Connections of Libertango looking forward to mouthwatering Cheveley Park

Connections of Libertango are still on a high after her Lowther Stakes victory at York, as they look forward to what could be “the two-year-old race of the season” in the Tattersalls Sceptre Sessions Cheveley Park Stakes.

George Boughey’s two-year-old showed plenty of guts to go with her undoubted class during the Ebor Festival to grind out a half-length victory in the six-furlong Group Two on the Knavesmire.

The Albany Stakes heroine defied a wide draw on ground which was an unknown for her, as she racked up her third win in four starts, and Rob Speers, racing manager to owner Ibrahim Araci, only has Group Ones on his mind.

“On ground that wasn’t in her favour at all, she just got away with it because she’s good enough,” he said.

“There was a lot of resemblance to her Royal Ascot run where she was also drawn high and probably in the wrong place in the course, and Billy (Loughnane, jockey) had to switch her.

“If he’d stayed where he was, we felt the horses he was surrounded by wouldn’t be good enough to take him further up into the race, so Billy did a really good job of getting across, getting her in among the horses that were going to be there at the pointy end and then she was able to grind it out at the finish.

“Unfortunately, the ground blunted her electric turn of foot when he let her down, that turn of foot that we saw at Ascot, but she showed a bit of heart and ground it out and went by.

“I think, as George said, if she’d have been drawn in the middle on quick ground, she’d have put up a very impressive performance.”

Libertango now looks set for a fascinating rematch against Sun Goddess – who was second in the Albany, has won a Group One since and fairly lit up the Knavesmire with a six-length domination of the field in the Harry’s Half Million By Goffs – and Senorita Bonita.

The latter inflicted the daughter of No Nay Never’s only defeat in the Duchess of Cambridge Stakes last month and claimed the Sumbe Prix Morny in brilliant fashion for Simon and Ed Crisford on Sunday.

But Speers remains hopeful Libertango can be the pick of the three headline acts should they all line up at Newmarket on September 26.

“She’s won the Lowther on good, well it was officially good to soft ground, but I think we could all probably say it was soft ground. So the fact she won the Lowther on that ground does mean that we don’t have to be too worried about ground for her apart from extremes,” he added.

“Like most good horses, if they’re really good, they get away with ground except extremes and it means her final two runs of the year will both be Group Ones.

“There’ll be the Group One Cheveley Park and then she’ll go to the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint, and it just means if the ground in Newmarket was to come up good to soft, we wouldn’t worry about it.

“I saw her the day after and you wouldn’t know she had a run. She looked amazing and she took it in her stride. She ate everything up, trotted up sound.

“We’ll now train her into what looks like probably the two-year-old race of the season. I think, at the moment, everyone would be fairly confident the two-year-old fillies at this stage look better than the boys.

“I think all three of those horses and their connections will be going to the Cheveley Park. I think all three trainers and connections will go there feeling they have a really good chance.

“I suspect if all three turn up in top form, we might be looking at the three leading two-year-old fillies of 2026 and possibly the leading three juveniles of 2026.”