The DFS Park Hill Stakes, the Group Two feature at Doncaster on Thursday, is - appropriately for DFS Ladies Day - restricted to fillies and mares and is the world's most historic and important distaff-only staying race.
Photo by Racing and Sports
Founded in 1839, it is run over the St Leger course of an extended mile and three-quarters and has been popularly referred to as "the fillies' St Leger". The epithet has always been slightly erroneous, though, given that fillies are eligible for the St Leger and is even less applicable since the race was opened to horses older than three, in addition to the Classic generation, in 1990.
The inaugural running went to Mickleton Maid, the first of seven winners of the race trained by John Scott, a numerical record matched only by Sir Noel Murless. The current winning-most trainer is Sir Henry Cecil, with five wins from Royal Hive (1977), Madame Dubois (1990), Patricia (1991), Coigach (1994) and Eva Luna (1991).
The best winner has been Pretty Polly in 1904, two days after winning the St Leger itself. Her previous victories had included the 1,000 Guineas and Oaks and her starting price of 1/25 made her the shortest-priced winner of the Park Hill Stakes. None has scored at a longer price than Collyria, trained by Murless and ridden by Eph Smith, at 33/1 in 1959.
Nine have been declared for this year's race, with the likely favourite Wild Coco, Sir Henry Cecil's representative. The lightly-raced four-year-old has yet to contest a Group Two contest, but warmed up in fine style at Goodwood last month with a wide-margin victory in the mile-and-three-quarter Ishares Fillies' Stakes, her first Group Three success. Wild Coco, a daughter of Shirocco, runs for her breeders, Gestut Rottgen.
Her market rival is likely to be Estimate, the highest-rated of the seven three-year-olds in the field. The Monsun filly was three lengths third to Wild Coco at Goodwood, but is likely to be better suited by the greater test of stamina of the Park Hill Stakes, which is not only over a slightly longer distance but also over a more demanding course. Estimate, a half-sister to Ascot Gold Cup winner Enzeli, was bred by the Aga Khan but races in the Royal colours. The Queen has previously been successful in the Park Hill Stakes with Example in 1971 and with Almeria in 1957.
Estimate's trainer Sir Michael Stoute has won the race four times, with Niodini (1992), Delilah (1998), Hi Calypso (2007) and Allegretto (2008), and also runs Monshak. Another by Monsun, she won a mile-and-three-quarter handicap at Chester in July but refused to race behind St Leger candidate Guarantee at York last time out.
Ambivalent has yet to race beyond a mile and a half, but her pedigree suggests that she may cope with the step up in distance; she is a half-sister by Derby winner Authorized to Made In Japan, winner of the two-mile Triumph Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival. Darley-bred Ambivalent, who would be a first DFS Park Hill Stakes winner for trainer Roger Varian with his first runner, stayed on well to beat last year's Park Hill Stakes runner-up Set To Music at Newmarket last month.
The only filly in the field to have contested a Classic this year has been Kailani, seventh to Was in the Oaks after beating DFS Park Hill Stakes rival Hazel Lavery by seven lengths at Newmarket in May. She has since finished down the field in the Ribblesdale Stakes at Royal Ascot but, as another daughter of stamina influence Monsun, may be suited by the longer distance.
The sole Yorkshire-trained candidate is last year's fourth Cracking Lass, from the Richard Fahey stable. The Whipper five-year-old was third in a Listed contest at York last month on her seasonal reappearance.
