Albany Stakes form put to the test as Sandrine headlines intriguing rematch

2.25 Newmarket
Duchess of Cambridge Stakes (Sponsored By bet365) (Group 2) | 6f | 2yo fillies | ITV3/RTV

Only Coventry Stakes winner Berkshire Shadow (109) achieved a higher Racing Post Rating in the two-year-old races at Royal Ascot than Sandrine (106), favourite for this race, managed when dominating the Albany Stakes.

That performance has not scared off the opposition, however, with Albany runner-up Hello You, third Oscula, and the well beaten 13th Flotus, who was the 9-2 favourite at Ascot, back for another go at the winner.

Sandrine won by a length and a half at Ascot, so it begs the question why do so many of the beaten horses fancy taking the winner on again?

There will no doubt be an element of this being the natural next step for some, but maybe the drastically different ground conditions are giving hope for connections of the beaten horses.

Following heavy rain overnight and through the morning, the Friday of Royal Ascot had to pass a lunchtime inspection and the ground was officially described as heavy for the Albany.

It’s good to firm at Newmarket at the time of writing and, even if the forecast showers hit the course, it’s unlikely to be worse than good. This will be an altogether different test for them.

Sandrine: won on heavy ground at Royal Ascot last monthCredit: Harry Trump

The problem when assessing two-year-olds with regards to ground preference at this time of year is that the majority are lightly-raced and might not have shown a liking for a certain type of conditions. That is definitely the case with Sandrine, Hello You and Flotus, who have competed only on soft and heavy turf. However, Oscula does have form on good going.

She was a wide-margin winner of the Woodcote at Epsom on good ground and raced on the stands’ side at Ascot when the principals came down the middle. It’s possible to argue she might have gone closer had she been in the centre, so let’s see if she can prove that here.

Desert Dreamer represents a different Royal Ascot form line. She finished tenth behind Quick Suzy in the Queen Mary but bounced back with a good second in the Empress Stakes over course and distance last time. That still leaves her with 10lb to find with Sandrine on RPRs.

Sadmah has even more to find. She recorded an RPR of 79 when winning at Haydock on her debut but did it impressively and Ryan Moore is an eyecatching booking for the Kevin Ryan team. The pair have had a winner and a second from just six runners in the last five seasons.
Race analysis by Graeme Rodway

'Oscula's in the form of her life'

Oscula heads a two-pronged attack on the Duchess of Cambridge Stakes for the Nick Bradley Racing syndicate, successful in this race last year.

They owned the first two home in the Group 2 last season as the Karl Burke-trained Dandalla narrowly denied Fev Rover.

"We've got 55 horses in training and 40 of them are two-year-old fillies, so this is the race we should be targeting," said Nick Bradley.

The first three home in the Albany Stakes will line up at Newmarket, with third-placed Oscula an authoritative winner of the Woodcote Stakes on her penultimate start, taking on Sandrine and Hello You.

Oscula: 'in the form of her life' according to Nick BradleyCredit: Pool

"Oscula is a very good filly," said Bradley. "I'm told she's improved a ton physically since Royal Ascot and is showing even more at home. It will be a different test but she's in the form of her life."

The syndicate, which provided Oaks runner-up Mystery Angel, will also be represented by Honey Sweet, who was seventh in the Listed Empress Stakes last month.

"Honey Sweet ran very well at Newmarket away from the action on the far side," added Bradley. "She's very talented and Karl [Burke] has always liked her. The conditions will suit and she should run a big race – I'm certain she'll outrun her odds and take another big step forward."

What they say

Stuart Williams, trainer of Desert Dreamer
She's come out of the Empress Stakes well and I'm happy with her. She likes the track and is in good form.

Ed Crisford, joint-trainer of Flotus
She didn't handle the heavy ground at Royal Ascot very well but she's trained well since. Hopefully she'll be seen to better effect on a sounder surface.

George Boughey, trainer of Oscula
She's done well since Royal Ascot and has worked well on quicker ground, which I don't think will be an issue for her as she's versatile.

Adam Ryan, son of and assistant to Kevin Ryan, trainer of Sadmah
She did really well to win on her debut and she'll have improved a lot for that run. It's obviously a step up in grade but she's a nice filly with a really good attitude and we're looking forward to her.

Karl Burke, trainer of Honey Sweet
I like her a lot. She was seventh in the Empress Stakes but she'd missed a couple of bits of work and she'll come on for the run.

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