'She goes there with a great chance' - strong hand for Karl Burke in important Marygate test for juvenile fillies

The Marygate is the first Pattern race in Britain for two-year-olds and it usually supplants last week's Lily Agnes at Chester as the leading piece of form for fillies of that age.

That matters, because Karl Burke sent out Lily Agnes winner Ali Shuffle and can claim the strongest hand in this race. He has also trained two of the last three winners of the Marygate.

Given she went off 2-5 when winning by more than seven lengths at Wolverhampton on her debut, you might think that the Burke-trained Love Olivia's reputation precedes her. Or it could be because she was an expensive yearling running in the Amo Racing colours against only three rivals. Her greenness was as obvious as her speed that day and she is likely to be better for the experience.

Clifford Lee rode Love Olivia at Wolverhampton, but now Amo's main rider David Egan takes over. Lee will instead be on Alaskan Light, whose claims may be better than her debut form implies. Ripon's undulations caught her on the hop that day, but she still came well clear with the winner despite a wide trip. If anything, Burke has an even stronger hand than the market lets on.

The main threat comes from the Richard Hannon yard. Hannon is 0-7 in this race, but he has had two placed. Only Tiggy Wiggy, who finished second in 2014 but went on to be a champion two-year-old, came in with a higher Racing Post Rating than this year's runner Harry's Girl. 

She won a maiden at the Craven meeting that has worked out favourably. The second, third and fourth have all run well again since. Harry's Girl hit the line hard that day and the only real concern  is whether York's even sharper test will suit. She could well be the best medium-term prospect in this year's field.
Analysis by Keith Melrose

Leading chance for Love Olivia 

Karl Burke could not have his two-year-olds in better form as he aims to win this race for the third time in four years with a pair of promising fillies.

Burke has sent out ten winners from just 18 juvenile runners (55 per cent strike-rate) this year including Amo Racing's Love Olivia, who is quoted at 6-1 for the Queen Mary at Royal Ascot after bolting up on her debut last month.

"She's a quick filly, she's in the right race and I think she goes there with a great chance," said Burke.

Stablemate Alaskan Light is also ready for her second start, having finished runner-up at Ripon last week. 

"She ran only last Friday and she ran very well, getting beaten by a colt," added Burke. "She's a sharp little filly, although she'll probably be suited by a bit more ease in the ground."

What they say

Gemma Tutty, trainer of Awraad
This is a much tougher assignment after her victory on her debut at Pontefract, but she deserves her place in the line-up. She hadn't done a great deal before her first start, so she's entitled to take a big step forward.

Ollie Sangster, trainer of Eternal Solace
She's taken a good step forward from Brighton, which is a tricky track for a two-year-old to navigate, particularly on debut. She seemed sharp and straight enough, and strong through the line. She's a quick filly who'll enjoy the quick ground and we'd be hopeful of a positive performance.

Tom Marquand, rider of Harry's Girl
She made the perfect start at Newmarket. She was super straightforward and had lots of speed. This is a nice race and hopefully she can step things up another gear. She's a really nice filly.

Nick Bradley, managing director of Nick Bradley Racing, owners of Saucy Jane
She's shown a lot of ability from January onwards and we were a bit disappointed at Pontefract on her debut, but then she went to Beverley and couldn't have won any easier. She goes there in good form and I think she's one of two or three who can win it.

Adrian Keatley, trainer of Secret Hideaway
She's come on a ton for her first outing at Ripon, where she learned loads. She's not much to look at but she can gallop and her heart's in the right place, which is the main thing.

David O'Meara, trainer of Solana Rose
She's making her debut and shows us plenty at home. She's related to a black-type filly we have called Tundra Rose and hopefully she should run a nice race.
Reporting by Andrew Dietz

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