We Are Ninety

There was a lot to like about the performance that We Are Ninety put up in winning the listed 10-furlong three-year-old filles’ contest at Newbury on Saturday.

Settled in mid-division and towards the inside by Jim Crowley behind a sedate enough pace that Frankie Dettori was allowed set on Southern Stars, she got a little caught in traffic towards the far side as the pace picked up two furlongs out.  Crowley had to niggle away and wait for a gap to appear, which it duly did, and his filly had enough energy to go through it.  She picked up impressively at the furlong pole to hit the front, going into a one-length lead, at which point it appeared that she had thought she had done enough.  Beautiful Morning rallied, and it looked like she might get back at the leader, but Hugo Palmer’s filly pulled out more, going on to win by a neck, but leaving the impression that she had more in hand than that.

This is often a good fillies’ race, the old Swettenham Stud Stakes.  It was won last year by Crystal Zvezda, who was sent off a 7/2 shot on the back of her victory here, it was won in 2014 by Volume, who went on to finish third in the Oaks, it was won in 2013 by Winsili, who won the Group 1 Nassau Stakes two runs later, and it was won in 2011 by Izzi Top, who beat Dancing Rain by a head in the race.  Dancing Rain went on and won the Oaks – in which Izzi Top finished third – before going on to win the German Oaks and the Fillies’ & Mares’ Stakes at Ascot, while Izzi Top won her first three races as a four-year-old, including the Group 1 Pretty Polly Stakes at The Curragh, before going to France and landing the Group 1 Prix Jean Romanet.

There may not have been anything of the calibre of Dancing Rain or Izzi Top in this year’s renewal, but it was still a good race.  Beautiful Morning, fifth in the Group 1 Fillies’ Mile on her final run last year, brought a good level of form in the race, and it has a solid look to it with Luca Cumani’s filly finishing second. But We Are Ninety beat her on merit, and she should be able to progress from this now.

Winner of her first only race last season as a juvenile, she won on her debut this term, but was beaten at odds-on on her second run.  That obviously wasn’t her true running, it was only three days after her previous win, and she showed as much on Saturday.  Saturday’ run was just her fourth ever, and she has plenty of scope to progress now.  She is bred for speed, but she saw out this 10-furlong trip well, and that opens up lots of options for her.

14^th May 2016