'There was nothing of her in December but she's put on weight and condition'

Nearly 30 years after User Friendly's memorable Oaks success the Gredley team are lining up for another cut at the fillies' Classic on Friday, this time with the progressive Roger Varian-trained Save A Forest.

The daughter of Kingman has made steady improvement through five career starts, with a close second to Sherbet Lemon in the Lingfield Oaks Trial last time easily her best effort to date.

Despite being out of a speed influence in the Banstead Manor Stud supersire, owner-breeder Tim Gredley is confident the filly will relish every yard of the mile and a half at Epsom – and possibly even further in time.

He says: "If we didn't think she'd have a chance of getting in the top three or four then we wouldn't be running. Speaking to the jockey [Callum Shepherd] and Roger, the further she goes up in trip the more improvement there'll be with her. Obviously that's a positive.

"She's in really good form – there was nothing of her in December, but she's put on a lot of weight and a lot of condition. We're realists and she's an outsider for a reason, but everything seems positive and we're hopeful.

"We've got no worries she'll stay the trip, if anything the worry is the race could be a bit sharp for her early doors, but you find out only by racing them."

Varian, who has a strong hand in the race through Shadwell homebred Zeyaadah and Ali Saeed's Teona, agreed that Save A Forest is most definitely going the right way.

“She's taken a giant step forward after each start of her career and I'd anticipate another good step forward from Lingfield," he says. "Even if you look at her Windsor handicap win, I think the second has since won by six or seven lengths so the form looks quite solid.

Save A Forest (yellow): fast-finishing second to Sherbet Lemon at LingfieldCredit: Getty Images

“I thought she was going to win at Lingfield most of the way up the straight as it looked like she had the field covered. She just hit one of Lingfield’s ridges about a furlong from home which just threw her offside and perhaps stopped her winning."

He continues: “She's an interesting filly – she's very laid-back at home and doesn’t give us any clues or anything away in her homework. But I love any animals, fillies or colts, who take a step forward with each run.

"The exciting thing about her is that you don’t know when she'll reach her ceiling. However she runs in the Oaks, I can almost guarantee it will be a good deal better than at Lingfield as that is the pattern of her progress. It wouldn’t surprise me at all to see her run a nice race."

Despite being by Kingman, it was perhaps no great surprise to see Save A Forest enjoy the step up to near enough the full Oaks distance at Lingfield.

Her dam, the unraced Galileo mare Bark, is a full-sister to Beyond Conceit, the winner of the Great Metropolitan Handicap at Epsom over a mile and a half for Andrew Balding and later second in the Grade 1 Sefton Novices' Hurdle over three miles for Nicky Henderson.

Gredley says: "We've had three foals from Bark, the first ended up going jumping and that was by Zoffany. Father Of Jazz is a full-brother and looks like he's going to need a trip; he's going to go to Ascot for a mile and a quarter race there.

"Bark's a fantastic mother, I'm just looking out of the window at her as we speak and she's got a very nice Iffraaj foal on the floor and a Harry Angel yearling. She does stamp them, they're big horses and she gives plenty of size to them.

"She's by Galileo, so obviously has a nice page, and after Father Of Jazz and Save A Forest we've got the confidence to keep sending her to good stallions in the future."

A trip to Epsom is also the plan for the Gredleys themselves, who are keen to see their homebred in action after the past 15 months of racing mainly behind closed doors.

Tim confirms: "We're definitely going to go – we'll take any racing at the moment after the year we've had! – and the colours have got a bit of history with the race after User Friendly."

Pretty Pollyanna: Prix Morny winner is in foal to FrankelCredit: Patrick McCann (racingpost.com/photos)

Gredley also reported the team's most recent superstar, the Prix Morny and Duchess of Cambridge winner Pretty Pollyanna, to be in fine form after a date with another Juddmonte luminary, Frankel.

The daughter of Oasis Dream, who was also runner-up in the Irish 1,000 Guineas and third in the Fillies' Mile, has settled down to life as a broodmare and is currently enjoying the fine weather at Stetchworth and Middle Park Studs.

Gredley says: "She's in foal to Frankel and looks great. She's currently out with one of my old point-to-pointers who is keeping her company. She looks really happy and has taken everything really well this year so fingers crossed we get a nice offspring."

Overall it proved to be a straightforward foaling season for the leading Newmarket-based operation.

Gredley adds: "We're very lucky, we've got a guy called Giles St Lawrence who's in charge of the team and does a fantastic job. We've had every horse produce a healthy foal. I'm very aware it's not always like that, but we seem to have had a good year."

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