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Quadrilateral and Cayenne Pepper make Fillies' Mile a hot contest

Cayenne Pepper (red cap) winning at the Curragh in AugustCayenne Pepper (red cap) winning at the Curragh in August
© Photo Healy Racing

Roger Charlton expects to have a clearer idea of Quadrilateral’s capabilities after she has tested the water at Group One level in the bet365 Fillies’ Mile at Newmarket on Friday.

A narrow winner on her debut at Newbury in July, the daughter of Frankel produced an impressive display on her return to the Berkshire track last month — with her nine-length romp prompting bookmakers to promote her to favouritism for next year’s 1000 Guineas.

The Khalid Abdullah-owned filly faces a significant step up in class over the Rowley Mile, and Charlton is not taking the task lightly.

He said: “I think we’re going there riding on our reputation a little bit — we don’t really know what we beat and we’re taking on the best fillies in Europe, in my opinion.

“Cayenne Pepper and Love represent the best form around, in my view. Whether we deserve to be favourite ahead of those, I don’t know, but the race will tell us where we stand.”

Charlton was considering the Group Three Oh So Sharp Stakes elsewhere on the card as a potential target for Quadrilateral following her latest triumph, but connections decided to

decided to take the plunge and supplement for the Fillies’ Mile at a cost of £40,000.

“After consultation with connections, Prince Khalid felt he wanted to let her take her chance in a Group One race,” Charlton added.

"I’d imagine by Friday the ground will be on the slow side of good and it’s drying out all the time. Hopefully she’ll be fine and Friday will tell us a lot.”

Quadrilateral is one of three unbeaten fillies in the field, along with Jessica Harrington’s Cayenne Pepper and the Hugo Palmer-trained Powerful Breeze.

Cayenne Pepper was last seen completing her hat-trick in the Group Three Flame Of Tara Irish EBF Stakes at the Curragh in late August.

Harrington said: “She’s done everything right so far and she’s had a nice bit of time since her last run. I’ve been very happy with her since she ran at the Curragh and we’ll see how we go.

“She’s got to travel over and everything, but she’s a pretty laid-back filly, so hopefully she’ll be OK.

“She’s a well-balanced individual who has won on a variety of tracks, so the dip shouldn’t be a problem either.

“We have always liked her and she’s won on good ground and fast ground, and with a bit of ease in the ground at the Curragh last time.”

Cayenne Pepper is bidding to provide Harrington with a third top-level juvenile success in recent weeks following the triumphs of Millisle in the Cheveley Park Stakes and Albigna in the Prix Marcel Boussac.

“We’ve been lucky with the two-year-old fillies we’ve had this year. To win a third Group One in the space of a couple of weeks would be simply unbelievable,” Harrington added.

Hugo Palmer’s Powerful Breeze was also supplemented, having proved her surprise debut victory on the July course was no fluke when following up in the Group Two May Hill Stakes at Doncaster.

The Newmarket handler views Moyglare Stud Stakes heroine Love as the standard-setter. Her trainer Aidan O’Brien is bidding to match the late Sir Henry Cecil’s record of six victories in the race.

Palmer said: “I think it’s remarkable that a Group One-winning, Aidan O’Brien-trained and Ryan Moore-ridden daughter of Galileo isn’t favourite. I think she’s the one we’ve all got to beat and whoever beats her will win.

“I’ve been very happy with our filly since Doncaster. As is often the case with these things, it’s the avoidance of things going wrong rather than things going right, and she’s had a smooth preparation.

“It’s the end of the year and you never know what can happen, but she’s won a Group Two and a Group One is the the obvious next step — albeit a big step.”

Powerful Breeze will renew rivalry with Tom Dascombe’s May Hill runner-up Boomer, while the formidable combination of John Gosden and Frankie Dettori is represented by recent Newcastle scorer Anastarsia.

Peter Chapple Hyam’s May Hill fifth Ananya, Roger Varian’s course and distance winner Queen Daenerys and West End Girl from Mark Johnston’s yard complete the line-up.