Lightening Pearl: Cheveley Park winner may not run in the 1,000 Guineas
PICTURE: Patrick McCann (racingpost.com/photos)Heavy ground may end Lightening Pearl's hopes
CONNECTIONS of Group 1-winning filly Lightening Pearl have warned that she will not take her place in Sunday's Qipco 1,000 Guineas if the ground is too soft.
The going description reported from Newmarket on Thursday was soft after 25mm of rain overnight.
The Cheveley Park Stakes winner, whose owner Sheikh Fahad bin Abdullah Al Thani is a director of the race sponsors, is due to be declared by trainer Ger Lyons on Friday for the Classic but could remain in Ireland if there is no sign of conditions improving on the Rowley Mile.
"She will be declared and unless somebody over there tells me it is horrendous ground she will travel," Lyons said. "We'll walk the track then on Sunday morning before letting her run and if it is good, good to soft or soft we might take our chance but I won't run her on heavy."
Newmarket director of racing Michael Prosser walked the Rowley Mile again on Thursday afternoon and said: "The GoingStick reading taken at 3pm today was 6.0 (from 6.8 yesterday) and the ground is now ‘soft.'
"There has been immeasurable light drizzle from 7am but it has been mainly dry and cool."
The good news for connections of Lightening Pearl was that the forecast was for it to stay mainly dry in the run-up to the fillies' Classic.
Prosser added: "The course has taken the rain extremely well. The forecast is for it to be largely dry on Friday, Saturday and Sunday although there is the possibility of an isolated shower late on Friday afternoon which may give 1-2mms of rainfall."
Fred Darling winner Moonstone Magic has already shown her liking for a soft surface and was cut to 11-2 (from 7) for the 1,000 Guineasby Coral on Thursday with Paddy Power clipping her a point to 6-1.
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