Ornellaia (7/4F) looks certain to step up into Stakes company following a dominant success in the seven-furlong Tatler British EBF Fillies’ Maiden.
The G1 Moyglare Stud Stakes entry, third on debut on Newmarket, looked every inch a Pattern-race performer after putting the race to bed halfway up the straight, ultimately winning by two lengths. Debutant Classical Song (11/2) was an eye-catcher in second, just ahead of Get Jiggy With It (18/5) in third.
This was a second winner of the meeting for jockey Kevin Stott, following Magical Sunset in yesterday’s Whispering Angel Oak Tree Stakes, while it was a first career success at the Qatar Goodwood Festival for trainer Dominic Ffrench Davis.
Ffrench Davis said: “That was a very smart performance. We have always loved her; she went through a little bit of a weak spell when she first came in, but has really flourished the last six weeks and was crying out for a run today. We were nearly put off by the rain and the ground, but on pedigree she should have handled it and she seemed to handle it well.
“She knew what she was here for today; she was very laid-back for the Newmarket run and the penny didn’t really drop until late on, whereas today she knew exactly what she was here for.
“We will have to have a look and see what’s next, but I would love to think that she might be up to something like the Moyglare. Kevin did seem to think to stay at seven furlongs at the moment. She might be different on slightly better ground, though.”
Ffrench Davis sent out Persian Dreamer to win the G2 Duchess Of Cambridge Stakes last month and he added: “We have always thought Ornellaia might be a Guineas filly – it would be nice to think we might have two Guineas fillies in the yard, two with live chances.”
Stott said: “Ornellaia ran really nicely first time at Newmarket, and the form of that race obviously got boosted with the winner [Sacred Angel] winning again at Ascot very impressively.
“We did quite like her before Newmarket, but we were just a little worried about the ground today. Had it just been nice good to soft, we would have been a lot more happy, but she went through it very nicely. I kept it very simple – jumped nicely, travelled lovely, and she actually picked up quite impressively inside the two. She was getting a bit lonely if anything, but she was nice.”
On whether she may be good enough for the Moyglare, he added: “It is hard to say. We will obviously see how she comes out of this race and see what happens going forward. I think she has improved from the race at Newmarket and if she can go and improve again from today, why not?”
“She is quite tall, and you would like to think that if she grows a little bit and fills out, that she would get a mile next year. I would stick to seven for now. We will see what happens and take it when the time comes.”