon-trained Penny’s Gift, successful in the German equivalent at Dusseldorf on June 7.
Leslie Harrison Memorial Nell Gwyn Stakes winner Fantasia may line up for Luca Cumani, while the Michael Bell-trained Moneycantbuymelove could step up to Group One company after winning the Listed Sandringham Handicap at Royal Ascot on June 17.
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The Mick Channon-trained Eva’s Request, third in the Windsor Forest Stakes, could attempt to even the score with Spacious, having defeated Fanshawe’s charge in the Group Three Princess Elizabeth Stakes at Epsom on June 6.
