2012 Park Hill Stakes

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The Lark On Song in Park Hill Stakes
12/09/13

1 The Lark 15/8F
2 Phiz 14/1
3 Alta Lilea 9/1
NR: Bite Of The Cherry
9 ran Distances: 1¼l, 4l, 3¾l
TIME 3m 8.95s (slow by 4.95s)

On her favoured easy ground, 15/8 favourite The Lark bounced back to the form that brought her third place in the Oaks with an easy victory in the DFS Park Hill Stakes. The daughter of Pivotal, owned and bred by Lady Bamford, beat Phiz a length and a quarter in the Group Two contest, the pair four lengths clear of Alta Lilea.

The Lark
© Racehorse Photos

It was The Lark's first race since she finished fifth at Saint-Cloud in June, her only race since being beaten four and a half lengths by Ladbrokes St Leger candidate Talent at Epsom. "There's been nothing wrong with her," said trainer Michael Bell. "We've just been waiting for her ground, simple as that, and now she'll have an autumn campaign. There's the Prix de Royallieu on Arc day and the Filly and Mare race on Champions Day, and it will be either or both."

The Lark is out of Gull Wing, a half-sister to dual Oaks heroine Sariska, and is likely to remain in training next year. "The dam wasn't any good until she was four," added Bell, "and Lady Bamford loves to have a good horse in training, and has the whole family back at the stud."

Infamously, both Gull Wing and Sariska ended their careers by refusing to race, and The Lark has apparently shown some of their temperament. "She has a little of the family trait," said Bell, "but she's very talented."

The Lark, running beyond 12 furlongs for the first time, saw out the extended mile and three quarters with ease, barely off the bridle as she led inside the final furlong. "She's already proven her class," said rider Jamie Spencer, "and she had her ground."

Connections of 9/1 shot Alta Lilea are looking forward to next season after she finished third this afternoon.

The Mark Johnston-trained three-year-old came back after the race with superficial cuts to her hind legs after she clipped heels in the home straight with Seal Of Approval.

Deidre Johnston, wife of trainer Mark, was pleased with the filly following the race and thinks that she could be even better next season.

"We're delighted with that run as she's been placed in Listed company before but this was a Group Two and she's shown she is up to this level.

"Her back legs have come back with superficial cuts which must have happened in the melee in the home straight. It's probably not affected her that much but it's can't have helped either.

"We'll go back home and see how she is but we're all hoping she'll be a better horse with another winter on her back. She's very nice and we'll take our time with her."

DFS Park Hill Stakes
£90,000 added, 3yo plus, 1m 6f 132y, Class 1
9 ran
Going: Good to Soft

The DFS Park Hill Stakes, run over the same distance as the Ladbrokes St Leger, is sometimes referred to as the 'fillies' St Leger', though somewhat erroneously as of course fillies are eligible to run in the Classic. The Park Hill Stakes was established in 1839, 33 years after the St Leger.

The race, originally restricted to three-year-olds, was opened to older fillies and mares in 1991, in which year it was dropped to Group 3 level. It regained Group 2 status in 2004. Its shortest-priced winner has been the peerless Pretty Polly at 1/25 in 1904 and its longest Collyria at 33/1 in 1959.

Classic heroines rarely take part in the modern era. The latest of 11 to complete the Oaks-Park Hill Stakes double was Pia, who dead-heated with Pink Gem at Doncaster in 1967. In the past 20 years only three fillies placed in the Oaks have run in the Park Hill Stakes: Wind In Her Hair in 1994 (2nd Epsom, 4th Doncaster), All My Loving (3rd Epsom, 2nd Doncaster) and Meeznah, who finished second in the Oaks (later disqualified) in 2010 and third in the Park Hill Stakes as 2/1 favourite. She made amends by winning the Park Hill Stakes as a four-year-old.

In the 22 years of all-aged runners, three-year-olds hold the call with 12 winners. Friday's field of 10 is split equally between the Classic generation and their elders. The highest-rated of the runners and likely favourite is the Michael Bell-trained three-year-old The Lark, who finished four and a half lengths third to Ladbrokes St Leger candidate Talent in the Investec Oaks at Epsom, though since only fifth in a Group Two race at Saint-Cloud. The daughter of Pivotal has yet to run beyond 12 furlongs but has plenty of stamina in her pedigree; her dam, a winner over a mile and three-quarters, is a half-sister to Oaks winner Sariska and her great grand-dam Mountain Lodge won an Irish St Leger.

The 2012 edition, taken easily by Wild Coco, proved particularly strong in retrospect. The winner later made 985,000gns when sold at auction at the Tattersalls December Sales and holds entries in two of the weekend's Group One contests, the Prix Vermeille and Irish St Leger; third-placed Estimate won the Ascot Gold Cup in June, and fifth-placed Ambivalent also went on to Group One success that month, in the Pretty Polly Stakes at the Curragh, and finished a good second in the Bosphorus Cup in Turkey on September 8.

RECENT WINNERS
Year Horse Trainer Jockey Owner SP

2012 Wild Coco Sir Henry Cecil Tom Queally Gestut Rottgen 7/4 fav
2011 Meeznah David Lanigan Frankie Dettori Saif Ali & Saeed Altayer 5/2
2010 Eastern Aria Mark Johnston Frankie Dettori Sheikh Hamdan Bin Mohammed Al Maktoum 5/1
2009 The Miniver Rose Richard Hannon Pat Dobbs Julie Wood 28/1
2008 Allegretto Sir Michael Stoute Ryan Moore Cheveley Park Stud 7/4 fav
2007 Hi Calypso Sir Michael Stoute Ryan Moore Philip Newton 9/2
2006 Rising Cross John Best Martin Dwyer Gary Tanaka 16/1
2005 Sweet Stream John Hammond FR Thierry Gillet Team Valor 7/2 fav
2004 Echoes In Eternity Saeed bin Suroor Frankie Dettori Godolphin 5/1
2003 Discreet Brief John Dunlop Pat Eddery Sonia Rogers 8/1
2002 Alexander Three D Barry Hills Michael Hills Miriam O'Callaghan 7/4 fav
2001 Ranin Ed Dunlop Willie Supple Hamdan Al Maktoum 5/1
2000 Miletrian Mick Channon Craig Williams Miletrian Plc 10/1
1999 Mistle Song Clive Brittain Richard Quinn Saeed Manana 8/1