George Boughey couldn't be happier with two-year-old Libertango ahead of her next big test in Saturday's Tattersalls Sceptre Sessions Cheveley Park Stakes.
The daughter of No Nay Never has beaten Sun Gooddess at Royal Ascot this summer, prior to finishing a close second behind Senorita Bonita on Newmarket's July Course, both of whom are set to reopposing over six furlongs of the Rowley Mile this weekend.
Since suffering her first defeat in July, Libertango has regained the winning thread in York's Sky Bet Lowther Stakes (replay below) and her trainer is adamant she goes to HQ with a serious chance of success.
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He told Wednesday's Nick Luck Daily Podcast: "She's trained super and I think as we often discuss, when you get a clear run into a race like this, God willing she is okay the next few days, it just makes everything so much easier really, but her work's been good.
"And what a race it is, three high-class fillies going head-to-head on decent ground, hopefully."
Boughey is looking forward to the rematch with Simon & Ed Crisford-trained Senorita Bonita and feels his filly might not have been seen to best effect when beaten by that rival in the Group 2 Duchess Of Cambridge Stakes.
"The form lines do tie in pretty closely with all three of them," said the Classic-winning trainer. "I thought we would probably be a slightly shorter price than we are, but we have been beaten by Senorita Bonita and Aidan's filly (Sun Goddess) was obviously seriously impressive at the Curragh the other day, so I do kind of see the way the market has formed.
"But (there are) one or two things I thought we might have changed from the July Course to here. And possibly both Billy (Loughnane, jockey) and I, knowing the filly a bit better, might be in a better position to challenge. I think in hindsight, on my side of it, I think we might have been a bit easy on her into Newmarket after Ascot. She's a filly who takes plenty of work and she's rock-hard fit now. And I think it just looked a long way up the hill for her.
"At Billy's own admission, he might have hit the front half a furlong too soon, maybe, and she just wandered around. That's why we were so keen to get her to be produced as late as possible at York, as she was at Ascot."
As for leading Irish hope, the thriving Sun Goddess, Boughey hopes his runner may have more natural speed at this stage of their careers.
“I think Sun Goddess was unbelievably impressive at York and obviously in the Curragh as well," said Boughey. "I think I made it my thing to see her that day at York and she's an extraordinary-looking animal. For me, she looks like a filly who I think they'll probably be campaigning over the mile next year.
"But (she's) a very impressive physical, I think she'll need a test at Newmarket and taking on two possibly faster fillies, whether they're faster in race conditions or not... but she probably looks to have more of an emphasis on stamina. But she's a very high-class filly."
Win, lose or draw, Libertango is likely to be seen again before the year is out, with a well-hatched plan to go for the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint firmly in her trainer's mind.
He said: "She's hopefully a Group One two-year-old, whether she can win one or not, she might need a couple of shots at it. So Keeneland's been the plan for a long time. And it nice to be out there the other day to have a bit of a look around. I think she'll suit it well, she's got a fantastic mind and travelling doesn't look like it'll be a problem and five and a half furlongs around there looks ideal."
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