RACING:GER LYONS described the €14,000 it cost to supplement Lightening Pearl into Saturday's Jaguar Cars Cheveley Park Stakes at Newmarket as "the easiest call I've ever had to make" as the Co Meath-based trainer pursues a first Group One success.
Fifteen fillies remain in the six-furlong event after yesterday’s forfeit stage, including David Wachman’s Anglesey winner Fire Lily and the probable favourite Best Terms from Richard Hannon’s yard.
However, despite probable opposition that also includes a pair of Godolphin hopefuls, Lyons insists he wouldn’t swap his runner who ran out a hugely impressive five-length winner of the Group Three Round Tower Stakes at the Curragh on her last start. Before that she was third to Maybe in the Debutante Stakes.
“We actually decided to supplement her for the Cheveley Park about 30 seconds after she won the Round Tower. I’ve no doubt she is a seven-furlong-mile filly but she showed there she had no trouble dropping back to six,” Lyons said yesterday.
“The owners (Pearl Bloodstock) sponsor the race in France (Prix Marcel Boussac) on Arc day and if we’re lucky enough to win the Cheveley Park then she could go there. But I really want to avoid Maybe if at all possible so we’ve decided to put her in the Cheveley Park.
“I know Richard Hannon’s filly is very good but I’m looking at the 15 entries and I wouldn’t swap mine for anything else,” he added.
Johnny Murtagh will again team up with Lightening Pearl on Saturday and he was also in the plate for Lyons’s most significant success to date when Elletelle landed the Group Two Queen Mary at Royal Ascot in 2007.
Fire Lily also ran into Maybe on her last start in the Moyglare when runner-up to Aidan O’Brien’s classic favourite. Before that she was runner-up to Best Terms in the Lowther at York. Godolphin have two possibles in Cherry Hinton winner Gamilati, (Mahmood Al Zarooni) and Desert Gazelle (Saeed bin Suroor). Clive Brittain, successful with Sayyedati in 1992, is double-handed with Semayyel and Wahylah.
Horse Racing Ireland have confirmed that the fixture lost to waterlogging at Listowel on Saturday will be run instead this Friday.
It will be an all-National Hunt card with the exception of the fourteen furlong flat race for qualified riders.
