UK Horse Racing Tips

FREE WIND connections were delighted with the three-year-old’s first overseas trip ahead of her appearance at Ascot in the British Champions Fillies and Mares Stakes in October.

The high-class filly boasted a record of two wins and a second this year ahead of her trip to Deauville, where she proved too good for her French opponents as well as the Charlie Appleby-trained Sayyida.

Sayyida finished half a length behind Save A Forest at Newmarket last time out, and the British-trained pair went into the race hopeful of following in the footsteps of last year’s winner, Wonderful Tonight, who is vying for favouritism for this year’s Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe.

And it was Free Wind, trained by John and Thady Gosden, who prevailed, winning by a length and a half from favourite Burgarita, who had previously been beaten only three-quarters of a length behind the Aidan O’Brien-trained Joan Of Arc when third in the Prix de Diane, reports UK Horse Racing Tips and UK Horse Bet.

Thady Gosden was keeping her options open for the daughter of Galileo ahead of British Champions Day, including looking at potentially testing her stamina at 1m6f later in the year.

She said: “She tries her heart out every time and has progressed well through the year. She was a close second in a Listed race at Newmarket last time and has improved again.

“Frankie (Dettori) gave her a brilliant ride and is on flying form, which always helps. She stays a mile and a half well and we definitely wouldn’t be afraid of stepping her up to a mile and six (furlongs) later on in the year. There’s races back here (Deauville) over a mile and a half and one at the end of the year over a mile and six, so we’ll speak to Mr Strawbridge (owner) and see what he wants to do.”

Her only defeat came at the hands of Golden Pass in the Aphrodite Fillies’ Stakes at Newmarket, but she bounced back at Deauville, and may welcome at least one more run before Ascot Champions Day, where she was cut to a general 16-1 (from 33s) for the Qipco British Champions Fillies & Mares Stakes. BBC Sport

The opposition at Ascot will be far better than anything she’s experienced before, with dual Oaks winner Snowfall and Tarnawa leading the betting.

Snowfall followed up her 16-length success at Epsom with an eight-and-a-half win in the Irish Oaks, the two classics following on from her win in the Musidora Stakes in May.

Aidan O’Brien’s three-year-old has enjoyed a remarkable campaign after effectively flunking her two-year-old season. A run of one win in her first seven starts culminated in an eighth-placed finish in the bet365 Fillies mile at Newmarket in October last year – she went off at 50/1 finishing 12 lengths behind the winner, the Joseph O’Brien-trained Pretty Gorgeous,

But Aidan O’Brien refused to give up and seven months later she won the Group Three Musidora, before back-to-back Oaks wins in England and Ireland.

As well as Snowfall, Aidan O’Brien has entered Love and Joan of Arc in the British Champions Fillies & Mares Stakes, with the English challenge led by Wonderful Tonight and Alpanista. Wonderful Tonight’s campaign has been aimed at the Arc, and whether she lines up for the Ascot event will depend on how much her efforts at Longchamp take out of her.

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