Gossamer can justify Cumani confidence

Master and apprentice lock horns at Ascot next Saturday. Henry Cecil aims to give a disappointing season a boost by landing his seventh win in the Meon Valley Stud Fillies` Mile with Half Glance.

Chief rival in the Group One event is Gossamer, trained by Luca Cumani who served as assistant to the 10-time champion trainer before taking out a licence on his own in 1976.

And the betting for a contest which could determine Europe`s champion two-year-old filly is likely to favour the young pretender.

For Gossamer created a highly-favourable impression when running away with the Prestige Stakes at Goodwood last month and tops the market for the Sagitta 1000 Guineas.

That victory came as a relief to Cumani, who has landed the Fillies` Mile twice in the past himself and makes no secret of the high regard he has for Gossamer.

'I`m feeling relaxed now,' he said afterwards. 'When you think you`ve got something good you don`t want it all to go wrong.'

The filly is a sister to Cumani`s Breeders` Cup Mile winner Barathea and the trainer added: 'She reminds me a lot of Barathea, although she is a lot more precocious. She has wonderful balance and a turn of foot, just like him.'

Owner Gerald Leigh, who is donating all prize-money that he wins this year to the charity CancerBACUP, said: 'She doesn`t have a lot of substance but when she turns it on, she can go.'

But the £116,000 first prize will only swell the charity`s coffers if Gossamer can overcome Half Glance.

And that will be none too easy judged by the emphatic way in which that rival saw off the opposition in last week`s May Hill Stakes at Doncaster.

Cecil has no peer in his handling of staying fillies - he has now lifted the May Hill 12 times - so his subsequent claim that his two-year-old is 'still a bit green' and 'improving all the time' must be taken seriously.

But she does not yet have the obvious brilliance of some of her trainer`s previous Fillies` Mile winners, such as Bosra Sham and Oh So Sharp.

By contrast Gossamer looks something special.

Her seven-length win at Goodwood was one of the most impressive in a Pattern race all season and if she is in the same sort of form next Saturday it is hard to see her getting beaten.

There is no such obvious star in the line-up for the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes, with dual Derby winner Galileo unlikely to take up his ambitious entry.

Instead Irish trainer Aidan O`Brien is set to rely on Black Minnaloushe, who will resume his rivalry with Godolphin`s Sussex Stakes winner Noverre in a race which often decides Europe`s mile championship.

But they have both had long seasons and could be eclipsed by Sir Michael Stoute`s No Excuse Needed, who only reappeared in June and looked to be approaching his peak when winning the Celebration Mile at Goodwood last time.

John Dunlop is always to be feared at Ascot and he could well record a double on the track`s best single day`s racing.

His very smart sprinter Invincible Spirit showed he is still on the upgrade when scoring at the Curragh last week and should go very well in the BETDAQ Diadem Stakes.

At the other end of the distance range, improving handicapper Taffrail is very much the one to beat in the Caplan Gordon Carter Stakes.

Fellow progressive three-year-old Ahraar is one to look out for in Sunday`s BETDAQ Stakes.

He won twice over this mile-and-a-half trip in the summer and ran a fine race when second at Doncaster on St Leger day, going down by just a neck to Cecil`s High Pitched - who was receiving 9lb.

That narrow defeat meant he escapes a 4lb penalty for this £70,000 handicap and leaves Marcus Tregoning`s classy colt very atractively treated at the weights.