Horse Racing
Season
Distaff Stakes – Form Comments

06/07/2018 16:29

Listed – 1600m – Turf

1 Awesometank Finished a good fourth in similar grade to this last November, and, after refusing to enter the stalls on her intended 2018 return, she was an impressive gate-to-wire winner of quite a valuable all-weather handicap at Chelmsford in late May.
2 Broadway Well supported in the betting to win a Royal Ascot handicap. She was responding to pressure about 400m out when getting badly hampered and was immediately eased. She was only beaten 1L in a G3 three starts ago and looks a major player here.
3 Daddies Girl Does not have the progressive profile of most of her rivals. Her three wins have come over shorter trips but she looked to last this distance when a good second in a Nottingham handicap in May. Not good enough in similar company to this last time.
4 Darkness Falls Beaten a long way in some of her earlier starts having raced too freely sometimes but fitted with cheekpieces (on again here) she ran away with 1400m Naas handicap on fast ground last month. Interesting on this step up in class and distance.
5 Desert Diamond Has improved significantly this season, winning her first two starts without much fuss. They were over further than this but she dropped to this trip for a Royal Ascot handicap last time. Under pressure for a long way, but she kept staying on for a good fourth of 23.
6 Di Fede Her three career wins have all come over shorter than this but she has twice performed well over this distance at Ascot this year, most recently when seventh of 23 in a hot Royal Ascot handicap. Smart, though one or two rivals seem to have a more progressive profile.
7 Gavota This long-striding filly won her first two starts and was then placed in both G2 and G3 company at Newmarket. However she has been a beaten favourite on both starts this season so has yet to prove her three-year-old credentials.
8 Narella Having her first start since moving from Germany where she came late to win a G3 over 1400m at Baden-Baden last September. However a brief forward move fizzled out when last of seven in a soft-ground G1 at Chantilly last October.
9 Preening Facts and figures suggest that this lightly-raced filly has improved on each of her four starts. Always travelling nicely, she was pushed clear for an easy win on her handicap debut here last month, enjoying the fast ground. Now for stronger company.
10 Tajaanus Proved her liking for this track, winning a 1400m Listed event here last July. Showed that she had trained on into a decent three-year-old in 2018 when second in a G3 at Newbury and third in a Lingfield G3. But never a danger in a Royal Ascot handicap last start.