Destiny takes step up in grade Date With Destiny, the sole progeny of the ill-fated George Washington, takes a step up in class when she tackles the Chichester Observer Prestige Stakes at Goodwood on Saturday. The Richard Hannon-trained juvenile has plenty to live up to but she got her career off to the perfect start with a debut victory at Newbury last month. "We have no idea whether Date With Destiny will handle soft ground, but there is only one way to find out," Hannon told his website, www.richardhannonracing.tv. "There were mixed messages of the form of the Newbury race, but she could not have done the job better, and this is the natural progression. "They'll be racing on fresh ground up the straight, so, hopefully, conditions won't be too bad." Ralph Beckett is also looking forward to seeing how Princess Severus copes in better company. The youngster overcame a tardy start to win as she liked on her racecourse introduction at Leicester, with her trainer anticipating plenty of improvement. "She'll like the ground, which is one of the main reasons we're running," said Beckett. "We think she'll get a bit further than seven furlongs. We're punting a bit, but it's probably the right race to punt in. "She couldn't have done any more at Leicester and she wasn't fully wound up for that. "We've given her plenty of time to get over it and I think she's improved."
