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Lucida heads Godolphin trio

3 minute read

Jim Bolger's Irish raider Lucida heads a three-pronged Godolphin assault on Friday's Dubai Fillies' Mile as the team goes in search of a belated first domestic Group One victory of the year.

Jim Bolger and Kevin Manning
Jim Bolger and Kevin Manning Picture: Racing and Sports

It has been a disappointing campaign for powerful Dubai-based operation, with African Story's Dubai World Cup success in March the last time the famous royal blue silks were carried to victory at the highest level anywhere in the world.

Having run out an authoritative winner of the Rockfel Stakes on the Rowley Mile three weeks ago, Lucida certainly appears to have solid claims of getting the job done in a race Godolphin have won in three of the last four years.

"Lucida travelled very well and is eating and drinking," said Bolger.

"She had a canter on Thursday morning and is fresh and well."

The Saeed bin Suroor-trained pair of Good Place and Winters Moon are also in the mix.

Good Place steps up in class following successive victories at Lingfield and Ascot and is the mount of Ryan Moore.

James Doyle partners Winters Moon, who looks to have her work cut out having been beaten in Group Three and Listed company the last twice.

Bin Suroor told www.godolphin.com: "Good Place is a filly that I like and is improving all of the time.

"Her latest piece of work went well and this looks the right race for her - she has won over a mile and I think that she will be fine on a softer surface.

"Winters Moon is a nice filly, who always tries very hard in her work. She is learning with each run and shouldn't mind cut in the ground.

"She is coming up against some very good fillies but I am looking for a better result this time."

The two fillies most likely to upset the Godolphin party are Eddie Lynam's Agnes Stewart and the Richard Hannon-trained Marsh Hawk.

Agnes Stewart was supplemented for the race following an impressive display in the May Hill Stakes at Doncaster, while Marsh Hawk eased clear in a Newbury conditions event last month.

"Marsh Hawk runs in the Fillies' Mile and she will love the ground," Hannon told his website www.richardhannonracing.co.uk.

"She surprised us first time out on the July Course and then we made the mistake of dropping her back in trip when she just got beat at Salisbury.

"She then showed us just how good she was when winning impressively at Newbury and we feel that she has what it takes to go all the way.

"Obviously, Lucida will be a tough nut to crack, but we like our filly a lot."

Lucida and Agnes Stewart are joined on the trip from Ireland by Aidan O'Brien's Together Forever, a winner at Gowran Park and the Curragh this year.

Ralph Beckett's Kempton scorer Forte is the outsider and completes the seven-strong field.


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