2023 Fillies & Mares Stakes Tips

We’ve got a star-studded cast when it comes to the 2023 Fillies & Mares Stakes, with a maximum of fourteen runners lining up in this one mile, four furlong encounter. Free Wind could be the horse that goes off favourite, with John & Thady Gosden saddling a runner who was underwhelming when finishing third last in the recent Arc de Triomphe.

However, that was preceded by her strong performance in the Yorkshire Oaks on 24 August where Free Wind finished second in the race, with the horse having flattered to deceive previously when landing fourth place in the Lillie Langtry Stakes. This was despite being sent off as the 10/11 favourite on that particular occasion.

Jackie Oh is an interesting runner and trainer Aidan O’Brien could have some joy with this filly considering that the three-year-old was recently second in the Prix de l’Opera Longines over one mile and two furlongs. It was a solid performance at Longchamp where the runner was only narrowly touched off by favourite Blue Rose Cen by a neck.

Time Lock also has solid credentials and the four-year-old is bidding for a consecutive hat-trick of victories. Most recently, we saw the mare triumph in the Princess Royal Al Basti Equiworld, Dubai Stakes, with that coming after a two-length win in the Prix Dirickx - Grand Prix de Craon - 11th Etape du Defi du Galop at Craon.

2022 Fillies & Mares Stakes Tips

Above The Curve is an American-bred horse who is favourite to win this big money race on British Champions Day, with the runner finishing third in the Prix de l'Opera Longines on 2 October and there was very little between this horse and the first two home which included Place Du Carrousel and favourite Nashwa.

The Joseph O’Brien-trained horse was previously successful in the Moyglare ''Jewels'' Blandford Stakes over one mile and two furlongs, with this coming after a big break following an impressive performance in the St Mark's Basilica Coolmore Prix Saint-Alary and it appears that the horse will have her supporters.

Emily Upjohn was really underwhelming on her last outing when finishing dead last in the King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Qipco Stakes and what was particularly unusual about that race was that favourite Westover was also unimpressive, although the Gosden-trained runner previously won the Musidora Stakes at York.

Eshaada and La Petite Coco are other horses that merit respect. The former is trained by Roger Varian and the four-year-old appears to be improving with every run. There was a second-placed finish behind Mimikyu in the Coral Park Hill Fillies’ Stakes and the latter will also be set to run a big race at Ascot.

Snowfall Set to Go Off Betting Favourite

Snowfall runs in the famous Smith/Tabor/Magnier colours, with the Japanese-bred horse not showing a great deal of quality as a two-year-old although her three-year-old season has been remarkable and a victory in the Fillies & Mares Stakes would represent a fifth consecutive win, with the bookies showing the horse plenty of respect.

Snowfall kicked off the season with a somewhat surprise 14/1 victory in the Tattersalls Musidora Stakes where she toppled favourite Noon Star and better was to follow with an 11/2 victory in the Oaks where Frankie Dettori rode her to a sixteen-length win over her rivals.

The bookies certainly weren’t prepared to tackle the three-year-old when it came to the Irish Oaks, with the horse sent off as the 2/7 favourite before duly obliging, while another Oaks victory was landed in the form of the Yorkshire variety although this represents a stiffer test against esteemed company.

Can Tarnawa Lower Snowfall’s Colours?

Tarnawa has to be greatly respected considering that she racked up four successive wins in 2020 and some of these were in big money races. A win in the Qatar Prix Vermeille was a thrilling Group 1 success and the filly then returned to Longchamp and won the Prix de l'Opera Longines in fine style, beating favourite Alpine Star in the process.

Better was to follow in the Breeders’ Cup Turf where Tarnawa won the race at Keeneland by getting the better of the hotly-fancied Magical, while the horse has been lightly raced this season but came back to the track with a victory when winning the Group 3 Ballyroan Stakes and this could be the ideal prep run for Ascot.

Who Are the Other Fillies & Mares Stakes Favourites?

Wonderful Tonight is a highly-respected four-year-old who won the Hardwicke Stakes and the Lillie Langtry Stakes this season before finishing fourth in the Darley Yorkshire Oaks and the horse has eight lengths to find on Snowfall after that performance, although David Menuisier will feel as though she stands a chance of running into the places at least.

