Six 2-year-old fillies will be bidding for their first group I success when they line up for the Meon Valley Stud Fillies Mile (Eng-I) at Newmarket on Saturday. The favorite is likely to be Nasheej, a daughter of Swain. The filly has won three of four career starts, with her most recent being a victory in the one-mile May Hill Stakes (Eng-II) at Doncaster on Sept. 8. Nasheej hails from a splendid female family that has produced Seattle Slew, Lomond, and Seattle Dancer. Richard Hughes has the mount.High Heeled Sneakers finished second to Nasheej in the May Hill Stakes and will attempt another crack at her rival. The daughter of Dansili is trained by Paul Cole and will be piloted by Jamie Spencer.
Nannina won the Prestige Stakes (Eng-III) over seven furlongs last time out. Her trainer is John Gosden, who also trained Playful Act, winner of this race in 2004. Jimmy Fortune will ride her. Aidan O'Brien will try to take a massive leap in class with Alexandrova. This filly was an impressive maiden winner last time out. She is by Sadler's Wells and is a half-sister to group I winner Magical Romance.Another stylish maiden winner, Cross Channel, helps make the field a tough one. She is a daughter of
Ouija Board was given the go-ahead to run in the Princess Royal John Doyle Stakes (Eng-III) on Saturday. The stakes race is slated as the opener at Newmarket, and it should get the day off to an exciting start. This will be the champion filly's first start since June, when she suffered a stress fracture during the running of the Prince of Wales's Stakes (Eng-I).Trainer Ed Dunlop has been pleased with his star's training and plans to use this race as a prep for another crack at the Emirates Airline Filly & Mare Turf (gr. IT) at Belmont Park in October.
