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UK: Unbeaten Fillies Go For The Guineas

Godolphin landed last year's Qipco 1000 Guineas at Newmarket with Blue Bunting and have two unbeaten strings to their bow as they bid for a follow up on Sunday.

Both Lyric Of Light and Discourse put unbeaten records on the line for trainer Mahmood Al Zarooni in the fillies classic.

Frankie Dettori rides Fillies' Mile heroine Lyric Of Light.

Al Zarooni said: "She won a Group One last year and proved she's a nice filly. She worked on the Rowley Mile (at the Craven meeting) and she worked very nicely."

"I'm very happy with her and she is a very nice mover. She's professional and she has a good kick and a good turn of foot.

"In her last piece of work, when Frankie asked her to go past her lead horse, she didn't want to do it, so you have to force her and then she does it. She wants something in front of her to chase."

Discourse has yet to be tested at the highest level, but oozed class when winning the Sweet Solera Stakes on Newmarket's July course last August.

An injury soon after curtailed her season, but Al Zarooni has been pleased with her preparation even though he believes she will be more effective over a longer trip.

"She had a knee problem. It was not a big injury but because she is a nice filly we decided to sit back with her and leave her for this year," he said.

"I think she's a mile-and-a-half filly. For me, she is more of an Oaks filly than a Guineas filly. But we're going to run her in the Guineas and she showed a good turn of foot when winning her Group Three well.

"We have never tried her on ground on the soft side, but I think she will go on it."

Trainer Ralph Beckett is hoping for rain-softened conditions at Newmarket after making the decision to add Moonstone Magic to the Guineas field on Monday.

His main worry is that his filly will be having her third run since mid-April, having landed her debut race at Leicester and followed up in the Fred Darling at Newbury.

"I'm very happy with her and I'm very glad about where we are at the moment. The only concern I have is that it's her third run in three weeks, but she seems in good shape at home," said the trainer.

"As things stand with the ground and with how the filly seems in herself, I'm very happy.

"We're going into it with our eyes wide open."

Mashoora was a very cosy winner of the Prix Imprudence on her seasonal reappearance and Jean-Claude Rouget is just hoping the mile of the Guineas does not prove beyond her stamina limitations.

The French trainer said: "She ran quite well over a mile last October . I think she could be better over seven furlongs, but we have to try a mile.

"She has been in good form since the race and we will see what the opposition is made of."

The Fugue was a ready winner on her debut at Newmarket in late October and John Gosden's stable jockey William Buick has chosen to ride her instead of Starscope.

Starscope has had a run this season, when beaten just a length in the Nell Gwyn Stakes.


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