A strong French challenge is in prospect for the Juddmonte Cheveley Park Stakes after 28 fillies stood their ground in this £200,000 contest, which is run over six furlongs of Newmarket’s Rowley Mile Racecourse on Saturday, 30th September, at yesterday’s (Tuesday) scratching stage.
This prestigious Group 1 event is being sponsored by Juddmonte for the first time and is part of a fabulous £738,000 seven–race card which also features the Group 1 Juddmonte Middle Park Stakes, the Group 2 Juddmonte Royal Lodge Stakes and the first leg of the Betfred Autumn Double, the Betfred Cambridgeshire Handicap.
Different League, trained at Maisons-Laffite by Matthieu Palussiere and winner of the Group 3 Albany Stakes at Royal Ascot, is a confirmed French Juddmonte Cheveley Park Stakes runner. She went close in her one previous Group 1 outing, finishing third when taking on the colts in the Prix Morny.
Polydream, who took her record to a perfect two-from-two with a smooth success in last month’s Group 3 Prix du Calvados, is another potential Gallic raider. And Coeur de Beaute, trained by Mauricio Delcher, is a third and final possible cross-Channel visitor as the French bid to land the trophy for the fourth time in the last 11 years.
Irish trainers are responsible for ten of the remaining entries and Aidan O’Brien is, as usual, to the fore, with the Group 1 scorer, Magical, and Churchill’s full-sister, Clemmie, successful in the Group 2 Duchess Of Cambridge Stakes (sponsored by bet365) , heading his sextet.
Threading, comfortable winner of last month’s Group 2 Lowther Stakes, and the Group 3 Queen Mary Stakes heroine, Heartache, are the strongest candidates among the 15 British-trained entries.
Matthieu Palussiere, trainer of Different League, said:
“The Juddmonte Cheveley Park Stakes is definitely the target for Different League – she will be my first runner at Newmarket.”
“She ran very well in the Prix Morny and could easily have finished second. She has been doing very well since then – she’s a fine big, strong filly with a great nature and she looks a picture at the moment.”
“The Morny is run over an easy six furlongs, and I think that the stiffer course at Newmarket will be better for her. She handles most ground and if it came up soft it wouldn’t worry me.”
Freddy Head, trainer of Polydream, said:
“I like the Juddmonte Cheveley Park very much as a race and I would love to bring Polydream over for it, but I am slightly concerned that the six furlongs may be a touch sharp for her and that she could get a bit outpaced. But she is a very nice filly and I am very, very happy with her.”
“We are also considering the Prix Marcel Boussac [at Chantilly on 1st October] for her, so it is a choice between stepping down to six furlongs or going up to a mile. I have yet to discuss it with her owners [the Wertheimer brothers] but we will make a decision in the next few days. One key consideration is that she would not want the ground to be too soft.”
