Racing Centre

Vaughan targeting further success with Medicea Sidera

ED VAUGHAN is hoping Medicea Sidera can maintain the flying form of his string when she contests the Newmarket Nights Fillies’ handicap (8.05) this Friday.

The Newmarket-based trainer has his horses in great nick with Noisy Silence providing him with a sixth success from just his last 18 runners on Monday night at Windsor.

The win was Vaughan’s 12^th of a solid season and Medicea Sidera will be vying to add to that tally on what is the final evening fixture on the July Course in 2007.

The daughter of Medicean is already familiar with the terrain. She ran well to finish sixth in a very competitive fillies’ handicap during the Ritz Club July meeting.

Vaughan’s charge then returned to the track to register a first career win, scoring by a neck from Plucky in a seven-furlong maiden.

Back over course and distance for her latest assignment, Medicea Sidera is expected to once again perform with credit in a 12-runner contest.

Vaughan said: “She has been a model of consistency all season. It is her first time taking on the older fillies and she has been raised 2lb for her win. But her homework has been as good as it was before her previous runs. I’m expecting her to run a big race.

“As far as the ground goes, the faster the better for her. I probably would not run her in soft ground but it is unlikely that we’ll have such conditions on Friday.”

Vaughan added: “I’m delighted that the horses have been winning recently but they have been running consistently well all year. As well as the winners, we’ve also had a lot of placed horses.”

The six-race card starts off at 5.25 with the first of two juvenile maidens, which look sure to throw up a host of future winners.

The richest event on the card is the NGK Spark Plug conditions race in which five horses will be targeted at the £11,217 first prize. Godolphin have won the last two renewals with Perfectperformance (2006) and Centaurus (2005) successful and their representative this year is Familiar Territory, second at Ascot last time.

After racing concludes, the enduringly popular band Wet Wet Wet will bring down the curtain on another very successful Newmarket Nights series.

By Tony Rushmer