1000 Guineas Lake Victoria to Sparkle for Ballydoyle – CopyBet

Aidan O’Brien recently remarked that LAKE VICTORIA would improve for this comeback run, but the Ballydoyle supremo also confirmed that his Frankel filly requires very little in the way of stoking up at home to bring her A-game out.

That bodes well at the start of this Classic campaign, as does the fact that she stood plenty of racing as a two-year-old and made light of travelling.

She alternated between Ireland and Britain in her first four runs, twice visiting Newmarket and showcasing her effectiveness at the course both on fast and soft ground over 6f/7f.

She signed off with a stylish Breeders’ Cup win in America in November over this mile trip and should have lots more to come.

Arguably, there may not be much between her and Red Letter if the Ger Lyons runner gets a clear run, but Lake Victoria has twice beaten her fellow Frankel offspring and can do so again en route to 1000 Guineas glory.

The very obvious danger comes from Charlie Appleby’s Desert Flower, the Night Of Thunder filly arriving after a winter break that followed a flawless four-race winning juvenile season.

She, too, has handled Newmarket in pleasing fashion with three course wins, latterly when bolting up in the Fillies’ Mile in October by more than five lengths.

Stamina won the day for her in that autumn contest but the odds-on jolly wouldn’t want to get too far back mid-race on this first start of 2025. That said, she’s worthy of her slot atop the market.

For some value, with three places each-way, perhaps SIMMERING can leave behind her Fred Darling disappointment at Newbury last time.

The Too Darn Hot filly was joint-favourite for that Group 3 trial but her effort was short-lived when the race began in earnest and connections suggested post-race that she found the ground too fast and loose.

That result might be best forgiven and while she needs to banish it now and also step up, she was second behind Lake Victoria in the Moyglare Stud Stakes at the Curragh last season. The odds offered might be too dismissive for a filly that clearly has plenty of ability and enough big-race experience in her locker to handle this occasion on her second time tackling the mile trip.