Queen Of Ipanema bidding to continue winning streak at Lingfield

Winter Oaks is supplemented by fascinating novice contest.

Queen Of Ipanema bids to continue her remarkable rise through the ranks by claiming a sixth successive victory in the talkSPORT Winter Oaks Trial at Lingfield on Saturday.

Following three fairly inauspicious efforts in novice company in September, George Boughey’s filly was given a mark of just 52 for her handicap debut at Wolverhampton the following month.

Aided by a first-time tongue-tie, the daughter of Teofilo won as she liked at Dunstall Park and has added two more victories at Wolverhampton, as well as triumphs at Newcastle and Chelmsford, to her CV.

A 3lb hike for her latest success sees her line up for this GBP 45,000 handicap off a revised figure of 83 – but with champion jockey William Buick aboard, Boughey is anticipating another bold bid.

He said: “She’s probably exceeded what I thought she could do. She’s never been a great work horse, but seems to turn up on the track.

“I think going back to 10 furlongs should suit her. She’s been busy and you never really know how they’re going to keep going, but she’s a filly in form and it looks the right race for her.

“I wouldn’t swap her for any other horse in the race and the long-term target has to be the Winter Oaks, I’d say.

“William won on her the last day and the one thing he said was to bring her back to 10 furlongs. She’s a winner over 10 and 12 and if she turns up she should be hard to beat.”

James Fanshawe’s Viola won the race last season when it was held at Southwell and returns to defend her crown under top-weight.

The William Haggas-trained Sea Tsarina, Henry Spiller’s Tahasun and Tequilamockingbird, trained by Charlie Fellowes, have all won at Lingfield before, with the latter two from two at the Surrey circuit.

“Tequilamockingbird is very easy to train. She is a light-framed filly and I don’t even have to gallop her at home,” said Fellowes.

“She is unbeaten over the course and distance, which is always encouraging at a track like Lingfield, and the form of her win the other day is working out nicely.

“If you look through the race, there are a few fillies who may not be quite racing over their optimum trips, whereas these are optimum conditions for our filly. We are really positive about her chances.

“She was down to be sold but her owner (Chris Wright) kept her in training purely to have a go at this race and the Winter Oaks in January. I think it is encouraging because these races with good prize-money were put on for exactly this reason.”

The Lingfield card also features an interesting novice contest in the shape of the one-mile talkSPORT Powered By Fans EBF Novice Stakes.

The field includes a mix of debutants and more experienced two-year-olds, some of whom have eyecatching pedigrees and blue-blooded parentage.

John and Thady Gosden have two representatives, with Qatar Racing’s Queen Regent and the Juddmonte-owned Ziryab both in contention.

Queen Regent is a Roaring Lion filly out of an unraced Rainbow Quest mare who has produced three Pattern-race winners already, while Ziryab is a son of Kingman out of Listed-winning Frankel mare Reem.

“They’re two smartly-bred horses. They’re both running for the first time and we hope they have a good experience,” said Thady Gosden.

There are also well-known names on the page of Simon and Ed Crisford’s Wigmore Street, who runs in the colours of Michael Tabor.

The colt is by US superstar American Pharoah and out of a Todd Pletcher trained mare named Marylebone, a Grade One Matron Stakes winner at Belmont Park who has produced two black-type performers so far.

“He’s very well-bred, he’s got a pedigree and he’s a nice horse,” said Ed Crisford.

“He was due to run on Thursday night at Chelmsford and that was cancelled, so he’s in on Saturday.

“The track could be a bit sharp for him but we’ve got to get all these two-years-olds out now.”

Ed Walker introduces a well-bred newcomer at Lingfield
Ed Walker introduces a well-bred newcomer at Lingfield (Bill Selwyn/PA)

Ed Walker’s Waipiro is another who carries a notable bloodline, with his half-brother being the Hong Kong Group One winner Waikuku.

Campaigned over both a mile and seven furlongs, Waikuku has triumphed twice in the Stewards’ Cup in Hong Kong and was also the winner of the 2021 Queen’s Silver Jubilee Cup.

“He’s a well-bred horse, very immature and backward, but ready to make a debut,” said Walker.

“He was going to run at Newcastle (last weekend), but that got abandoned. I think he could make into a nice little middle-distance horse next year.

“We’re hoping for a nice run but novices are still very hot at this time of year. He’d have to run to a high level to be in the frame, but I wouldn’t rule it out.”

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