Harrington sets out Coronation Stakes goal for Discoveries

Filly head to Royal Ascot in search of a family hat-trick.

Discoveries has been set the task of emulating her relatives, with Jessica Harrington pointing towards the Coronation Stakes at Royal Ascot for her next outing.

Both sister Alpha Centuri and half-sister Alpine Star have won the mile Group One for owners the Niarchos Family in the past and Discoveries is set to skip the Irish 1,000 Guineas to try to continue the family’s fine record in the race.

Harrington said: “The plan is to go to Ascot to get the three fillies to win the Coronation Stakes. We’ll train her for that, there’s lots of races for her, they have just come a bit close together.”

The daughter of Mastercraftsman was a Group One scorer last year when finishing her two-year-old season by winning the Moyglare Stud Stakes at the Curragh, but could only finish seventh when reappearing in the 1000 Guineas at Newmarket.

However, Harrington suggests the ground was a touch on the quick side for that reappearance run and Discoveries has done everything right in her homework since.

She continued: “She’s grand, we’re very happy with her. Maybe the ground was a bit fast for her at Newmarket.”

Curragh Races – Friday August 27
Magical Lagoon, here ridden by Shane Foley at the Curragh, is set to run in the Ribblesdale Stakes at Royal Ascot (Brian Lawless/PA)

Royal Ascot is also on the agenda for Harrington’s Magical Lagoon, with the handler resisting the temptation to go to Epsom for the Oaks, giving the daughter of Galileo the target of the Ribblesdale Stakes instead, before bidding for Classic glory on home soil later in the summer.

A 305,000 guineas buy as a yearling, she was denied by just a short head behind Concert Hall in the Listed Salsabil Stakes on her reappearance and saw the form of that Navan contest boosted when the fourth, Tranquil Lady, romped to an impressive victory in a Naas Group Three recently.

“She’s not going to go to Epsom, she’s going to go straight to the Ribblesdale and then onto the Irish Oaks. The form of her Navan run got a great boost at Naas,” said Harrington.

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