NEWS
Heaven Sent will make Group 1 debut in Falmouth
Posted: Tuesday, July 08, 2008 3:27 PM
HEAVEN SENT
Racing Post photo
by Tom Musgrave
With three-time Group 1 winner Darjina, the 2007 European champion three-year-old filly, in doubt for the Falmouth Stakes (Eng-G1) on Wednesday at Newmarket, the path might be clear for Cheveley Park Stud's homebred Heaven Sent to earn her first Group 1 win.
Heaven Sent enters the Falmouth off a runner-up finish on June 18 in the Windsor Forest Stakes (Eng-G2) at Royal Ascot.
Trained by Sir Michael Stoute, Heaven Sent rolled into the Windsor Forest off two straight wins, taking the Compare Odds at oddschecker.com Snowdrop Fillies' Stakes on April 12 at Kempton and the Stanjamesuk.com Dahlia Stakes (Eng-G3) on May 3 at Newmarket.
The five-year-old Pivotal mare, who has won five of 18 starts and earned $337,968, is making her first career start at the highest level.
Seachange, a six-year-old New Zealand-bred Cape Cross (Ire) mare, is winless outside of the Australasian circuit, and trainer Graeme Sanders said regardless of her performance in the Falmouth, the mare will be retired.
"If she can run a nice race to go out on, we'd be very happy, but if she were to win, it would be a dream come true," Sanders said.
Seachange enters off a 12th-place finish in the Golden Jubilee Stakes (Eng-G1) on June 21 at Royal Ascot. The Falmouth Stakes will be her first start in a race restricted to females this year.
German invader Briseida may be poised to earn her first Group 1 win. She enters the one-mile Falmouth off a 2 1/2-length win in the Preis der Freunde und Forderer des Dusseldorfer Reiter-und Rennvereins (Ger-G2) (German One Thousand Guineas) on June 1 at Dusseldorf.
"She has won a Group 2 in Germany, so we thought she deserved to run in a Group 1," said trainer Peter Schiergen, who saddled Kamsin to a victory in the BMW Deutches Derby (Ger-G1) (German Derby) on Sunday. "It looks a very hard race, but when she won the Guineas in Germany the ground was very soft, so maybe that will help."
Heavy rain has fallen in the Newmarket areas the past few days, affecting the Newmarket course.
Tom Musgrave is internet content editor of Thoroughbred Times
The field, in post-position order, with (sire), jockey, weight, and trainer:
1. Infallible (Pivotal), Jimmy Fortune, 122, John Gosden;
2. Briseida (Pivotal), Andrasch Starke, 122, Peter Schiergen;
3. Lady Gloria (Diktat [GB]), Thomas Queally, 131, James Given;
4. Darjina (Zamindar), Christophe Soumillon, 131, Alain de Royer-Dupre;
5. Majestic Roi (Street Cry [Ire]), Darryll Holland, 131, Michael Channon;
6. Kasumi (Inchinor [GB]), Travis Block, 131, Hugh Morrison;
7. Heaven Sent (Pivotal), Ryan Moore, 131, Sir Michael Stoute;
8. Finsceal Beo (Mr. Greeley), Kevin Manning, 131, Jim Bolger;
9. Nahoodh (Clovodil), Frankie Dettori, 122, Mark Johnston;
10. Love of Dubai (More Than Ready), 122, Seb Sanders, Clive Brittain;
11. Seachange (Cape Cross [Ire]), Ted Durcan, 131, Graeme Sanders; and
12. Hip (Pivotal), Richard Hills, 122, Edward Dunlop.
