Hannon has high hopes for Cloak Of Spirits

Filly dips to Group Three company on Derby day.

Richard Hannon expects 1000 Guineas runner-up Cloak Of Spirits to prove tough to beat in the Princess Elizabeth Stakes at Epsom on Saturday.

The Invincible Spirit filly will make her first start outside of Group One company this season in the Group Three prize, which is sponsored by Investec.

Cloak Of Spirits failed to build on her second in the opening fillies’ Classic of the season at Newmarket when finding the soft ground against her in the Coronation Stakes at Royal Ascot on her most recent start.

Hannon, who claimed the race 12 months ago with Anna Nerium, said: “This is a nice opportunity for her to get some winning black type.

“She ran with credit in the Coronation Stakes. I don’t think the soft ground suited her and she was a little bit keen. Hopefully she is not as keen this time.

“She has been on the Rowley Mile so I don’t think the track will be a problem. She seems pretty adaptable in that sense and she is a good mover.

“She is probably the class act in the field – there are a few unexposed types in there, but they will have to be pretty good to beat her.”

Fooraat, seen winning at Chelmsford City, will bid to maintain her unbeaten record on her turf debut (Megan Ridgwell/PA Images)
Fooraat, seen winning at Chelmsford City, will bid to maintain her unbeaten record on her turf debut (Megan Ridgwell/PA Images)

Roger Varian hopes Fooraat can maintain her unbeaten record now switched to turf having scored under a penalty at Chelmsford last time out to add to her debut victory at Newcastle.

He said: “Fooraat is a nice filly. This is a tough track to have her first turf run on, but we are looking forward to running her and seeing how she goes.

“I gave her an entry in the Coronation Stakes, but I wasn’t sucked into running her there as I don’t think it would have been the right thing to do. This race looks right for her.

“I have a lot of respect for Cloak Of Spirits as she is the filly clear on ratings and was a good second in the 1000 Guineas, but the other fillies all look very similar.

“I don’t think it was much of a race she won at Chelmsford, but she still won it by seven lengths under a penalty. We do think she is a nice filly with a big future.”

Summer Romance finished down the field on her return in the 1000 Guineas, however her trainer Charlie Appleby is confident the Kingman filly will be more competitive eased in grade.

Appleby said: “She put up a pleasing performance in the 1000 Guineas. She has come out of that well and there is every chance she will come forward for it.

“She brings plenty of experience with her against some more lightly-raced fillies.

“The filly of James Tate’s (Under The Stars) that finished near us in the Guineas has come out and won at Haydock since, so I’d be disappointed if she is not competitive.”

Onassis, pink silks, will try and follow up her win in the Sandringham Stakes at Royal Ascot on her first start at pattern race level (Alan Crowhurst/PA Images)
Onassis, pink silks, will try and follow up her win in the Sandringham Stakes at Royal Ascot on her first start at pattern race level (Alan Crowhurst/PA Images)

Charlie Fellowes believes Onassis has plenty in her favour as she bids to give the Newmarket handler another day to remember having provided him with a second successive victory in the Sandringham Stakes at the Royal meeting.

Fellowes said: “She has got a lot to find on the ratings, but I think she has got a bit of a false rating because I think it took us a while to work out how she needed to be ridden.

“I think at Ascot, her and the runner-up were in a different league. She was really impressive. I believe she can step up again.

“She will like the track as she is well balanced. It’s a long run in and any rain will be fine, so she has lots in her favour.”

Safe Voyage will try and make his first outing at Epsom a winning one in the Investec Surrey Stakes (Simon Cooper/PA Images)
Safe Voyage will try and make his first outing at Epsom a winning one in the Investec Surrey Stakes (Simon Cooper/PA Images)

John Quinn expects Safe Voyage to make a bold bid to go one better than on his return at Haydock in the Listed Investec Surrey Stakes.

Quinn said: “I’m very happy with Safe Voyage and he is training well. I’m looking forward to running him.

“He has run well on good ground at the Curragh, so as long as it remains that he will be fine.

“We don’t know how he will handle Epsom until he has run there, but he is well balanced so he should be fine.

“His Haydock run has been given a boost by (winner and subsequent French Group Three scorer) Space Blues, so we are keeping our fingers crossed.”

Oh This Is Us will be having his third Epsom start after finishing second in the Diomed Stakes at the track 12 months ago and third in the 2017 renewal of the Group Three prize.

Hannon said: “He has been placed twice around Epsom before at a higher level and he deserves to win one round there.

“He still tries as hard as ever and I thought he ran with huge credit at Newmarket as I’m not quite sure he gets the mile there.

“He is in great form and has had a relatively light time of things. There are not many that have raced at his level for as long as he has. “

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Richard Hannon Epsom Princess Elizabeth Stakes

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