Rhododendron aims for Filly & Mare glory Aidan O'Brien has surprisingly never won the Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf, but feels Rhododendron has what it takes to make her presence felt at Del Mar on Saturday. Placed in the 1000 Guineas and the Oaks, the daughter of Galileo opened her Group One account for 2017 when she edged out stablemate Hydrangea in the Prix de l'Opera. O'Brien told At The Races: "It was a great performance for her to beat Hydrangea, who obviously went on to win at Ascot next time. "Given how much she stepped forward from her previous run at Leopardstown, it might be too much to hope that she could improve from that again, but if she runs to a similar level again we'd be delighted." A return to fast ground is expected to bring out the best in Queen's Trust when she bids for back-to-back victories in the race. Following placed efforts in the Nassau Stakes, the Yorkshire Oaks and the British Champions Fillies & Mares Stakes, Sir Michael Stoute's filly broke her Group One duck with a narrow victory over Lady Eli in this race 12 months ago at Santa Anita. She has been running consistently well at the top level this season without winning and with Frankie Dettori in the saddle for the first time in a year, hopes are high she can round off her racing career in the grandest manner. Chris Richardson, managing director for owner-breeders Cheveley Park Stud, said: "Every race she has run this year has been on good to soft or soft ground. She likes the fast ground. "She hasn't really had a chance with the ground this year and this is the last race of her career. Mr and Mrs Thompson (owners) were happy to take another chance and Sir Michael recommended she ran. "We know she is hugely talented, it is just a question of getting her conditions. "It was fantastic winning the race last year as it crowned our year." Stoute is similarly hopeful conditions will help Queen's Trust rediscover her best form, but admits the race being run over nine furlongs, rather than the usual mile and a quarter, is a disadvantage. He said: "She's going back a furlong, which is not ideal. She needed every inch of the trip at Santa Anita. "But she'll like these conditions and she'll like the American pace she's going to get. "Then again, she'll need a bit of luck en route." The four-strong European challenge is completed by the Roger Varian-trained Nezwaah and Charlie Appleby's Wuheida. The latter was beaten less than a length into fourth by Rhododendron in France last month, having previously occupied the same position in the Matron Stakes at Leopardstown. Appleby said: " If she brings that Matron form or the Prix de l'Opera form here on Saturday, I think she's a major player. "I think she'll be suited by getting back on a sounder surface and she's been here a bit longer than most of the horses as she was due to run in Keeneland before she got the corn a couple of days before the Queen Elizabeth. "She's settled in very well. I'm delighted with the way she looks and the way she's training." The home team is headed by Lady Eli, who has won her last three starts for Chad Brown. "She looks great right now, better than ever, and all her recent workouts have been spectacular," said the trainer. "She's a horse that never ceases to amaze me. At this stage of her career, to be training better than ever - defies logic, really. "She has the talent, the desire and the will to win and overcome anything. "You have to have the horse to do it and she's a rare one."
