Ken Condon outlines Classic aims for star fillies

Alan Magee
April 15, 2021 9:15 am

Thunder Beauty heading to Newmarket, while Miss Amulet is bound for France.

Ken Condon is preparing both Thunder Beauty and Miss Amulet for tilts at Guineas glory – with Thunder Beauty heading to Newmarket and Miss Amulet bound for France.

Thunder Beauty made a big impression on her racecourse debut at the Curragh last summer before going on to finish fifth in the Moyglare Stud Stakes at the Curragh and seventh in the Prix Marcel Boussac in Paris.

The Night Of Thunder filly will be an outsider for the Qipco 1000 Guineas over the Rowley Mile on May 2, but Condon believes she could outrun her odds.

He said: “Thunder Beauty will go straight for the 1000 Guineas. She seems to be very well and is forward in her coat. Her fast work up to this point has gone very well. She’ll take her chance in Newmarket.

“She’s relatively lightly-raced. She won her maiden at the Curragh nicely and I thought she ran a lovely race in the Moyglare from an outside draw.

“I’d forgive her France. It was very bad ground and there was a bit of barging and scrimmaging in the straight. Billy (Lee) looked after her when her chance had gone.

“She’ll be a big price, but she’s by a nice sire and we’re happy with her.”

Stablemate Miss Amulet won three of her eight starts as a juvenile, including a notable Group Two success over Wednesday’s Nell Gwyn Stakes winner Sacred in the Lowther at York.

She rounded off her campaign with two excellent efforts in defeat – finishing second in the Cheveley Park Stakes at Newmarket and third at the Breeders’ Cup – and Condon views the French 1000 Guineas as a suitable target.

“Miss Amulet will hopefully start back in the French 1000 Guineas. She’ll go straight there on May 16,” the trainer added.

“She had a very good year last year and kept progressing. She finished off with a third in the Breeders’ Cup over a mile.

“Longchamp might be the most suitable place for her to run in a Classic. In future she may come back in trip.

“Hopefully she has trained on – you never really know until they run.

“She’s done well physically, she looks well and is training nicely. All the signs are pretty good. She’ll take her chance and we’ll make a plan after that.”

Two other three-year-olds Condon is looking forward to campaigning this season are Teresa Mendoza and Laws Of Indices.

Teresa Mendoza has not been seen since finishing 10th in the Moyglare in September, while Laws of Indices was not disgraced in finishing fifth on his reappearance in the 2,000 Guineas Trial at Leopardstown last weekend.

Condon said: “Teresa Mendoza is another nice filly and she will start back in the Polonia (Listed race) in Cork on May 7.

“She looks a pacey filly and disappointed in the Moyglare. She won her maiden first time up and ran very well behind New Treasure on very heavy ground in a Group Three at the Curragh.

“Hopefully she gets on a nice surface and it looks a nice race to start her back

“I was pleased with Laws Of Indices at Leopardstown. I thought he ran well carrying a penalty.

“There are a few people involved and a decision will have to be made whether to run him over six or seven furlongs. He can be a bit slowly away from stalls.

“He could go for the Lacken Stakes (six-furlong Group Three at Naas on May 16), or the Jersey at Royal Ascot is an option over seven.”

Of his two-year-old squad, the trainer added: “We’ll probably run the first of them next week. We have a good team of them and there is a Bated Breath filly and a Hot Streak that are ready to go.

“It’s still early days, but they are shaping up well.”