Fillies’ Mile Tips: Horse-by-horse Guide for Newmarket Group 1

bet365 Fillies' Mile (Group 1)

• When: 14:57 Friday, October 9
• Where: Newmarket, Rowley Mile Racecourse
• Prize: £283,550
• Going: Good to Firm
• TV: ITV & RacingTV
• Sky Bet odds | Paddy Power | Betfair Sportsbook | Free bets

DANCING DESTINY (Joseph O’Brien)

Given the year her trainer is having, one would be foolish to dismiss the possibility of a big run, but this filly has had seven starts now and hasn’t scored above Listed level. That victory at Naas did come over a mile, though, and her subsequent efforts at 7f have been far from disgraceful. Still looks vulnerable on balance.

EXCEPTIONALLY (Aidan O’Brien)

Has a fine pedigree, being a half-sister to a handful of winners including City Of Troy, but she’s not lived up to it thus far and failed to make the most of a drop into maiden company at Punchestown last month. Has a mount to climb in order to trouble the potential Classic contenders in this line-up.

FORBIDDEN FIRE (Andrew Balding)

Intriguing, unbeaten prospect from leading yard and her Flying Scotsman win over the colts at Doncaster recently has been well advertised by the third home, Nabati, landing the Mill Reef at Newbury. Skipped the (7f) Rockfel with a view to stepping up in trip here and while the bare form needs improving on again, it’s still early days and she clearly has a good attitude to go with a fair dollop of innate quality.

HAVEN (Aidan O’Brien)

Daughter of Wootton Bassett who has gradually improved with each visit to the track and has been supplemented into the field following her Dundalk maiden win two weeks ago. Still looked a bit wet behind the ears after making all the running that day but either way she’ll need to take a jump up the ladder if she’s going to compete for top spot.

LEX VICTORIA (Simon & Ed Crisford)

Only rated 93 on official figures which gives her a bit of a mountain to climb but toughed it out when making all in a July Course maiden on debut in August and got the job done pretty smoothly under a penalty at Kempton a month later. Cost 1.1million euros at the breeze-ups and hasn’t put a foot wrong yet but the Rowley Mile will pose another challenge altogether.

MUSICAL TIMES (Charlie Appleby)

Beat the reopposing Scommessa Sicura by a neck first time out in June and, via a Yarmouth novice cruise, showed how far she’d progressed when slamming Andrew Balding’s filly by seven and a half lengths in last month’s May Hill Stakes at Doncaster.  Could be cut from a different cloth here, with genuine Classic aspirations from a mile to 12 furlongs based on pedigree, and impossible to oppose as she looks to round out a perfect juvenile campaign.

ROGUE PASSION (Ed Bethell)

Hard to believe she started with a moderate debut fourth (of five) at Catterick but she’s improved out of all recognition to win a Carlisle novice in August before following up in a Longchamp Group 2 more recently. Runner-up Amusingly, who has since dropped back in trip to beat the colts in the Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere, perhaps didn’t stay the mile quite as well but lots to like about her finishing effort and she suddenly looks a fully-fledged juvenile ready for the big league.

SCOMMESSA SICURA (Andrew Balding)

A nice spare ride for Saffie Osborne but looks to have had her limitations exposed, not least by hot favourite Musical Times on a couple of occasions. Second might be the best she can hope for again but that looks a longshot given the strength elsewhere in the field.

Verdict

It would be unusual for Aidan O’Brien to go into a Fillies’ Mile without a genuine contender but the supplemented Haven is still looking a bit raw and has a lot on her plate in tackling sparkling May Hill winner MUSICAL TIMES.

Charlie Appleby’s filly could be a different class here if able to build again on her Doncaster rout but the horse worthy of utmost respect if the rapid improver Rogue Passion. Her defeat of Amusingly may have been circumstantial to a point, but the form obviously reads very well in light of this weekend's action in Paris, and she just looks a rock-solid two-year-old who is ready to run the race of her life for trainer Ed Bethell.

I’ll stick with the favourite if pressed, but would be fearing the North Yorkshire raider above all others.

Published at 14:00 BST on 07/10/26

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