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Grand National festival

First for Fanshawe as Audarya takes on strong home team in Filly & Mare Turf

James Fanshawe : eyeing the Breeders Cup Pic: Edward Whitaker/Racing Post
James Fanshawe: has his first Breeders' Cup runner in the Filly & Mare TurfCredit: Edward Whitaker

6.57 Keeneland
Maker's Mark Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf (Grade 1) | 1m1½f | 3yo+ | Sky

James Fanshawe will end a 30-year wait for a runner at the Breeders' Cup when his Audarya does duty in the female feature which has gone the way of the Europeans in three of the past four years.

The Newmarket-trained filly heads a European contingent of four against a strong turnout of home runners, and she has a new jockey to boot after Pierre-Charles Boudot received a late call to replace the Covid 19-stricken Ioritz Mendizabal.

Audarya: has hit form in France the last twice
Audarya: has hit form in France the last twiceCredit: Racing Post/Scott Burton

Audarya has already tasted Group 1 glory having won the Prix Jean Romanet at Deauville in the summer before a fast-finishing third in the Group 1 Prix de L'Opera at Longchamp.

Fanshawe said: "It's great to be having our first runner at the Breeders' Cup, but it's much like preparing for any other race except there will be no crowds turning up.

"Audarya has won on the soft but is a good-actioned filly and has handled the track here well. We've sent her around the bends to get used to them as we don't have many in Newmarket."

Circus Maximus (right) and Terebellum fought out the finish of the Queen Anne Stakes at Ascot in June and could play a key role in deciding the outcome of the Tote Ten To Follow competition
Terebellum: put in a career-best performance in the Queen Anne at Royal Ascot earlier on this seasonCredit: Edward Whitaker

John Gosden was unlucky not to win this for the first time with The Fugue in 2012 and is back for another crack with Terebellum, who is up in trip.

The four-year-old has not quite shown her best in testing conditions on her last two starts and Gosden is hoping the track is not riding the same come post time.

He said: "She wasn't happy on the heavy ground at Newmarket last time, but as they've run all their autumn racing on the same strip, the track has had plenty of wear so I wouldn't know if she will handle this ground or not even if he has dried out. I reckon they will have had 70 horses around there come post time. It depends if any horse can handle it as most will spin their wheels as it's sand based."


Brown going four it

Chad Brown fields four runners in an attempt to win the fillies' signature for a record fifth time, with the classy Rushing Fall leading the home charge.

Nicknamed the "Turf Rocket", Rushing Fall has won all three starts in 2020, including the Grade 1 Diana Stakes at Saratoga last time when she accounted for race rival Mean Mary by just a neck. If ever there was a horse who loved Keeneland's turf course, it's this five-year-old mare, who is five from six at the track. Her swansong appearance will be her second at the World Championships; she previously took the Grade 1 Juvenile Fillies Turf at Del Mar in 2017

Stablemate Sistercharlie is no mean back-up and is out to equal the record of Ouija Board in winning this for a second time following her triumph at Churchill Downs two years ago.

Brown's other two runners, My Sister Nat and Nay Lady Nay, also clashed last time out when they finished second and third respectively behind the reopposing Civil Union in the Grade 1 Flower Bowl Stakes at Belmont Park.


What they say

Kate Harrington, assistant to Jessica Harrington, trainer of Cayenne Pepper
We were delighted to see her win impressively in the Blandford Stakes last time and then took the decision to freshen her up with this race in mind. Shane [Foley] sat on her the other day and said she's never felt better all season. Hopefully she can run a big race to cap off what's been a great season.

Cayenne Pepper scorches to a four-length win in the Group 2 Blandford Stakes under jockey Shane Foley
Cayenne Pepper: has been freshened up for this assignmentCredit: Patrick McCann (racingpost.com/photos)

Shug McGaughey, trainer of Civil Union
She came out of the Flower Bowl really well and she's had a good work on the turf since. Except for Mean Mary, we've pretty much beat everybody who will be in it, so I'm pretty confident we fit with them. I don't really know about the Europeans.

Graham Motion, trainer of Mean Mary
She likes to make the running, but I think if somebody else went she'd be happy to settle off them. She just has a really high galloping speed and seems to be able to keep that up.

Peaceful: deserted favourite in Sun Chariot
Peaceful: top filly will be suited by the demands of KeenelandCredit: Caroline Norris (racingpost.com/photos)

Aidan O'Brien, trainer of Peaceful
We probably shouldn't have ran her at Newmarket last time where she hated the ground. She couldn't cope at all. We always thought this race would suit her. She has a nice draw, the track and the trip are perfect so I'm really looking forward to seeing how she gets on.



Saturday's Breeders' Cup previews:

'It's going to be a great race' – Baffert can't pick between his Classic trio

The proven Magical meets the promising Mogul as O'Brien seeks seventh Turf win

Guineas hero Kameko in 'super condition' for Breeders' Cup Mile swansong

Cinderella story? Glass Slippers out to crack America for Ryan in Turf Sprint


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Newmarket correspondent

Published on inGrand National festival

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