Tony McFadden highlights how the leading 1000 Guineas contenders shape up on Timeform ratings.
Tenebrism (Timeform rating: 115p)
Aidan O'Brien has won five of the last six editions of the 1000 Guineas – he has won the race seven times in total – and he is responsible for this year's favourite in the shape of Tenebrism.
Tenebrism is also at the head of Timeform's ratings based on the form she showed when winning the Cheveley Park Stakes at Newmarket in September.
That was a smart performance and earned Tenebrism a figure of 115p, making her one of the highest-rated Cheveley Park winners of the last decade – only Tiggy Wiggy, who won a hot edition in 2014, earned a higher Timeform rating in that period.
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What makes Tenebrism's performance all the more meritorious is that it came on just her second outing, and her first since winning a Naas maiden in March when she was her stable's first two-year-old runner of the season.
Tenebrism – the first filly since Regal Rose in 2000 to win the Cheveley Park after only one start – is clearly open to improvement after only two starts and she has already run to a level that would make her very competitive in a typical 1000 Guineas (the average winning Timeform rating across the last ten editions is 116.4).
The big question regarding Tenebrism, however, is will she stay a mile? The Cheveley Park is contested over six furlongs, so the Guineas mile provides a different test for this daughter of sprinter Caravaggio to answer. Her supporters will point to her strength at the finish at Newmarket – she found plenty to win going away by a length – while there is also encouragement to be taken from the dam's side of her pedigree as Immortal Verse was a dual Group One winner at a mile.
Malavath (112)
The French, who were last successful in 2014 with the Andre Fabre-trained Miss France, have a strong hand this year as they are responsible for two of the top three on Timeform's ratings.
Miss France showed significant improvement to score at Newmarket after finishing only sixth in the Prix Imprudence on her reappearance, but Malavath was able to land that trial a couple of weeks ago, taking a small step forward on what she had shown as a juvenile.
Malavath progressed well for Francis-Henri Graffard last term, winning twice over six furlongs at Chantilly, including in Group Two company, before proving her stamina for a mile when runner-up in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf.
Malavath edged her rating up again when beating Prix Marcel Boussac winner Zellie in the Prix Imprudence over seven furlongs at Deauville a couple of weeks ago, quickening up well to land a race run at just a steady gallop.
Zellie (111)
Zellie had to settle for second behind Malavath on her return in the Prix Imprudence a couple of weeks ago, but it's no certainty that the form will be upheld at Newmarket.
The Prix Imprudence was run at a steady gallop – the overall time was nearly three seconds slower than the colts' trial, the Prix Djebel, on the same card – and a test of speed at seven furlongs would not have suited Zellie, who became outpaced when the tempo lifted but stuck on well to regain second close home.
Under the circumstances it was an encouraging return from Zellie, whose best effort on the figures remains her victory in the Prix Marcel Boussac at Longchamp on Arc day. That length-and-three-quarter success, achieved over a mile on soft ground, confirmed that she's a smart filly who thoroughly sees out the Guineas trip.
Discoveries (108p)
Discoveries is bred to be high-class as she is a sister to Alpha Centauri – whose four Group 1 wins included the Irish 1000 Guineas – while she is also closely related to Alpine Star, who was successful at the highest level when landing the Coronation Stakes.
Those fillies failed to win at Group One level as a juvenile, but Discoveries managed the feat in the Moyglare Stud Stakes, reversing the Debutante Stakes form to beat Agartha by three-quarters of a length.
That was probably not a strong edition of the Moyglare, but Discoveries has shown run-by-run improvement and, if taking after her siblings, is likely to kick on again as a three-year-old. She has raced only at seven furlongs but was strong at the finish in the Moyglare and is bred to appreciate a mile, so she looks likely to improve for this stiffer test.
Homeless Songs (108p)
Homeless Songs, an impressive winner on her debut at Leopardstown last summer, was sent off the 9/4 second favourite for the Moyglare Stud Stakes on just her second start, but her inexperience seemed to hold her back and she was only fifth behind Discoveries (a 17/2 shot).
She fared no better on her final start of the campaign in the Killavullan Stakes, when again well supported, but she showed why she's held in such high regard by impressively landing the 1000 Guineas Trial at Leopardstown on her return a few weeks ago.
Homeless Songs produced a sharp turn of foot to lead inside the final furlong and was value for more than the winning margin of a length after idling slightly close home. She has only raced at seven furlongs but this daughter of Frankel will have no problem staying a mile.
Wild Beauty (108)
The pick of the domestic challengers on the figures is the Charlie Appleby-trained Wild Beauty, who beat subsequent Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf winner Pizza Bianca by two and a quarter lengths when landing the Grade One Natalma Stakes at Woodbine last season.
Wild Beauty was only fifth in the Fillies' Mile on her final outing of the campaign – she was seemingly beaten on merit – but she made a successful reappearance in the Fred Darling Stakes at Newbury last weekend, coping with the drop to seven furlongs to score by half a length.
It's worth pointing out, however, that she had the benefit of making her return with the Appleby yard firing on all cylinders, so there's unlikely to be huge improvement from a fitness point of view, and the form of the Fred Darling is open to some question as the winning time was much slower than the Greenham on the same card.
Notable others:
Prosperous Voyage (107)
Cachet (106)
Mise En Scene (106)
Tuesday (101P)
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