Henry Cecil can underline his knack with fillies by landing the Princess Royal Stakes at Ascot with Silver Rhapsody today. The nine-time champion trainer has no equal when it comes to the equine fairer sex, as a record of five wins each in the 1,000 Guineas and Oaks illustrates.
So the fact that he considers Silver Rhapsody good enough to tackle this Group Three contest on her first start for three months is a tip in itself.
Cecil clearly holds her in high regard and has been content to give the three-year-old plenty of time to learn her job.
Raced just once as a two-year-old, the filly showed fine battling qualities to make a winning reappearance in a maiden at Newmarket in June.
She then justified her trainer's high opinion of her by taking a significant step up in class in her stride, finishing an excellent third behind stable-companion Catchascatchcan in the Lancashire Oaks at Haydock.
That is good form - the winner followed up in the Yorkshire Oaks and fourth-placed Leggera was second in the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe last weekend.
Silver Rhapsody is open to any amount of improvement, particularly as she now gets her first chance to race on the soft surface which her round action suggests will suit her.
Retiring trainer Lynda Ramsden can make a winning farewell to Ascot by landing the Willmott Dixon Handicap with Mungo Park.
Her sprinter has won four races this season and appears still to be in fine heart judged on a good effort from a moderate draw at Nottingham last time out.
Picking winners at York will be incredibly tough, with no fewer than 135 runners declared on a card featuring four ultra-competitive handicaps.
But Double Brandy could well carry Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother's, colours to victory in the Coral Sprint Trophy Handicap.
The three-year-old looked a sprinter of some potential when beating Masha-Il - a useful winner himself since - at Newbury in May and he seemed not to stay seven furlongs on his only subsequent start.
Present Chance is a potentially interesting contender for the seven-furlong Constant Security Handicap.
He has been doing his best work at the finish in races over shorter trips of late and will be well suited by this longer distance.
And the booking of Jimmy Fortune is very encouraging for a horse who has looked a difficult ride on occasions.
Brian Meehan's Gipsy Moth (Michael Tebbutt) ran a fair second in the 16,892 pounds Listed Dortmunder Fliegerpreis (5f) at Dortmund yesterday The raider ran on well but was unable to peg back the Norwegian Windmachine, in the German sprint.
