Saffron Beach booked for Breeders’ Cup challenge

Filly & Mare Turf aim for dual Group One scorer.

Saffron Beach will head to the Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf after pleasing Jane Chapple-Hyam in her most recent piece of work.

Winner of last year’s Sun Chariot at Newmarket, she earned a second Group One prize when landing the Prix Rothschild at Deauville in August.

Runner-up to Pearls Galore in the Matron at Leopardstown last month, hopes were high she could win the Sun Chariot for a second successive year. However, she ran flat behind Fonteyn and subsequently scoped dirty.

Owned by Ben and Lucy Sangster and their son Ollie – who is soon to join the training ranks – in conjunction with James Wigan, the four-year-old mare has made a full recovery and has been given the green light to run in the extended nine-furlong contest, which could be her swansong.

Although she holds an entry in the Hong Kong Mile, Saffron Beach is also set to be sold and is guaranteed to be a popular broodmare once her career ends.

Chapple-Hyam said: “She is fine and galloped good at Chelmsford on Tuesday. She went about seven furlongs with William Buick on board.

“She is going to run in the Filly & Mare over about nine and a half (furlongs).

“She scoped dirty after Newmarket and needed a bit of time, like humans, a course of antibiotics and a bit of doctoring, and she has come good.

“She has an entry for Hong Kong, but she has got the sales at Tattersalls – the December Mares’ Sale – and it all depends on whether the new purchaser will want to run her in the Hong Kong Mile or whether they would want her with me or another trainer.

“Some people have their own trainer, you never know.

“If a stud farm got her, I would imagine she will go straight to stud, but if there was a racing partnership and stud got her, they might want to see her run in their colours at Sha Tin. You just never know.

“At least you know she will get fantastic stallions for the rest of her career and go to a fantastic stud farm and be very well looked after. It is great to know that going forward. She will get lovely accommodation.

“In the meantime, we will start to make arrangements for Keeneland.”

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