Betfred Temple Stakes 4z132y |
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| Group 2, Haydock Park 15:30 £125,000 guaranteed, 3yo plus, 5f, Class 1  |
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135nu
Plenty of firepower still in play, with 11 declarations for the Group 2 sprint.
Among them, Starlust, the Breeders’ Cup hero from Ralph Beckett’s team, stands out, ed by Ed Walker’s consistent Mgheera, and Jim Goldie’s fast-progressing American Affair, who’s been climbing the ranks with purpose.
There’s a certain air of quiet confidence brewing in County Meath these days – and it's emanating from the upwardly mobile Jack Davison, who might just have unearthed his best yet. After watching his four-year-old sprinter She’s Quality finish a gallant second in the Group 3 Palace House Stakes at Newmarket on Saturday, Davison wasn’t hiding his excitement.
Rumstar is the star!⭐️
— ITV Racing (@itvracing) May 3, 2025
An impressive winner of the Hong Kong Jockey Club World Pool Palace House Stakes! 🥇#ITVRacing | @NewmarketRace |@rob_hornby18 | @jportmanracing pic.twitter.com/xO4hGAl2d4
“She has more raw speed than Mooneista,” he declared – high praise indeed, considering that mare’s fourth in the 2022 King’s Stand behind the imperious Nature Strip. “I think she can go all the way to the top.”
Now 38 and fresh from a personal-best 19 domestic winners last season, Davison isn’t one for bombast, but the tone in his voice post-race suggested something different is stirring. She’s Quality, a 105-rated daughter of Acclamation, ended last year with a respectable fifth in the Group 1 Flying Five at the Curragh. But it's her reappearance – beaten just a length and a quarter by Rumstar – that has connections thinking big.
“She’s always been a filly we've thought a lot of. She cost plenty as a yearling, but she’s justified that with how she’s progressing,” Davison added. “Last year’s Listed win showed her ability – now she needs to step up again. The Temple Stakes at Haydock is firmly in the frame.”
With the Haydock feature just around the corner on May 24, Davison is eyeing the right conditions for his star sprinter. “She’s quick – she wants fast ground and a sharp track, so we’ll be selective,” he explained. “But we were quietly confident heading to Newmarket. She’s stronger, more mature, and she's done it the right way.”
In a sprinting division that often throws up the unexpected, She’s Quality is ticking all the right boxes – raw pace, scope for more, and a trainer with his sights set on Group 1 glory.
Temple Stakes
(British Champions Series)
£125,000 guaranteed, 3yo plus, 5f, Class 1
11 runners
Going: Good to Firm
NO. (DRAW) FORM HORSE AGE WGT TRAINER JOCKEY
1 (7) 63910- Starlust 4 9-11 Ralph Beckett Rossa Ryan
2 (10) 310-11 American Affair 5 9-6 Jim Goldie Paul Mulrennan
3 (6) 10110- Law Of Average 2 4 9-6 Chelsea Banham Joey Haynes
4 (3) 7551-1 Rumstar 5 9-6 Jonathan Portman Rob Hornby
5 (9) 6554-5 Twilight Calls 7 9-6 2 Richard Spencer George Wood
6 (8) 657-24 Washington Heights 5 9-6 Kevin Ryan Tom Eaves
7 (4) 623-16 Electric Storm 5 9-3 James Tate Daniel Tudhope
8 (11) 3506-1 Mgheera 5 9-3 Ed Walker William Buick
9 (2) 6610-2 She's Quality 4 9-3 Jack W Davison James Ryan
10 (1) 040-53 Vadream 7 9-3 Charlie Fellowes Callum Shepherd
11 (5) 4132-5 Grande Marques 3 8-9 J A Stack Cieren Fallon
