Maamora heading into retirement as broodmare after victory in Listed Fleur De Lys Fillies' Stakes at Lingfield; Sea La Rosa wins the Listed River Eden Fillies' Stakes under Tom Marquand, as trainer William Haggas enjoys third victory in the race
Thursday 28 October 2021 16:25, UK
Maamora bowed out in winning style by taking the Listed Fleur De Lys Fillies' Stakes at Lingfield on Thursday.
Simon and Ed Crisford's five-year-old, making her 19th appearance on the track, was ridden with confidence by jockey James Doyle and showed her class to beat Tom Ward's Roman Mist and Ralph Beckett's Declared Interest after starting 2/1 favourite.
The former Group Three Atalanta Stakes winner, a daughter of Dubawi, is now likely to head into retirement as a broodmare despite gaining automatic qualification for next year's All-Weather finals day with her latest victory.
Doyle told Sky Sports Racing: "I think that's probably her last run. She's done well and we've had a lot of fun with her, though I've only ridden her a few times so it's nice to win on her.
"She's a Group Three winner and a Listed winner with a nice page so hopefully she'll have a good time at stud.
"It was a bit messy. It's never ideal being drawn wide where we were in 10 but she broke quite nicely but a few inside broke better so it was a little bit messy.
"We got a good drag in, the pace settled down after that first couple that were quite quick and we know she gets this distance well - she's got form at a mile-and-a-quarter.
"We perhaps thought if anything the track could catch her out so we were keen to get her on the move early, and halfway down the hill we let her stride on and she picked up well off the turn and sustained it well up to the line."
Ed Crisford added: "She's a Group Three winner and a Listed winner now so she's probably done enough and she'll be a lovely broodmare.
"She owes us nothing. She's been really consistent and took a while to come to herself at the beginning of the year. At Epsom it didn't really work out but she's come good at the end of the year.
"She's a lovely size with a great pedigree so I'm sure Sheikh Ahmed [Al Maktoum] will do well with her."
Sea La Rosa provided trainer William Haggas with a third victory in the Listed River Eden Fillies' Stakes.
The 7/2 shot, making her seventh start of the year, appeared to relish the step up to one-mile-and-five-furlongs to win by four-and-a-half lengths from John and Thady Gosden's Pennymoor.
Given a patient ride around the outside of the 12-strong field, jockey Tom Marquand produced his challenge from the middle of the pack as the leaders turned for home.
The three-year-old, daughter of Sea The Stars, shot past Pennymoor around the final turn, with James Fanshawe's Viola staying on for third in behind.
Marquand told Sky Sports Racing: "Everything went quite nicely for me. They went a nice gallop early and got stacked up but I was in a position to just slide out. She gained three lengths for free just because of how well she has handled the track.
"She surprised me a bit when we kicked on. I took a sneak peek and was flying three or four clear. It was a great performance and she has appreciated the extra furlong.
"She's been a really tough filly and that seems to be an attribute of the whole family. They've been stars and she is one of them."
Haggas has now won three of the last five runnings of the River Eden, taking it in back-to-back years with Daphne in 2017 and Dramatic Queen in 2018.
It is a first Listed victory for Sea La Rosa, who finished third in the Group Three Princess Royal Stakes at Newmarket last month.
Charlie Appleby's Modern News maintained his unbeaten record as a three-year-old, winning the four-runner MansionBet Beaten By A Head Handicap with ease under William Buick.
