Well-bred fillies set to open Newmarket's July Cup card on Saturday

The opening Rossdales British EBF Maiden Fillies' Stakes (1.30) at Newmarket on Saturday is set to field full or half-siblings to Group winners as well as others from well-related families.

Achillea, who was a respectable fourth on her debut at Newbury, is by Frankel and is the eighth foal out of the Linamix mare Bruxcalina, therefore making her a half-sister to British Champions Sprint Stakes winner Librisa Breeze among three individual winners.

Bred by Newsells Park Stud, the two-year-old sold to Peter and Ross Doyle for 180,000gns from Book 2 of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale.

The remaining five runners are all newcomers, with Luckin Brew perhaps the most interesting as she is a Lope De Vega sister to the talented Antonia De Vega, the winner of the Prestige and Princess Royal Stakes for Ralph Beckett and Waverley Racing.

Lucky Brew was bred by Fermoir Ltd and sold to Alex Elliott and Jamie Mccalmont for €190,000 from Arqana's August Yearling Sale from Ballylinch Stud. Her dam, the Listed-placed and winning Duke Of Marmalade mare Witches Brew, is a half-sister to Prix Jacques le Marois winner and Haras de Bouquetot sire Al Wukair.

The Gosden-trained Running Lion is a daughter of the ill-fated Roaring Lion and is out of the winning Dansili mare Bella Nouf, therefore making her a half-sibling to last year's Sweet Solera Stakes winner Majestic Glory. She was bred by The Bella Nouf Partnership.

Jeff Smith homebred Frankness is, as the name suggests, by Frankel and is out of Cosmopolitan Queen, a winning sister to Smith's Juddmonte International winner Arabian Queen, while the Queen's homebred Galileo filly Blue Missile is out of the Group-winning and multiple top-level placed Iffraaj mare Nathra.

Nathra, who raced in the silks of Abdullah Saeed Al Naboodah, sold to John Warren for 270,000gns from Pier House Stud at Book 2 in 2014.

The seven-furlong contest is completed by another daughter of Lope De Vega in Alseyoob. The Lodge Park Stud-bred filly sold to Rabbah Bloodstock for 125,000gns from Book 2 and is the third foal out of the winning Sea The Stars mare Stellar Glow.

Stellar Glow, who was third to subsequent Oaks heroine Qualify in the Weld Park Stakes at two, is a half-sister to Phoenix Stakes scorer Alfred Nobel and from the excellent family of Derby hero New Approach.

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