Duo Meet Again In The Middleton

[Wandering Eyes]

There may not be a Sariska (GB) (Pivotal {GB}) or a Midday (GB) (Oasis Dream {GB}) lining up for Thursday’s G2 Betfred Middleton S. at York, but there is a fascinating rematch in store between last year’s G2 Ribblesdale S. one-two Coronet (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) and Mori (GB) (Frankel {GB}) as both fillies drop back to a mile and a quarter. Coronet, who was delivered with pinpoint accuracy late on in that 12-furlong Royal Ascot contest by Olivier Peslier, did not look the type to be shortening up when subsequently second in the G1 Yorkshire Oaks and third in Ascot’s G1 Qipco British Champions Fillies & Mares S., but John Gosden is using this as a launchpad for Denford Stud’s grey. That operation’s farm manager Richard Evans said, “She’s done well over the winter, everything has gone well so far and we’re hoping for a good performance. The first thing we need to find out is whether she’s trained on, but she’s done everything that’s been asked of her at home. We’ll start her off on Thursday and she might end up back at York for the Yorkshire Oaks again in the summer.”

Mori, a daughter of Midday who had promised so much in the summer, has had a wind operation after two tame efforts in lesser company and has been noted working with gusto on the Newmarket gallops. “She has pleased in her work this spring and if she finds her Ribblesdale form, or something like it, then she would have an interesting chance but she’ll need to find her best form,” commented Teddy Grimthorpe, racing manager for Khalid Abdullah. “We know she stays a mile and a half, but as this is her first race of the year and this is about getting back on track so we felt this distance was a good place to start her off.” Sir Michael Stoute is not leading trainer in this with six wins by accident and last year’s third Smart Call (SAf) (Ideal World) is a strong second string for Freemason Lodge back on the good-to-firm going over which she was a close-up fourth in Royal Ascot’s G2 Duke of Cambridge S. over an inadequate mile in June.

 

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