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Fahey hails classy Anna

Trainer tipping filly to dominate in Europe

Last updated: 6th August 2008

Fahey: Pavlova praise

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Richard Fahey believes Anna Pavlova is the best filly in Europe - as long as she gets her ground conditions.

The five-year-old looked better than ever when destroying her opposition in the Lancashire Oaks but disappointed only five days later in the Princess Of Wales's Stakes at Newmarket.

She is due to go to France to compete in Sunday's Prix de Pomone at Deauville, where she could meet last year's Prix Vermeille winner Mrs Lindsay and John Gosden's Dar Re Mi.

Wonderful mare

"She's very ground dependent and on heavy ground I don't think there is a filly in Europe that would beat her," said Fahey.

"We just need her conditions so we do make a lot of entries for her and we just play it by ear.

"She's in at Deauville this weekend but it would have to be soft. She's been a wonderful mare to train, she hasn't taken any training at all as long as we keep her to her ground.

"I got sucked into running her quick last time. She'd been to Ireland the week before the Lancashire Oaks and she was having three runs in the space of 12 days and it just caught up with her," he told At The Races.