Top-class Falmouth efforts from Wuheida and Arabian Hope

Three-year-old fillies Wuheida and Arabian Hope both ran fine races to finish second and third respectively in the G1 Falmouth Stakes over a mile of Newmarket’s July Course on Friday, July 14.

 

The Charlie Appleby-trained Wuheida, making her first appearance since capturing the G1 Prix Marcel Boussac in October last year, was slightly slow into her stride but soon recovered to dispute a close third of the seven runners on the outside.

 

She moved up powerfully under William Buick to challenge for the lead with a furlong and a half remaining and then kept on in the closing stages to go down by a length and a quarter to Roly Poly, who made all to score in a quick time of 1m 36.01s on good to firm ground.

 

The Saeed bin Suroor-trainer Arabian Hope, a Listed winner at York on June 17, was covered up in fourth by Josephine Gordon, before dropping back with a quarter-mile left but rallied strongly inside the final furlong to take third, half a length behind Wuheida.

 

Charlie Appleby said: “I am delighted with Wuheida, who has travelled well throughout the race.

 

“They haven’t gone a searching gallop – Ryan Moore has built it up nicely from the front end on Roly Poly – but Wuheida’s class has taken her to where she finished today.

 

“I would be pretty confident that she is going to take a good leap forward for the race.

“William felt that, if anything, Wuheida has got a bit quicker compared to last year. We might have a look at keeping her around a mile – we will let the dust settle and see how she comes out of race.

 

“I was thinking we might go up 10 furlongs beforehand. I still had it in my mind we would go to be going forward for the Nassau (G1, Goodwood, 1m 2f, August 3), but with a filly like her, I just want to get her back and see her sound. The Matron Stakes (G1, Leopardstown, 1m, September 9) is also a possibility.

 

“She doesn’t mind quick ground. Good ground would obviously be perfect, but I couldn’t have been happier with that performance.

 

“She is a filly I have been patient with (after a setback in April) and I’m looking forward to the second half of the season now. She has shown she retains that ability she showed as a two-year-old.”

 

William Buick added: “That was a very good run and Wuheida is entitled to improve a lot for that. It turned into something of a sprint, but we were always in the right place.”

 

Saeed bin Suroor commented: “Arabian Hope has taken another step forward, having won a Listed race last time and now finished third in a G1 contest.

 

“I was happy with the way she finished in the race and we may look at stepping her up to a mile and a quarter for the Nassau Stakes at Goodwood, or keep her over a mile for the Prix Rothschild (G1, July 30) at Deauville.”