Falmouth date enters Sly’s thinking for Astral Beau

Trainer could make ‘extreme’ move to Group One level.

Pam Sly will consider an ambitious tilt at the Falmouth Stakes with Astral Beau after her stable star went down fighting at Epsom last week.

The four-year-old was rated in the mid-70s at this stage of last season, but has taken her game to another level this term, putting together three excellent runs.

After blowing her rivals away when landing a heavy ground Doncaster Mile on her April reappearance, Astral Beau proved that performance was no fluke when third in the Group Two Dahlia Stakes at Newmarket on Guineas weekend.

She encountered much quicker conditions in the Group Three Princess Elizabeth Stakes on Saturday, but again performed with great credit to finish third, beaten just three-quarters of a length by the Frankie Dettori-ridden Prosperous Voyage.

Sly has not yet made any firm plans, but raised a step up to Group One level in Newmarket’s Falmouth Stakes on July 14 as a possibility.

“For us, she’s a diamond,” said Sly.

Pam Sly at Doncaster
Pam Sly at Doncaster (Nigel French/PA)

“We were well pleased with the run because the ground was pretty quick for her and I couldn’t understand it when the handicapper dropped her 2lb on Tuesday.

“There’s nothing for her really this month, so we’ve either got a Listed race at Pontefract (Pipalong Stakes, July 11) or we could be absolutely extreme and go for the Falmouth. That would be extreme, but there might be hellish thunderstorms or something at that time of the year, so we’ll see.

“We’re very pleased with her, she’ll have a couple of weeks out in the paddock now and we’ve got one or two Group races between now and September we might be able to have a go at. If we can keep picking up a bit of black type, it will be good.”

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