Cross Bidding For Italian Glory

John Best is hoping his Vodafone Oaks runner-up Rising Cross can go one better in the Italian version on Sunday.

Best's diminutive filly belied her odds of 33-1 in the Epsom race and was the only serious challenger to the impressive winner Alexandrova in the final furlong.

Since that performance she has been sold to international owner Gary Tanaka but the filly is to stay in training with Best and will become only his second runner abroad.

'We would have been happy to sell her after she dead-heated in the Lupe Stakes at Goodwood. In fact, if someone had offered #150 000, she would have been gone. But no-one did, which is lucky.'

The daughter of Cape Cross had an unusual preparation for her Classic season after running 11 times as a two-year-old.

'When you see Rising Cross you won't be impressed. She is tiny. She is only about 14.3 hands,' continued Best.

'So we decided to run her as a two-year-old as we thought the others would catch up with her at three and that we had to take what we could get.

'Unless she grew from two to three, she would have had no chance. On top of that she seems to enjoy her racing and is really easy to train.

'But we did give her time off during the winter and our horses also get turned out a lot. She probably had five or six days in the field with no saddle on.

'I'll tell you something. She is tough. And while some of the other fillies might have problems with the heat and travelling, she won't.

'She is in really good form at the moment and has taken her Epsom race really well.

'I think there is quite a good Italian filly out there and Dont Dili Dali is also not to be underestimated, but we are going there with a chance.

'It would be a dream come true if she won the Italian Oaks. Even better than coming second in the Oaks at Epsom. This is what we all want, to train a Classic winner. I hope she can do it, it would be a real fairytale for us.'

Sir Mark Prescott finally broke his Classic duck last Sunday with Confidential Lady's win in the French Oaks and he will be looking to double his tally in quick fire fashion with Souvenance, set to be ridden by Marco Demuro.

As usual though, Prescott was brutally honest about his filly's chance after she finished third in a Group Two in Germany last time.

'Souvenance is not as good as Confidential Lady,' said Prescott.

'But she should have a good chance. She finished third in the Prix des Resevoirs last year and that form is decent, as both of the ones that finished in front of her have run well since.

'She is crying out for that trip, she has a good jockey on board and as usual we wouldn't go if we didn't think she had a chance.'

(C) PA Sport