Can she do it again? Last year's winner Ville De Grace bidding for Listed repeat

Wednesday: 3.20 Yarmouth
EBF Stallions John Musker Fillies' Stakes (Listed)| 1m2f | 3yo+ | Sky

Last year's winner Ville De Grace is officially rated 108. Only five fillies aged four and rated 108 or more have contested this race since 2009 and two were successful for a small level-stakes profit (£4.50).

Ville De Grace represents Sir Michael Stoute, the trainer responsible for four of the 28 names on this race's roll of honour since the inaugural running in 1993. All four of his winners were aged three, though, and his 2010 winner Nouriya came sixth when returning in 2011.

Overall four-year-olds are 3-43 since 2009 whereas three-year-olds are 10-91 in the same period. That said, Ville De Grace ran out a comfortable winner on good to soft ground in 2021 and she clearly goes well fresh having got within a nose of the subsequent dual Group 1 winner Dreamloper on her reappearance in the Group 2 Dahlia Stakes at Newmarket in May. Her subsequent fourth at York came only 11 days later.

Ryan Moore renews the association and, at her best, she has leading claims of becoming the first filly to retain this prize.

The three-year-old Mise En Scene represents James Ferguson. She is officially rated 105 and is open to improvement over this longer trip.

Shaara is a solid improver representing the John and Thady Gosden. She already sets the form standard over this distance among the younger generation, and John Gosden has won this race five times.

Jessica Harrington's Sierra Nevada has a similar if less enticing profile, but the Irish trainer did win this race with Beautiful Morning in 2017.

Roger Varian is 3-11 in this race since 2012 and Sound Angela is the clear pick from his two runners, with her potential improvement over the longer trip another significant factor to consider.
Race analysis by Dave Randall

What they say

Harry Eustace, trainer of Topanticipation and Makinmedoit
I don't want any more rain as they both like faster ground and we'll make a decision about Makinmedoit in the morning. The drop in trip for Topanticipation will suit. She shaped quite encouragingly at York and just got outstayed by two proper gallopers. She came there travelling as well as anything so the drop to a mile and a quarter should be ideal.

Roger Varian, trainer of Kind Gesture and Sound Angela
Sound Angela is very progressive, she'll handle the conditions and looks like she'll improve for going a mile and a quarter. Kind Gesture has been knocking on the door at Listed level. She ran very well in the Valiant at Ascot and in the Upavon at Salisbury. She's getting stronger and seems to be improving. The ground would be a question mark for her, but if she handles conditions, we hope she can finish in the first three.

Roger Varian: has won this race three times since 2014Credit: Edward Whitaker

James Ferguson, trainer of Mise En Scene
She came out of the race at Sandown very well. She finished her race off very strongly so the step up in trip will definitely help and the race would've brought her on fitness-wise as well. She's a very nice filly who showed a lot of class last year and I'm very positive that we can reproduce that form. It's a very competitive race, but we're hopeful she can take a big step forward.

Ed Crisford, joint-trainer of Night Battle
She's a well-bred filly and we thought we'd take a chance on a Listed race. I think a mile and a quarter is the right trip for her. She doesn't want the ground too soft, but it should be perfect for her tomorrow. Hopefully it dries out a bit after racing today.
Reporting by Harry Wilson

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