Usherette and Arabian Hope try for a first G1 victory in the Sun Chariot Stakes over a mile at Newmarket, UK, on Saturday.
Five-year-old Usherette (Andre Fabre/Mickael Barzalona) has already gained a major victory on Newmarket’s Rowley Mile course, having stayed on strongly to beat G1 winners Arabian Queen and Amazing Maria in the nine-furlong G2 Dahlia Stakes in May, 2016.
Usherette went on to readily capture the G2 Duke Of Cambridge Stakes at Royal Ascot the following month and the Shamardal mare, third in this year’s G1 Prix d’Ispahan, steps back up in class after a short-neck success in a mile Listed race at Maisons-Laffitte on September 5.
Andre Fabre said: “Usherette had a nice, confidence-boosting win last time out and we are looking forward to running her.
“Hopefully, she can perform well and we can look at taking her out to Del Mar for the Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf (G1, 9f, November 4) afterwards.”
Arabian Hope (Saeed bin Suroor/Jimmy Quinn) also heads into the Sun Chariot Stakes in winning form, with the three-year-old filly being the comfortable winner of the G3 Istanbul Trophy over a mile at Veliefendi, Turkey, on September 2.
The daughter of Distorted Humor ran an excellent race to finish third in the G1 Falmouth Stakes, run over a mile of Newmarket’s July course in July, and gained a brave head victory in a York Listed race over the same distance in June.
Saeed bin Suroor commented: “Arabian Hope is a very tough filly, who always tries her hardest in races.
“She is ready to go and I am looking forward to seeing her take on some very good fillies and mares.”
A field of 13 for the Sun Chariot Stakes, in which Arabian Hope is drawn two and Usherette nine, also includes dual G1 scorer Roly Poly, last season’s G1 Matron Stakes runner-up Persuasive and this year’s Duke Of Cambridge Stakes winner Qemah.
