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Fred Darling Success For No Nay Never’s Alcohol Free

Trying a seventh furlong for the first time in Sunday's G3 Fred Darling S. at Newbury, Jeff Smith's G1 Cheveley Park S. heroine Alcohol Free (Ire) (No Nay Never) had just enough stamina to see it out and deny the dark horse Statement (Ire) (Lawman {Fr}) in a bobber. Held out wide halfway down the field under Oisin Murphy, the 9-4 favourite swooped to the front with 1 1/2 furlongs remaining and had to battle as the Martyn Meade trainee joined her soon after. Getting her nose down on the line, she had the call by a short head, with Vadream (GB) (Brazen Beau {Aus}) 2 1/4 lengths away in third. “She's going to give herself every chance of staying in the Guineas,” Murphy commented. “I was very happy with the way she relaxed, as she can be pretty full-on. Top marks, that was a lovely start.”

Trainer Andrew Balding was bullish about Alcohol Free seeing out the extra furlong in Newmarket's May 2 G1 1000 Guineas and said, “She was drawn slightly out on the wing, but I couldn't be happier and to be honest we weren't coming here expecting to win–just hoping she showed nicely. She's been slow to come into her coat and we haven't done an awful lot with her. She settled so well and I can't see a problem with the mile so she'll go to Newmarket. That is very much the plan and today is a bonus.”

Alcohol Free's dam Plying (Hard Spun), who also produced the Listed Prix le Fabuleux-winning miler Alexander James (Ire) (Camelot {GB}), is out of the listed-placed Nasaieb (Ire) (Fairy King) and therefore a half to the G2 Flying Childers S. and G3 Princess Margaret S. third Kissing Lights (Ire) Machiavellian). Nasaieb is kin to the G3 Solario S. scorer Raise a Grand (Ire) (Grand Lodge), while this is also the family of the champion juvenile filly Numbered Account (Buckpasser). Plying's 2-year-old filly Hooked On You (Ire) (Starspangledbanner {Aus}) was a 130,000gns purchase by Creighton Schwartz Bloodstock at the Tattersalls December Yearling Sale, while €80,000 was paid by Ballyhane for her yearling colt by Dandy Man (Ire) at the Goffs November Foal Sale.

Sunday, Newbury, Britain
DUBAI DUTY FREE S. (FRED DARLING S.)-G3, £45,000, Newbury, 4-18, 3yo, f, 7fT, 1:24.44, gd.
1–ALCOHOL FREE (IRE), 126, f, 3, by No Nay Never
1st Dam: Plying, by Hard Spun
2nd Dam: Nasaieb (Ire), by Fairy King
3rd Dam: Atyaaf, by Irish River (Fr)
(€40,000 Wlg '18 GOFNOV). O-J C Smith; B-Churchtown House Stud (IRE); T-Andrew Balding; J-Oisin Murphy. £25,520. Lifetime Record: G1SW-Eng, 4-3-1-0, $207,919. *1/2 to Alexander James (Ire) (Camelot {GB}), SW-Fr. Werk Nick Rating: A. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Statement (Ire), 126, f, 3, Lawman (Fr)–Fact Or Folklore (Ire), by Lope de Vega (Ire). (€100,000 Ylg '19 GOFOR). O-Ballylinch Stud 1; B-Ballylinch Stud (IRE); T-Martyn Meade. £9,675.
3–Vadream (GB), 126, f, 3, Brazen Beau (Aus)–Her Honour (Ire), by Shamardal. O-D R J King; B-Crispin Estates Ltd (GB); T-Charlie Fellowes. £4,842.
Margins: NO, 2 1/4, HD. Odds: 2.25, 18.00, 50.00.
Also Ran: Primo Bacio (Ire), Ville de Grace (GB), Isabella Giles (Ire), Dandalla (Ire), Umm Kulthum (Ire), Liberated Lady (Ire), Happy Romance (Ire), Miss Finland (Ire), Zaajirah (Ire), Illykato (GB), Wild Iris (Ire), Hello Me (Ire), Lucid Dreamer (GB), Aunty Bridy (Ire). Click for the Racing Post result or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.