Meanwhile, Alpinista runs for Sir Mark Prescott and the four-year-old has three victories to her name this season, with the latest triumph being a victory in the Longines 131st Grosser Preis von Berlin which was a Group 1 encounter and means that she has to be considered here.

Bet On British Champions Fillies & Mares Stakes

At 2.30pm on Saturday 17 October 2020, the British Champions Fillies & Mares Stakes will take place as part of the British Champions Day Ascot racecard, with some of the leading female horses in UK and Irish flat racing competing for an enormous purse at Ascot Racecourse.

The winning connections will land just shy of £200,000 by prospering in this race, with Magical bidding to claim the spoils for the second time in this race after winning in 2018. The Aidan O’Brien-trained charge scored a victory in the Group 1 Pretty Polly Stakes at The Curragh, while it was a walk in the park in the Tattersalls Gold Cup when she was sent off as a short favourite.

Things were somewhat trickier for Magical when she finished second in the Juddmonte International Stakes, although losing to the classy Ghaiyyath was really no disgrace and there was only three lengths between the two horses for an encounter which was run over one mile, two and a half furlongs.

Who Can Beat Magical In This Race?

Fancy Blue will run for Donnacha O’Brien and the three-year-old should be raring to go for this encounter after an impressive 2020 and there was a splendid win in the Qatar Nassau Stakes where she managed to hold off outsider One Voice by a neck.

Indeed, the three-year-old seems to be making a habit of winning by short distances after securing victory in the Prix de Diane Longines by a slender margin. Fancy Blue is currently available at double the price of Magical and it all comes down to how much she can improve.

Even So is next in the betting and she managed to beat Cayenne Pepper in the Juddmonte Irish Oaks, with Peaceful also likely to line up in this race and she was very close to stablemate Fancy Blue in the recent Prix de Diane Longines.

The History of the British Champions Fillies & Mares Stakes

The Princess Royal Stakes was launched in 1946, with the race being named after Princess Mary and the race having largely been run at Ascot Racecourse, although it has fleetingly been hosted at Newmarket Racecourse.

The race has been renamed the Pride Stakes before getting its current name, with the British Champions Fillies & Mares Stakes having been launched in 2013 when attaining Group 1 status, with Magical winning the race in 2018 although Star Catcher was the recent winner in 2019.

Racegoers that attend Ascot Racecourse on Saturday 19 October are in for a royal treat thanks to a succession of brilliant races and the third encounter on the card is the Fillies and Mares Stakes.

Enable is currently entered for this race and is the highest-rated horse for the encounter, although the John Gosden-trained charge is likely to swerve this race and head straight for the Arc at Longchamp.

Therefore, we’re likely to see Magical line up as market leader for this one mile and four furlongs encounter, with the Aidan O’Brien-trained horse having served up a string of impressive victories.

The four-year-old hasn’t finished outside of the top two places this season and the most recent performance saw Magical prosper in the Irish Champion Stakes at odds of 11/10.

This was over one mile and two furlongs on good ground and the worry would be whether the horse could manage a longer trip with more cut in the ground, with the runner being chinned on three successive outings before this latest run.

Magical was beaten by Crystal Ocean in the Prince of Wales’s Stakes and then wound up second behind Enable in the Coral Eclipse. Maybe that defeat was more forgivable although the same thing happened in the Yorkshire Oaks.

Star Catcher is the other eye-catcher for this race and that is despite the horse being well down in the ratings, with the John Gosden-trained charge having racked up three straight wins and open to further progress.

There was a Royal Ascot triumph in the Ribblesdale Stakes and this was followed up by an Irish Oaks victory before another Group 1 success in Longchamp.

Coronet is trading third favourite out of all the horses likely to enter and this is another John Gosden runner who is available at odds of 6/1 and this looks like an each-way punt to nothing.

It’s hard to judge this particular horse’s form considering that both recent victories have come in France, with the runner having finished second behind Magical in this race last year.

An interesting horse at a bigger price is Deidre, with the Japanese runner having struggled to find a gap in the Irish Champion Stakes before flying home.

Previously to this, there was an impressive run at Goodwood and the horse can be backed at odds of 16/1 although it’s interesting to know that certain traders are only prepared to go 10/1.