Precise delivers dashing Fillies’ Mile success

Precise made no mistake in striding to a tremendously impressive victory in the bet365 Fillies’ Mile at Newmarket.

Aidan O’Brien’s Moyglare Stud Stakes winner was the 5-4 favourite under Christophe Soumillon and hung back as the field went forward to seek out her higher-drawn stablemates Composing and Sugar Island.

Having gained cover from them she was left to work her way into the race and her ability told as she did so with little fuss. Hitting the front in the final furlong, she pressed on to an easy three-and-a-quarter-length victory from Charlie Johnston-trained 40-1 shot Venetian Lace.

Coral make Precise the 5-2 favourite for next year’s 1000 Guineas, ahead of stablemates Diamond Necklace and True Love – winners of the Prix Marcel Boussac and Cheveley Park Stakes respectively – at 8-1.

O’Brien said: “She looks very special and everything she has done from day one has been so easy, so we were never sure how good she was.

“She looks serious and it reminded me of Minding, she was impressive, incredible really. She was cantering going to post and that is unusual.

“She’s doing everything so easy. Christophe said he was left in front a lot longer than he would have liked but he was brilliant on her, super confident and very smooth on her, so she’s very exciting.

“She’s a total natural athlete so you never do too much at home with her but these races like this and the Boussac, you like to see them in these so you know what you have for next year and you’re not kidding yourself going into next year.

“We always hoped she would be a Classic filly but up here in Newmarket there is nowhere to hide, she was out very quick and what you love about her is she sailed down to the two-furlong pole and at that point you thought she was going to win – by the time she got to the seven it was over.

“I’d say we will put her away, she looks like she could be anything and we’ll train her for the Classics. The sky is the limit for her.”

On how Precise compares to ParisLongchamp winner Diamond Necklace, O’Brien added: “I think they could both go beyond a mile and the filly in France looked very special, Christophe never touched her and went to France feeling like she was unbeatable.

“He treated it like a day out to give her more experience ahead of next year. He said he would do that after Leopardstown and rode her the very same way in a Group One.”

Johnston said of the runner-up Venetian Lace: “I briefly was getting excited. I thought we had gone quite hard early so I knew it would be difficult to maintain those fractions but one by one they were coming under pressure and she still had more to give.

“Fair play to the winner, she’s clearly a very good filly but I’m delighted with ours.

“We went straight into the Chesham from her maiden and she’s been in Group company since then. Sometimes you look when you are the outsider and think ‘why am I even running?’ but I never had that feeling with her, I always had confidence that she belongs in these races.

“She’s only disappointed once at Doncaster and I struggle with the ground at that track.

“I thought we’d be in the first four but I’m not surprised to see her finish second.

“That will be it for the year now I think. Looking at her pedigree, I was always thinking of the Oaks for her but she’s not slow and after that I think we’ll be back here in May.”