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Frankel’s Snow Lantern a New Rising Star

Newbury's card-opening Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships Maiden S. saw a new TDN Rising Star emerge as Rockcliffe Stud's homebred Snow Lantern (GB) (Frankel {GB}) cut a dash in the country's best-contested race of its type so far this season. Entered in the May 2 G1 1000 Guineas that her illustrious dam Sky Lantern (Ire) (Red Clubs {Ire}) captured in 2013, the grey was second-best in the betting for the mile contest at 3-1 behind Juddmonte's Derab (GB) (Sea the Stars {Ire}), the John and Thady Gosden-trained half-brother to Enable (GB) (Nathaniel {Ire}). Always travelling with abundant enthusiasm tracking the leader under Sean Levey, the grey was allowed to take command with two furlongs remaining and galloped relentlessly and true to the line to beat that 11-8 market-leader by 1 3/4 lengths, with Fantastic Fox (GB) (Frankel {GB}) a short head behind in third. The three class acts drew upwards of nine lengths away from the rest, giving the form the solid underbelly required for the case for the winner to take the plunge in three weeks' time.

Trainer Richard Hannon was keen to plead the case to the owner-breeders to take a chance in the Newmarket Classic and said, “She's been working great and I always thought she was a very good filly. She's very highly-strung, but behaved lovely there and I haven't enjoyed watching a race like that for a long time. I was expecting her to be keen, but she did it beautifully and Sean said her stride pattern is not normal. Hopefully she's a little bit special and it is more relief that I feel today. I'm very tempted to go for the Guineas–there's only one and although the breeder had said they don't want to go into the deep end I'll discuss it with them next week. The mare won two group 1s on the Rowley Mile and she's a very clever filly who works things out for herself.”

Snow Lantern, who was second on debut to the subsequent G2 May Hill S. third Zabeel Queen (Ire) (Frankel {GB}) at Ascot in July, emerged as a live contender for the Guineas during a week where the established trials were in some part overshadowed by races outside of the Pattern. With the colt Mutasaabeq (GB) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}) impressing in a Newmarket novice on Tuesday and the 1000 Guineas betting currently dominated by a Ballydoyle filly who has only a 2-year-old maiden win to her name, this could be a year when those with the leading juvenile form play second-fiddle to the emerging forces. Hannon also saddled the proven Happy Romance (Ire) (Dandy Man {Ire}) in the card's G3 Fred Darling S., but his response when asked to compare the two was illuminating. “Happy Romance has won a group 3, but Snow Lantern is by Frankel out of Sky Lantern and has the lot,” he said. “How far she goes we'll see throughout the year, but if she goes to the top it wouldn't surprise me.”

Sky Lantern had considerably more experience by the time she went to post for her Guineas, having won the G1 Moyglare Stud S., and held her form into the autumn when adding the G1 Sun Chariot S. to her tally which also included the G1 Coronation S. She is a half to four pattern-race performers with the stayer Shanty Star (Ire) (Hector Protector) and sprinter Arctic (Ire) (Shamardal) successful in group 3 company. She is a granddaughter of Negligent (Ire) (Ahonoora {GB}), the champion 2-year-old filly in England in 1989 courtesy of her win in the G3 Rockfel S. who was later third in her 1000 Guineas. After Snow Lantern there is the 2-year-old colt First Emperor (GB) (Galileo {Ire}) and a yearling son of Kingman (GB).

1st-Newbury, £10,000, Mdn, 4-18, 3yo, 8fT, 1:38.49, gd.
SNOW LANTERN (GB), f, 3, by Frankel (GB)
1st Dam: Sky Lantern (Ire) (Hwt. 2yo Filly-Ire, G1SW-Ire, MG1SW-Eng, $1,252,123), by Red Clubs (Ire)
2nd Dam: Shawanni (GB), by Shareef Dancer
3rd Dam: Negligent (Ire), by Ahonoora (GB)
O/B-Rockcliffe Stud (GB); T-Richard Hannon; J-Sean Levey Lifetime Record: 2-1-1-0, $10,033. Click for the Racing Post result or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.

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Classic Tilt In The Balance For Snow Lantern

Observations on the European Racing Scene turns the spotlight on the best European races of the day, highlighting well-pedigreed horses early in their careers, horses of note returning to action and young runners that achieved notable results in the sales ring. Today's Observations features a daughter of a Classic winner who is herself on that path.

