1m Oaks Farm Stables Fillies’ Stakes (The Michael Seely Memorial Fillies’ Stakes) (Listed Race) (Class 1) (3yo)
It’s the final day of the Dante meeting and I like the look of a potentially high quality three-year-old fillies race at 14:25 with Grand Dame being well-fancied for the Dettori/Gosden team. This daughter of Lope De Vega put in a fairly eyecatching performance to defy inexperience on debut, but the form is hard to weigh-up and she is a very short price now stepping into a higher grade against relatively more experienced fillies.
Perfect News finished fourth in the Nell Gwynn behind the eventual 1000 Guineas winner, Cachet, and Perfect News has to be respected with six runs already under her belt and the best form on offer. Girl On Film could also be one to watch here as she looked impressive last season when winning her maiden. But she lacks race fitness and it could be worth siding with the thrice-raced maiden, FONTEYN for Andrea Atzeni.
Fonteyn has been steadily progressive on her first three starts where her form figures read 32-2. She ran far too green on her debut, but did well to eventually finish third as the penny dropped. Fonteyn got the idea much better on her second start but bumped in to a decent sort having set the pace.
During her first start of the season at Newmarket, Fonteyn ran an absolute cracker behind a horse called Cronelle, who went off favourite for the Group 2 Pretty Polly Stakes. Fonteyn broke well and set a very strong albeit even gallop. She raced freely but was gutsy at the finish and just got beaten.
As a front-runner Fonteyn could enjoy an uncontested lead and we have already seen front-runners do very well at this meeting this week. Fonteyn has a lot of potential to improve as a three-year-old, is well-bred by Farrh out of a Cape Cross Damsire and has race fitness on her side as well.
1pt win Fonteyn @7/1, 14:25 York, Friday