How do you see next year's Classics following the Futurity Trophy at Doncaster?
'Lake Victoria looks a solid favourite for the 1,000 Guineas'
I'm still unsure about the colts and, as likeable as Hotazhell and Delacroix are, I'm not sure the Futurity will have much of a bearing. The Lion In Winter has missed some key engagements and I wouldn't be keen to row in with him at a skinny price either. The fillies are easier to assess and Lake Victoria looks a solid favourite for the 1,000 Guineas. It's been a while since the Cheveley Park winner went on to success at Newmarket the following May but her pedigree gives plenty of confidence that she can develop and stay further next season. We'll find out more at Del Mar. For the Oaks, Dreamy has been on my shortlist since she won at Glorious Goodwood and I suspect Aidan O'Brien's choice to run her in the Fillies' Mile was purely for developmental purposes. She should prove a different filly when asked to stay longer distances.
Maddy Playle, reporter
'She'll prove to be the best of Ger Lyons' cracking bunch of juvenile fillies'
Hotazhell has an attitude to die for, and that gets you a long way in this game. I wouldn’t be overly keen on him for the 2,000 Guineas but I could see him getting placed in a Derby, for sure. He looks sure to stay on what we’ve seen of him over a mile. It’s boring, and you couldn’t say they are any value, but The Lion In Winter would be my pick for the 2,000 Guineas and the Derby, while Desert Flower would be my choice for the 1,000 Guineas at 4-1. She blew me away in the Fillies' Mile and she’s a star. A sneaky one for the Oaks is Red Letter. I still think she'll prove to be the best of Ger Lyons’s cracking bunch of juvenile fillies.
David Jennings, Deputy Ireland editor
'The form of the Acomb Stakes has stood up well'
The Lion In Winter deserves to be at the head of the 2,000 Guineas and Derby markets for Aidan O'Brien after his impressive success in the Acomb Stakes. That form has stood up well, with the runner-up Wimbledon Hawkeye winning the Royal Lodge and fourth-placed The Waco Kid landing the Group 3 Tattersalls Stakes. He looks likely to improve stepping up in trip next year, whereas the same is not necessarily true of Dewhurst winner Shadow Of Light. At a bigger price, I still like Solario winner Field Of Gold despite his disappointing performance in France last time. At this stage the fillies' division looks a straight shootout between Ballydoyle and Godolphin, who have the top two in the 1,000 Guineas and Oaks markets in Lake Victoria and Desert Flower. My early vote for the 1,000 Guineas goes to Albany Stakes winner Fairy Godmother at a slightly bigger price.
Jonathan Harding, reporter
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