1.00 Newbury, Mdn, £10,000, 3yo, 8fT
SNOW LANTERN (GB) (Frankel {GB}) is out to book a potential place in the line-up for the G1 1000 Guineas in three weeks' time that her dam Sky Lantern (Ire) (Red Clubs {Ire}) captured in 2013. Rockcliffe Stud's Richard Hannon-trained homebred, who was second on debut to the subsequent G2 May Hill S. third Zabeel Queen (Ire) (Frankel {GB}) at Ascot in July, encounters Juddmonte's Derab (GB) (Sea the Stars {Ire}), a John and Thady Gosden-trained half-brother to Enable (GB) (Nathaniel {Ire}) who was also runner-up on his introduction to 'TDN Rising Star'. La Barrosa (Ire) (Lope de Vega {Ire}) at Ascot in September.

1.23 ParisLongchamp, Debutantes, €27,000, 3yo, c/g, 10 1/2fT
IN CROWD (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) is the latest progeny out of George Strawbridge's star mare In Clover (GB) (Inchinor {GB}), who has already produced the trio of Group 1 winners Call the Wind (GB) (Frankel {GB}), With You (GB) and We Are (Ire) with the latter two by Dansili (GB). Freddy Head has charge of the April-foaled chestnut, whose nine peers include Like You (GB) (Kingman {GB}), Jean-Pierre-Joseph Dubois's half-brother to the G1 Prix Vermeille third Ligne D'Or (GB) (Dansili {GB}) from the Fabrice Vermeulen yard.

1.58 ParisLongchamp, Debutantes, €27,000, 3yo, f, 10 1/2fT
ALISOL (IRE) (Frankel {GB}) is another notable from the Freddy Head stable, being the Wertheimers' daughter of their G1 Prix Marcel Boussac and G1 Prix Saint-Alary heroine Silasol (Ire) (Monsun {Ger}). Taking on the February-foaled bay is Haras de la Perelle's Robbia (Fr) (Le Havre {Ire}), a Francis-Henri Graffard-trained daughter of the GI E. P. Taylor S. winner Reggane (GB) (Red Ransom).

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Classic Trials Take Centre Stage

With Newbury's card transferred from Saturday, Sunday sees a feast of action in Europe which should answer more questions regarding the upcoming Classics. Other than the fact that the G3 Watership Down Stud Too Darn Hot Greenham S. clashes directly with ParisLongchamp's G3 Prix de la Grotte, the day is set fair for some pulsating racing which begins in earnest with Newbury's seven-furlong G3 Fred Darling S. for the fillies. Heading the list is Jeff Smith's G1 Cheveley Park S. heroine Alcohol Free (Ire) (No Nay Never), who tries further than six for the first time and faces the perennial stamina quandary as the mile Classics loom. David Bowe, general manager of Smith's Littleton Stud, gave the lowdown on Saturday. “She came back to Littleton for her winter break, we sent her back to Andrew [Balding] after Christmas and he has been pleased with her since,” he said. “I think she will stay the seven furlongs, but we will find out much more in regards to her trip on Sunday. Oisin [Murphy] has been to ride her. He was very happy with her and Andrew is confident she has trained on.”

Behind Alcohol Free in the Cheveley Park were the third-placed Umm Kulthum (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}), the fourth Happy Romance (Ire) (Dandy Man {Ire}) and fifth Dandalla (Ire) (Dandy Man {Ire}). Happy Romance had previously beaten her in the G3 Dick Poole Fillies' S. at Salisbury in early September and trainer Richard Hannon is hoping she can regain the winning thread back at the track she was successful at during her busy juvenile campaign. “I do think she's slightly under-appreciated in terms of what she has achieved and she was never a 2-year-old for me,” he said. “I always thought she was a big girl who is going to make a nice 3-year-old and hopefully make a miler. I think she'll be better for going further and I think she's improved from two to three. She's a tough filly and she's very happy.”

