Connections of Estrange are thrilled to have registered a first Group One success with the striking grey and are looking forward to a few "free hits" in the remainder of the season.
The daughter of Night Of Thunder came with a fine run under regular rider Danny Tudhope to land Saturday's Paddy Power Pretty Polly Stakes at the Curragh, proving herself fully effective over the 10-furlong trip and on relatively quick ground in the process.
The David O'Meara-trained mare is now unbeaten from two starts in 2026 and is likely to make her next appearance in the Qatar Nassau Stakes at Goodwood on July 30.
Speaking on Monday's edition of the Nick Luck Daily Podcast, Cheveley Park's Richard Thompson reflected on her achievement and what it means for the owners: "This is going to rank pretty highly, right up there, particular in recent years, because I think people warm to her.
"Her colour, the way she runs, she's got a fantastic temperament. Last year, she won a Group Three, won a Group Two in the Lancashire Oaks, then was second in two Group Ones, to Kalpana and Minnie Hauk.
"She's been kept in training as a five-year-old and won the Lester Piggott recently at Carlisle. We were really hoping she could land a Group One this year. Hoping is one thing, and reality is another, so winning on Saturday was just fantastic. She's just marvellous to look at, the way she travels so easily.
"We thought she'd run a good race, but 10 furlongs, on good to firm ground, and the rain didn't come for us. So we were a little bit wary of what might happen but we were still hopeful of a good run."
Estrange's unraced dam is a half-sister to Logician, who won the St Leger for John Gosden, and she herself started out in Clarehaven before Cheveley Park opted to move the filly north to O'Meara's yard in Upper Helmsley, North Yorkshire.
Thompson explained that "inspired" decision which was made in the summer of 2024.
"I think it was maybe the Newmarket environment, and it was Chris's (Richardson, Managing Director) call to send her up to David up in Yorkshire," he said. "It was obviously an inspired move back in the middle of her three-year-old career.
"I think that was David's 10th Group One winner on Saturday. So that in itself was a big part of the story, and I'm delighted for David, that he got to train her and landed a big one on Saturday.
"We've had had horses with David for about 10 years now, maybe slightly more, and we've always sent him horses that maybe weren't settling in Newmarket and we thought could do with a change of environment.
"Having landed on a big one on Saturday, he obviously hasn't done himself any harm in terms of the future, and we get on well with David and definitely consider him a key part of the Cheveley roster."
It is highly likely that Estrange will head off to the breeding sheds at the end of this her five-year-old campaign, but there are still races to be won and decisions to be made over which races to target towards the end of summer and into the autumn.
"I would have thought we'll retire her at the end of the season, on balance," said Thompson. "I mean, she's still lightly raced but now she's won a Group One, that was really the strategy, so anything from here... I suppose a free hit or two we've got coming up, but who knows?
"Depending on how it actually went from now on, then you never know, but essentially we kept her in training to retire at the end of her five-year-old career - hopefully with a Group One win under her belt.
"The Arc is a race that we were aiming for last year. Obviously, she didn't make it in the end, but you've still got to think that that could be a possibility because it doesn't come around that often, in terms of being able to have a decent chance in that particular race. So that would be an iconic race that one would definitely be thinking about, but in between, (there is) the Nassau, Yorkshire Oaks, the Prix de l'Opera could be an alternative, the Fillies and Mares' on Champions Day at Ascot that she finished second to Kalpana in last year.
"We obviously have more options after her (Curragh) win, not just the 10 furlongs, but the ground as well, gave us more options in terms of winning on good to firm. So, it's a great place to be in, the fact that she's won the Group One by the end of June, and we've now got two or three free hits for the end of the season is in our mind. The Nassau has to be the short-term favourite."
Estrange can be backed at 14/1 for the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe with Sky Bet.
More from Sporting Life
- Free bets
- Racecards
- Fast results
- Full results and free video replays
- Horse racing news
- Horse racing tips
- Horse racing features
- Download our free iOS and Android app
- Football and other sports tips
- Podcasts and video content
Safer gambling
We are committed in our support of safer gambling. Recommended bets are advised to over-18s and we strongly encourage readers to wager only what they can afford to lose.al
If you are concerned about your gambling, please call the National Gambling Helpline / GamCare on 0808 8020 133.
Further support and information can be found at begambleaware.org and gamblingtherapy.org.
