Discourse

Discourse ran out a really impressive winner of the Sweet Solera Stakes at Newmarket on Saturday and is now right to the fore of next year’s 1000 Guineas betting. Always looking the most likely winner, she was the only filly still on the bridle as they passed the two-furlong pole. She quickly came to join the leader Kinetica and she cleared away very nicely to win by four and a half lengths with just a couple of light flicks behind the saddle.

The second and third, Lily’s Angel and Kinetica, give this form a solid look, and Discourse beat them comprehensively. Lily’s Angel has already proved herself to be a very tough filly, only going down narrowly in the Super Sprint at Newbury when sent off favourite on her previous run, having already landed the Listed Empress Stakes on this July Course. Kinetica had improved on each of her three starts before this, winning the Listed Star Stakes at Sandown on her previous run. There is no reason to believe either of them did not run up to form today and they were both comprehensively outclassed by the winner.

Discourse was sent off favourite for this Group 3 contest, for all she was quite weak in the market in the minutes prior to the start. It was significant though that Frankie Dettori stayed at Newmarket to ride her rather than travel to Ascot for the Shergar Cup or to Haydock to ride Sajjhaa. Godolphin also had Desert Gazelle in the race, who was a tidy winner of a maiden at the July Festival under Dettori. Given that Dettori rode Discourse here when he hadn’t ridden her on her debut and that she was weak in the market beforehand, it is logical to conclude that there is be more to come from the winner.

The Mahmood Al Zarooni-trained filly had just got up to beat her much more fancied stablemate Gamilati, who was sent of at 2/5, on her debut and had clearly come on considerably for that run. She travelled much more fluently and comfortably here. Gamilati had finished a close second on her debut previously, also at Newmarket, with the third filly that day coming out to win the Albany Stakes at Royal Ascot on her second start. The form of Discourse’s maiden was obviously strong even before Gamilati herself went on to win the Group 2 Cherry Hinton at the July Festival on her third start when still a maiden.

Discourse is a half-sister to a horse who won over a mile as a two-year-old and to a Grade 1 winner over nine furlongs in the States, so there shouldn’t be any doubt about her ability to get the extra furlong of the Guineas. Indeed she may even go up to a mile for her next start at two and follow in the footsteps of White Moonstone, also owned by the Godolphin operation, who, like this filly, won the Sweet Solera on the back of a maiden win on debut before going on to win the Group 2 May Hill Stakes at Doncaster during the St Leger meeting and then the Group 1 Fillies' Mile at Ascot at the end of September. It is entirely plausible that Discourse will go on to take those two races too herself. Connections may decide to go straight for the Fillies' Mile, which this year is run at Newmarket, which should be in Discourse’s favour given both her runs to date have been at headquarters. She is a very exciting filly and rightly one of the favourites for the Guineas.

6th August 2011

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