Options home and abroad for promising filly Awaken

Royal Ascot runner-up Awaken is poised to return to deeper waters after a brief drop back in grade to open her account at Leicester recently.

Second to Richard Spencer’s well-regarded Gold Digger at Yarmouth on debut, she reversed that form when again a silver medallist in the Albany Stakes at the Royal meeting, finishing a length and a half adrift of Karl Burke’s Venetian Sun in a race that is beginning to look a red-hot piece of form.

The daughter of Mehmas made all to open her account at Leicester and Harry Herbert of owners Highclere Thoroughbreds said: “The Albany form is very strong and she has come out of the race really well, which she should have done really as it was just a piece of work for her in many ways.

“It was good to make her a winner and in that respect it was job done and now we can aim our sights towards black-type races again.”

Trained by George Boughey, Awaken is currently a single figure price for the Sky Bet Lowther Stakes during York’s Ebor Festival, but she is not certain to line-up on the Knavesmire with connections also contemplating a step up in trip for Deauville’s Prix du Calvados.

Herbert continued: “It could be the Lowther next but I’m not sure that necessarily smells totally right at the moment and she has plenty of options. There’s also the Prix du Calvados in France and we think seven furlongs would very much be in her compass.

“There’s two or three races lurking and we do think now she’s got the win under her belt she is capable of taking that step back into black-type company and see how far she takes us.

“She’s a very scopey filly and it is also about next season as well and here at Highclere we’re forever dreaming she may develop into a 1000 Guineas prospect, it’s fantastically exciting.”