Hills ready with fillies
Monday 14th April, 2008
Spinning Lucy - stepped up for Group 3 on Wednesday
Lambourn trainer Barry Hills is set to unleash stanjamesuk.com 1000 Guineas hopefuls Spinning Lucy and Royal Confidence at Newmarket on Wednesday, April 16.
Spinning Lucy makes her seasonal bow in the £50,000 Group 3 Leslie Harrison Memorial Nell Gwyn Stakes (3.45pm). The seven-furlong contest is one of the premier Classic trials and was won in 2006 by Speciosa en route to glory in the stanjamesuk.com 1000 Guineas.
The Spinning World filly is held in high regard at Wetherdown House and convincingly landed the Listed EBF Bosra Sham Stakes over six furlongs of The NatWest Rowley Mile on November 2, her most recent outing.
Hills’ son and assistant, Charlie Hills, revealed this morning: "Michael (Hills) came in the other morning and sat on Spinning Lucy and he was happy. She has wintered well and looks good in her skin.
"She had a niggly problem early last season so she missed the middle part, but then once she had gained experience from a couple of runs, she really started to find her feet and did very well, winning twice at the back end. We have always thought quite a lot of her.”
Hills is aiming Royal Confidence at the £30,000 Listed Making Betting Better On Newmarket High Street European Free Handicap (3.10pm), when she will face colts for the first time, including stable-mate Nacho Libre.
The Royal Applause filly, who carries 8st 13lb in the race, won a competitive Doncaster nursery in September before posting two fine efforts in Group company.
Hills reported: "We are happy with the way Royal Confidence has wintered. She probably would not want the ground too soft, but it should be perfect at Newmarket. Seven furlongs is not a problem and we will have to just find out whether she stays a mile. We will see how she gets on this week and take it from there."
By Racenews