Touleen
Touleen is not under the radar, her run received plenty of attention, but she still did really well to get up for second place in the Coronation Stakes on Friday in a race in which not much went right for her. A little keen through the early part of the race, she settled in a share of fifth place and in among and behind horses as the pace steadied on the run to the turn. Held in by True Love when they turned for home as she looked to get out to deliver her challenge, she dropped back to seventh of the nine runners as Saffie Osborne switched back in to look for racing room. In a race in which racing room was at a premium, she had to check her run slightly again on the run to the furlong marker and switch back outside True Love and, when she did, she finished off her race well to just get up and snatch the runner-up spot behind Precise from True Love.
Beaten by Sukanya in the Fred Darling Stakes on her debut this season, and only sixth in the 1000 Guineas, when she raced against the far rail, this was much more like it from Owen Burrows' filly. Impressive in winning each of her first two races last season as a juvenile, she has been campaigned at a high level since, but she proved here that she deserves her place in Group 1 company. From an excellent Shadwell family - her grandam is a half-sister to Guineas winner and Coronation Stakes Ghanaati - all the top one-mile fillies' races are open to her now, including the Falmouth Stakes and the Sun Chariot Stakes. It's not conclusive, but it may be that Newmarket may not be her ideal track, she has raced there twice, on the Rowley Mile, in the Rockfel Stakes and in the Guineas, and she has been fairly well beaten on each occasion. That may or may not be an issue, it's a small sample size, but, even if it is, she has the Matron Stakes and the Prix Rothschild as options, and she also has the option to try 10 furlongs. There is every chance that she will get that trip on this evidence, and it is easy to argue the case on pedigree.
Ascot, 19th June 2026
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