Excellent fillies’ record points to Snow Fairy in Leger

By Rory King

Two horses to take out of York and two more from last week.

Having originally thought that Midday emerged as by far the best filly from the Yorkshire Oaks, on closer inspection Snow Fairy actually ran a very encouraging second. Having strengthened up through the season, she now looks likely to improve for the step up in distance to a mile and six, having shown a neat turn of foot to win over ten furlongs on her first run of the season, as she temporarily came off the bridle turning in here. Soon back travelling well, Richard Hughes had her tracking Midday up the straight but Midday, the triple Group 1 winner over ten furlongs, was far better suited to the sprint finish than the dual Oaks winner, although Snow Fairy stuck to her guns well in the final furlong.

Considering how she totally outstayed her rivals in the Irish Oaks, and the way she ran all the way to the line here at York, I think she will relish the step up in trip on Town Moor. The 6/1 currently on offer for the Leger does look very big, particularly as the strong favourite Rewilding who seems to need a break in between his runs may find this coming too soon after a hard race in the Voltigeur, albeit he was very impressive. That, combined with the fine record of fillies in the race, especially Oaks winners, makes Snow Fairy the most appealing one for me at this stage.

The other horse to take out of the Ebor Festival for me is Crown Prosecutor. I think Brian Meehan’s colt emerges from the Gimcrack as the best six-furlong performer in the field. He was the only one really able to lie up with Temple Meads early on and looked set to win having mastered that rival entering the final hundred yards, only to be run down very late on by Approve who looks likely to get a mile plus next year. Crown Prosecutor travelled through the race like a very good horse and ultimately only lost the race by being outstayed late on. He proved here that his Vintage Stakes experience at Goodwood had not made its mark on him, physically or mentally, and he will be very high on the list for me in any six-furlong two-year-old race for the rest of the season.

Traffic Guard was unlucky not to win the Listed August Stakes at Windsor on Saturday night and emerges as by far and away the best horse in the race. Held up last of the seven runners in a race featuring a dawdling early pace, he travelled very enthusiastically and picked up willingly down the middle of the track inside the last three furlongs but just could not get to Whispering Gallery who was given a fine ride by Durcan, in the prime position out in front from the word go. A bump a furlong and a half out did not help Traffic Guard, and he is without doubt the horse to take out of the race. He is at his best in my opinion over twelve furlongs, despite that excellent second to New Approach in the Irish Champion Stakes as he stays very well – over ten furlongs he needs tracks with very long home straights to bring his stamina into play (he has always run very well at Newmarket). Traffic Guard has now put three very good runs together and will be of interest wherever he turns up next.

Primarily being a jumps fan, I got very excited seeing Grand Slam Hero destroy his rivals in a decent early season three and a quarter mile handicap chase at Ffos Las on Wednesday. The official winning distance of five lengths could easily have been trebled as the Nigel Twiston-Davies trained horse sauntered home, with Paddy Brennan never having an anxious moment on board. Twiston-Davies has improved this horse over thirty pounds since he’s had him, and as a nine-year-old he is relatively lightly raced, so it’s not impossible that he improves again after this. Since he has been in the care of the Gold Cup-winning trainer he has won six of his eight completed starts (hurdles and chases) and of the three times he has failed to get round, one was a first fence fall in the Galway Plate and another was an early retirement at Newton Abbot after being severely hampered at the first. The race that immediately sprang to mind for me for Grand Slam Hero is the Hennessy, due to the similarities of Ffos Las to Newbury and the manner in which he dispatched his rivals here. Although that race is still three months away, Grand Slam Hero is clearly thriving at Naunton and if the trainer can get him to Newbury in anywhere near the same form as this then he will take some beating. I don’t know what the plan is with Denman with regards the race this year, and if he doesn’t run then Grand Slam Hero will likely be one of the higher rated runners as he must go up at least another ten pounds for this latest demolition job. Even so, I will be very interested in his chances if he does line up at Newbury in late November.

By Rory King