'She ran a very good trial for this when second behind a proper filly' - can superpowers carve up the Ribblesdale again?

Few yards match the strength of Aidan O’Brien and John Gosden in the middle-distance fillies' department and they are mob-handed in the Ribblesdale with more than half the field. Yet the early market fails to reflect these superpowers sharing eight of the past nine Ribblesdales.

Catalina Delcarpio has looked every inch a burgeoning star for Paddy Twomey and she disputes favouritism with Andrew Balding’s Musidora runner-up Serenity Prayer. They seem the right pair to focus on with O’Brien and Gosden’s six runners forming a weaker challenge than we have come to expect. 

Garden Of Eden is the choice of Ryan Moore, but the form of her Naas Oaks Trial win is modest. Island Hopping is held by stablemate Gardens Of Eden on the Naas run and she has even more to find with Catalina Delcarpio from their meeting at Navan. Ecstatic may sit lower down the Balldoyle pecking order still. 

The three Gosden fillies have hardly set the world alight either. Understudy moves out of novice company. Go Go Boots was a no-show in the Oaks after producing a respectable effort in the Musidora. Life Is Beautiful encounters a different sort of test after lacking the speed of Coronation Stakes supplementees Falakayeh and Kon Tiki. 

Life Is Beautiful is among seven who are embarking on a new distance and is a suspect stayer on pedigree. 

The way Serenity Prayer hit the line in a strongly run Musidora breeds hope she will stay and her dam was a 1m6f winner. There is stamina on Catalina Delcarpio’s page as well.

The daughter of Lope De Vega is yet to achieve anything significant on the clock, but neither of her races was run to suit. A proper pace could see her explode into life, something her clinical trainer is destined to do with a British audience before long.
Race analysis by Robbie Wilders

Could be a Beautiful day

Life Is Beautiful aims to give a timely form boost to the chances of Falakeyah in Friday’s Coronation Stakes when she lines up in the Ribblesdale with the assistance of Tom Marquand in the saddle for the first time.

The flashy chestnut heads a trio of hopefuls from the John and Thady Gosden yard, who won what some call the ‘Ascot Oaks’ with Loving Dream as recently as 2021, while the stable also claimed the Ribblesdale in 2008, 2017, 2019 and 2020 and share the race record with Aidan O'Brien, Saeed bin Suroor, Sir Henry Cecil and John Dunlop.

The team also fields Oaks also ran Go Go Boots and recent Southwell novice winner Understudy.

Joint-trainer Thady Gosden said: “Life Is Beautiful ran a very good trial for this in the Pretty Polly Stakes at Newmarket when second behind a proper filly who is running in the Coronation Stakes on Friday. Her pedigree suggests she will be effective at a mile and a half.”

On the others, he added: “Go Go Boots didn’t have a hard race in the Oaks at Epsom last time where the easy ground did not suit her. She’s come out of that in very good form which has given us encouragement to run her gain and the trip and ground should play to her strengths.”

Last but not least is Understudy, and Thady Gosden said: "She won very well on her latest start at Southwell and while this is a jump in class, she's a very progressive filly who should stay very well."

O'Brien mob-handed

Aidan O'Brien also bids for the outright Ribblesdale record with a team of horses, headed by Ryan Moore's mount Garden Of Eden.

She is the only last-time-out winner of the three Ballydoyle fillies, keeping on to win a Listed race at race over ten and a half furlongs. It offered encouragement for this further step up in trip, although this is a step up in class too.

O'Brien said: "We think the extra two furlongs will suit Garden Of Eden. She seems to improve every time we step her up in trip."

Garden Of Eden: Ballydoyle contenderCredit: Patrick McCann (racingpost.com/photos)

Moore was not on Garden Of Eden on that occasion, with Ben Coen deputising, but the royal meeting's leading rider was on Ecstatic at Newbury last time. She is the mount of Wayne Lordan this time, while Dylan Browne McMonagle is on Island Hopping

O'Brien added: "Ryan [Moore] just thought the race at Newbury was a non-event the last day for Ecstatic, she just never really got a run. She's up in trip, too, and it could suit. Island Hopping is a solid filly who seems in good form."

What they say

Paddy Twomey, trainer of Catalina Delcarpio
She seems to have been in good form since Navan. She's had only two starts and we think she's progressing nicely.

Henry de Bromhead, trainer of Hollys Graces
I've always thought quite a bit of her and we're going to give the mile and a half a go. She's nice and I'm looking forward to seeing how she gets on.

Richard Brown, racing adviser for Wathnan Racing, owner of Lady Vivian
She’s a very nice filly for the future, although this might be a little much for her at this stage of her career. We think she’s got a lot of class and she’s going to learn a lot from this experience.
Reporting by David Milnes

Read our Thursday previews:

2.30 at Royal Ascot: Can Charles Darwin buck the trend for losing favourites and prove another juvenile star for Aidan O'Brien in the Norfolk? 

3.05 at Royal Ascot: This King George is made for a William Haggas hope - will another well-fancied Aidan O'Brien contender miss out? 

4.20 at Royal Ascot: The Gold Cup is the supreme test of stamina but who is bred to stay in an era when pedigrees are chock full of speed? 

5.00 at Royal Ascot: 'La Botte has the right profile and could find even more improvement at a mile' - expert analysis for straight mile cavalry charge 

5.35 at Royal Ascot: 'This field is stacked with quality' - class looks to be to the fore in above-average Hampton Court 

6.10 at Royal Ascot: Can cheekpieces spark revival for 'crazily short-priced' English Oak in bid for another Buckingham Palace win? 

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