JenningsBet Sweet Solera Stakes |
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| Group 3, Newmarket 15:40 £60,000 guaranteed, 2yo only, 7f, Class 1  |
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1 Lake Victoria 11/8F
2 Mountain Breeze 2/1
2
Elsie's Ruan 12/1
7 ran Distances: 2l, 1l, hd
Time: 1m 25.69s (slow by 2.39s)
Lake Victoria looks a smart filly and makes it two from two, making all under @LeveySean in the Group 3 JenningsBet Sweet Solera Stakes for Aidan O'Brien ✅ pic.twitter.com/B5mFOgiLMp
— Newmarket Racecourse (@NewmarketRace) August 10, 2024
This Group Three race had been missing from Aidan O’Brien’s achievements until the 11/8 favourite showcased her potential at Newmarket’s July course, hinting at even greater things to come.
With Ryan Moore unavailable due to commitments at the Curragh, former Ballydoyle apprentice Sean Levey took the reins on the talented daughter of Frankel, who is out of Commonwealth Cup winner Quiet Reflection.
Despite being keen from the start, Levey allowed the market leader to take the lead. Lake Victoria continued to travel strongly into the final quarter-mile, demonstrating her class by finishing two lengths ahead of Charlie Appleby’s 2/1 second-favourite, Mountain Breeze.
Gemma Tutty’s York winner, Elsie’s Ruan, finished a length further back in third, performing admirably on just her second start.
Levey was impressed with his mount and said: “She’s not short of speed, but at the same time she stayed that seven (furlongs) strong I thought. Just looking at the screen going across the line and just catching a glimpse of her, she looked and felt decent to be fair. I think she will be a nice filly.”
O’Brien appears blessed with some talented fillies this year with both Bedtime Story and Fairy Godmother high in the betting for next season’s Classics, but Lake Victoria is well worth her place in the discussion, with Paddy Power going 12/1 from 16s for next year’s Betfred 1000 Guineas and 20/1 from 25s for the Oaks.
Levey continued: “She’s a quality filly and on the back of that, it’ll be interesting to see what they do next. She’s a strong filly with plenty of scope and there’s no doubt she will improve. There’s plenty of speed in the pedigree and on the back of that I think there will be plenty of options “If you look at the pedigrees throughout today alone, at the Curragh and also here, they’re very good pedigrees, very nice horses and she’s obviously up there with the rest of them.”
Levey has starred this season aboard crack miler Rosallion, but was thrilled for the chance to revisit his early days and ride for O’Brien on the big stage, registering his biggest UK success in the famous Coolmore silks of Michael Tabor.
Levey added: “It’s been a long time since I rode a winner in these silks and it’s nice to have them back on – they make me look younger when I look at my reflection. I was very privileged and they were very good to me when I was apprenticed to them and I’ve had a good time of things since I moved over here. I’ve always stepped in for the odd spare here and there, but it’s nice to be given the opportunity to ride a good horse like that and win a nice race for them again.”
Sweet Solera Stakes
£60,000 guaranteed, 2yo only, 7f, Class 1
7 ran
Going: Good to Firm
POS. (DRAW) DIST HORSE AGE TRAINER JOCKEY SP
1 (6) Lake Victoria 2 9-2 A P O'Brien Sean Levey 11/8F
2 (3) 2 Mountain Breeze 2 9-2 Charlie Appleby Pat Dobbs 2/1
3 (4) 1 Elsie's Ruan 2 9-2 Gemma Tutty Robert Havlin 12/1
4 (2) hd Flaming Stone 2 9-2 Andrew Balding Oisin Murphy 6/1
5 (7) 2½ Liberalised 2 9-2 K R Burke Daniel Tudhope 14/1
6 (1) 13 Angelica Bay 2 9-2 Ollie Sangster Kevin Stott 100/1
7 (5) 5 Dream Voyage 2 9-2 Hugo Palmer Rossa Ryan 20/1