In a deep renewal full of talented fillies, there are a clutch of unexposed types including the John and Thady Gosden-trained Wild Iris (Ire) (No Nay Never), who was impressive given that she blew the start on her sole start in a Newcastle novice in October. Roger Varian also supplies an all-weather winner in Shadwell's Zaajirah (Ire) (Shamardal), a distant relative of the 1991 Fred Darling winner Shadayid (Shadeed) who scored with real authority on the Polytrack at Kempton in October. Angus Gold said of her, “She won well on her only start and has been pleasing them with her work. When they've won a maiden, you don't know where you are but she looks a nice, progressive filly in her homework. She obviously lacks experience, but she hasn't done anything wrong so far, so let's see where she fits in.”

The French fillies get their turn in the Grotte, with Gemini Stud's impressive Mar. 21 Listed Prix la Camargo winner Sweet Lady (Fr) (Lope de Vega {Ire}) taking on the G3 Prix d'Aumale scorer King's Harlequin (Ire) (Camelot {GB}), the G3 Prix des Reservoirs winner Rougir (Fr) (Territories {Ire}) and G3 Prix Six Perfections scorer See the Rose (Ire) (Kendargent {Fr}). Thirty minutes later, the colts line up for the G3 Prix de Fontainebleau where Haras de la Gousserie and Guy Pariente's dominant G1 Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere hero Sealiway (Fr) (Galiway {GB}) sets the standard. Andre Fabre puts Godolphin's Parchemin (Ire) (Lope de Vega {Ire}) to the test, with the chestnut having beaten the subsequent G3 Prix Djebel scorer Fast Raaj (Fr) (Iffraaj {GB}) on debut at Compiegne in early October before following up in the Listed Prix Isonomy at Deauville later that month. The card also sees the return of Gestut Schlenderhan's G1 Deutsches Derby hero and G1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe runner-up In Swoop (Ire) (Adlerflug {Ger}) in the 12-furlong Listed Prix Lord Seymour.

Back at Newbury, the G3 Watership Down Stud Too Darn Hot Greenham S. boasts a fascinating cast headed by Shadwell's G2 Mill Reef S. winner Alkumait (GB) (Showcasing {GB}) and Michael Pescod's G2 Champagne S. winner Chindit (Ire) (Wootton Bassett {GB}). Both were left behind in the G1 Dewhurst S. at Newmarket in October, but excuses can be made for both and they have the chance to wipe the slate clean here. Richard Hannon said of Chindit, “On that day, the times said it was riding like it was heavy ground at Newmarket and Chindit was wheel-spinning the whole way. Chindit travelled into it very well, like he normally does, and didn't pick up at all. I'm more than happy to forgive that run. To me, last year it looked like he wanted all of that seven furlongs when he won the Champagne S. and was crying out for a mile. I hope that's the case, but the nice thing with a 3-year-old now is if you don't get the Guineas trip, you can come back to Royal Ascot for six furlongs.”

Perhaps tellingly, Jim Crowley has opted to ride the G3 Horris Hill S. winner Mujbar (GB) (Muhaarar {GB}) even though Alkumait looks more likely to relish this fast ground. Angus Gold said, “Sunday will tell us a lot more, but the Hills camp have always hoped Mujbar was going to make into a Guineas horse. He obviously won a group race as a 2-year-old, as did Alkumait, but everything about Alkumait that I have seen suggests he's more of a sprinter and I know Jim feels the same. Marcus [Tregoning] wants to see whether he would stay seven furlongs. We'll be trying to get him to settle and finish it off, so we learn whether he does stay. He didn't stay in the Dewhurst last year, but that might not have been just down to stamina. I think Jim is looking to the future and we're thinking that if Mujbar has come on, he could be a Guineas horse, whereas I would be pleasantly surprised if Alkumait made a Guineas horse. We could all be wrong and I'd be delighted to be proven wrong, but at this stage I see Alkumait as more of a Commonwealth Cup type.”

Marie McCartan's G2 Coventry S. winner Nando Parrado (GB) (Kodiac {GB}) later split Campanelle (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}) and the re-opposing Rhythm Master (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}) in the G1 Prix Morny at Deauville in August before being left trailing when second to the aforementioned Sealiway in the Jean-Luc Lagardere on Arc day. Nando Parrado's trainer Clive Cox said, “He's pleased me very much and has been working nicely. We've got confidence in him over seven and I still think a mile is well within his compass.”

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