Aidan O’Brien: It’s Devotion for the Shadwell Fillies’ Mile now rather than Maybe
Aidan O’Brien, the top of the line trainer, is going through some decisions about his horses as far as the Shadwell Fillies’ Mile at Newmarket on Friday is concerned. Maybe, his unbeaten juvenile was his prior decision but now he has reconsidered and concluded
to send Devotion for the race rather than Maybe.
Devotion would be among the 83 entries for the Fillies’ Mile which is supposed to be held on the 23rd of September.
It is the first time that the event has been switched from Ascot. It is a Group 1 race for 2-year-old thoroughbred fillies over a distance of 1 mile.
Last year it was won by Saeed Bin Suroor’s White Moonstone, under jockey Frankie Dettori.
Devotion is 2-year-old, out of Dylan and Bright Bank, who has ran four times this season and ended up winning one of the races.
She won the Irish Stallion Farms European Breeders Fund 2Yo Maiden, a track set for five horses only.
Fourth in line, she tracked the leaders, started pushing and heading straight and found it a challenge to race through one furlong out but after constant struggle she led by 100 yards and maintained her speed to win the race.
Behind Devotion was Sophies Echo, trained by W McCreery, while Jemema's Pearl managed to finish third with G M Lyons.
The most recent race in which Devotion participated after breaking her maiden was Flame of Tara European Breeders Fund Stakes on 11th September.
She stood fourth in a field of six. Contesting from the same stable was the fifth place achiever, Soon, under C O’Donoghue.
Devotion settled in fifth as the race began and was ridden over in the approaching furlongs.
She faded in the face of competition but kept on with her speed. The winner of the race was P J Prendergast’s Coral wave with D P McDonogh onboard.
At the Shadwell, her potential competitors who will give her a hard time include Godolphin’s Lyric of Light and John Gosden’s Fallen For You, who has won at the May Hill Stakes at Doncaster quite impressively.
The decision of switching from Maybe to Devotion for this event must have been due to the later being more capable for the track. The result of the confidence and change of choice would be visible on the 23rd of September.
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