Precise moment arrives for O’Brien and Soumillon to shine again

Aidan O’Brien and Christophe Soumillon team up at Newmarket on Friday with Precise, who is bidding to give the pair a third top-level juvenile victory inside a week in the bet365 Fillies’ Mile.

Having claimed both the Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere and Prix Marcel Boussac on Sunday in France, with Puerto Rico and Diamond Necklace respectively, O’Brien is aiming to maintain his stranglehold on the division.

With Ryan Moore on the sidelines with a broken leg, Soumillon has picked up the baton on the big days and with O’Brien chasing his own Group One record of 28 wins in a calendar year – he is currently on 21 – the Belgian ace has taken his chance with both hands.

Precise looks to hold all the aces in this, stepping up to a mile for the first time, but the Ballydoyle trainer also runs Composing (Wayne Lordan), Moments Of Joy (Tom Marquand) and Sugar Island (Sean Levey), who would all be first strings in almost any other yard.

Having won the Group Three Prestige Stakes at Goodwood, Precise handled the step up tot he highest level in the Moyglare, winning with a bit in hand from stablemate Beautify and Karl Burke’s top-class Venetian Sun.

“Precise has been very good this season and we were delighted with her the last day in the Moyglare,” said O’Brien.

“She’s been coming forward with each run but it hasn’t been a surprise, we always thought she was a nice filly. She’s just progressed all year. It will be interesting to see her over a mile, as she’s not short of a bit of pace.”

Moments Of Joy was third in the Chesham at Royal Ascot and was having her first start since then when second to Joseph O’Brien’s reopposing Queen Of Hawaii in a Group Three at the end of August.

“Moments Of Joy should come on for her last run, as that was her first for a while,” said O’Brien.

“A mile should suit her well, we think, the nice ground will be in her favour and we’ve been happy with  her.”

Composing was favourite for next year’s Classics before finishing fourth in the Moyglare and she has been a beaten odds-on favourite in a sales race since.

O’Brien said: “Composing has had a few runs of late, but she’s holding her form well. We’re happy with her since and she’ll like the nice ground and the trip.”

Sugar Island is a Dubawi filly out of Heaven On Earth, who herself was a sister to Classic winners Minding, Tuesday and Empress Josephine.

“Sugar Island had a lovely run the last day when third in the May Hill and the trip should suit her well, too.”

The main threat to an O’Brien win could come from Charlie Appleby’s Dance To The Music.

Having won it last year with Desert Flower, who went on to win the 1000 Guineas, the sister to Space Blues will be more at home then when racing in North America last time out.

Appleby told www.godolphin.com: “Dance To The Music lacked the experience for the tight track at Woodbine, although she came out of the race well.

“She had done little wrong before that run and we felt that she deserved her chance here.

“We have a bit to find with a few of the field, but she goes into the race in great shape and should be a competitive runner.”

John and Thady Gosden’s Legacy Link, who is from the family of Frankel, and Sir Mark Prescott’s Moon Target are others prominent in the betting.