Lowther form may hold key to Cheveley Park - race analysis and trainer quotes

2.25 NewmarketJuddmonte Cheveley Park Stakes (Group 1) | 6f | 2yo fillies | ITV4/RTV

The Lowther Stakes at York has proved the key to this race in recent years and it has been the winners who have dominated. Four of the last ten Lowther scorers have gone on to land this but just one of the beaten horses at York has been victorious in the last ten seasons.

Lumiere is the filly in question. She finished second behind Besharah in the Lowther in 2015 but reversed the form in this Group 1 event, beating her York conqueror into third.

Miss Amulet and Sacred filled the first two places in this year's Lowther, so can Sacred emulate Lumiere's achievement or will Miss Amulet become another to complete the double?

The answer looks simple on form. Miss Amulet had Sacred well held by a length at York, where they achieved Racing Post Ratings of 110 and 107 respectively. Miss Amulet has not run since but Sacred has taken a backward step, running to a 2lb lower RPR of 105 when beaten a short-head by Ubettabelieveit in the five-furlong Flying Childers at Doncaster 15 days ago.

However, that is basing the judgement purely on the book and visual impressions give you a different perspective. Sacred might have been beaten on her last two starts but she looked set to defeat Miss Amulet half a furlong out over six furlongs at York (she touched 1.15 in running on Betfair) before her effort flattened out.

It was a similar story at Doncaster last time too. Sacred travelled like the winner throughout that contest over the minimum trip and was in front well inside the final furlong only to be headed in the dying strides. This time she disappointed backers at a low of 1.04 in running, causing some to question her attitude.

I suspect Sacred has the more talent of the two but Miss Amulet is the more straightforward and the fact William Haggas fits cheekpieces on Sacred is an indication he thinks the same.

Umm Kulthum, who was third behind Miss Amulet and Sacred at York, showed a high head carriage when winning the Firth of Clyde at Ayr last week but was going away at the finish.

Umm Kulthum makes a quick return after winning at Ayr last SaturdayCredit: John Grossick (racingpost.com/photos)

It looks significant that she is turned out just a week later. Her trainer Richard Fahey has a 24 per cent strike-rate (6-25) with juveniles returning to the track within seven days of their last run since the start of 2016. Umm Kulthum must have come out of the race well.

What they say

Karl Burke, trainer of Dandalla
She looks in great order, we're very happy with her. We're still convinced she didn't run up to her best in the Group 2 last time, she wasn't right that day, but she seems to be back working the way she was going into Royal Ascot, so we're very much looking forward to seeing her run. We've had to sit on our heels and wait for her to come right but in the last three or four weeks she's shown all the right signs.

Richard Hannon, trainer of Happy Romance
She should have a good chance. She's been very consistent all year, she's in good form and she showed at Salisbury she should cope with the ground.

Jack Channon, assistant to Mick Channon, trainer of Illykato
She ran well in the Firth of Clyde even though the ground was against her. Hopefully there won’t be any more rain at Newmarket.

Ken Condon, trainer of Miss Amulet
She's been very good since York. She needs to step forward again into Group 1 company but we're very happy with where we are with her and we're hopeful she'll run a very big race.

William Haggas, trainer of Sacred
I'm very pleased with her. She’s in great form. My concern is the weather. She’s better on quick ground.

Richard Fahey, trainer of Umm Kulthum
The owner is very sporting and the filly's fine, so we're happy to take our chance. She gave them a head start and still beat them last week – I don't think she'll be able to give these a head start and beat them.

James Ferguson, trainer of Zoetic
She's in good form and came out of the St Hugh's very well. She'd been on the go for a long time, so she had a few easy weeks and she's been training really well recently. She'll appreciate the ground, because it's definitely going to be on the soft side. She'll be an outsider against some very good horses but she's been progressive and if she's taken a step forward from her run at Newbury she'll run a really good race.
Additional reporting by David Carr

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