Calendar Girl edges Oh So Sharp battle at Newmarket

Calendar Girl continued to display her promise with a first Group success in the Godolphin Lifetime Care Oh So Sharp Stakes at Newmarket.

Trained by Owen Burrows for Kennet Valley Syndicates, the filly came into the race with a valuable sales contest on her CV from Doncaster and was the 6-5 favourite under Callum Rodriguez.

She prevailed by a neck from Andrew Balding’s Mubasimah after drifting a little in the final strides, but with the job ultimately done at Group Three level, she is now due a winter break ahead of lofty aims next season.

Burrows said: “She hung on in there well and had a look round when she hit the front. I thought she was going to go and win a length but to be fair to the second, she stuck on.

“Callum agreed and thought she would win a couple of lengths but she just didn’t do a lot and drifted over a bit. She was always doing enough and Callum felt she didn’t have too much of a hard time.

“She wants a mile and she’s going to be a miler next year. She’s a big filly who we like to think will only improve with a winter on her back and it’s great for these guys (owners) and we can now start dreaming (of the Guineas).

“It’s great she’s got a bit of experience here now and it’s the obvious plan. It fuels dreams but she’s got a long way to go.

“We’ll see how the spring goes, it’s a bonus she’s had a feel of Newmarket and if it’s a nice enough spring and we’re happy with her, a run in a trial wouldn’t be the worst thing to do, even if she pops up the road to Newbury.

“This will obviously be it for the season and along with Touleen, who has a bit more speed than this filly, they are two nice fillies for next season.”

The Newmarket Academy Godolphin Beacon Project Cornwallis Stakes was won by an outsider in Charlie Appleby’s 16-1 chance Beckford’s Folly, who lunged at the line to take the Group Three under William Buick as 9-5 favourite Brussels missed out by a nose.

Appleby said: “He took being gelded after Kempton well and put in some nice work lately and the way the race was run, it set up for him. They went so hard that I thought if he can just lay up with these, and he has the pace to do that, then he will finish as well and full credit to him, he’s put his head down and got the job done.”

On future plans, he added: “He might come out to Dubai because he is a challenge, even though he is gelded. He wouldn’t be a Breeders’ Cup horse or anything like that.

“The reason he comes to Newmarket is because it’s less challenging for him and that is why you have seen his best performances at Newmarket.

“If we’re lucky he could be a July Cup horse and if that is the case at least we’re only up the road and he has won there before.”