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Channon eyes up Observer prize
Mick Channon is hoping that Sonning Rose can bloom in the £40,000 Group Three Chichester Observer Prestige Stakes (3.40pm) at Goodwood on Saturday, August 28.
The West Ilsley trainer gave the Hawk Wing filly a break after her runner-up finish to Zaidan over the same distance of seven furlongs in the Listed Chesham Stakes at Royal Ascot on June 19, and the two-year-old is one of 11 high-class entries for the Goodwood contest, alongside last week's Group Two Lowther Stakes heroine Hooray.
Sonning Rose comfortably landed a maiden at Pontefract on June 7, having previously made a pleasing career debut at Goodwood when a neck second to Crown Prosecutor in a six-furlong maiden on May 31.
Channon revealed: "We gave Sonning Rose a break after Ascot as that was her third run in quite a short space of time. We are bringing her back for the autumn and she is grand.
"It will be a good race and certainly won't be easy, but she's a smashing filly and everything is in place. She's got a bit of speed and I think she has done well for having a break so we will take it from there.
"She is in good heart and will be ready to run."
See a preview of all three Goodwood meetings taking place this week in the Observer on Thursday - plus a great Goodwood reader offer and a chance to win tickets to Fontwell Park's next meeting
The 11-strong entry also includes one of the most exciting fillies in training, Date With Destiny. The Richard Hannon-trained juvenile, a Group One Fillies' Mile entry, is the only foal born to the late champion George Washington and she heads to the Chichester Observer Prestige Stakes after winning over the distance on her debut at Newbury on July 9.
Hannon could also run the Listed placed Sweet Cecily, while the Roger Teal-trained Cochabamba was runner-up in the Listed Star Stakes at Sandown on July 22 and Godolphin's Zabeel Park was second in the same grade at Deauville on July 31.
Also of note, Sir Michael Stoute has engaged Newbury maiden winner Cape Dollar, while Ralph Beckett could run unbeaten Leicester maiden winner Princess Severus.
The Chichester Observer Prestige Stakes is well titled given the race's standing as a leading contest for juvenile fillies with top-flight aspirations. Numerous past contestants have gone on to compete and triumph in Group/Grade One company. Among them, 2000 winner Gossamer went on to win the Group One Fillies' Mile and Group One Irish 1,000 Guineas, while Nannina (2005) also landed the Fillies' Mile and added the Group One Coronation Stakes at Royal Ascot the following year.
Other outstanding winners of the race include Pure Grain (1994), Bella Colora (1984) and Fairy Footsteps (1981).
The Chichester Observer Prestige Stakes is one of the highlights of a fantastic seven-race card, the feature of which is the 100,000 Group Two totesport.com Celebration Mile (3.05pm), which has nine remaining at the five-day stage, including last year's winner of the Group Two Betfair Cup at the course, Finjaan, as well as Group Two Summer Mile hero Premio Loco, Group One Dewhurst Stakes victor Beethoven, and Group One-placed duo Main Aim and Rainfall.
Godolphin's Rio De La Plata won the Group One Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere and Group Two Veuve Clicquot Vintage Stakes at Goodwood as a juvenile and showed his wellbeing on August 20, when winning the Group Three Strensall Stakes at York. His trainer, Saeed bin Suroor, has also engaged Poet's Voice, while the field is completed by Vitznau and Summer Fete.
The day also features the 40,000 Listed Windflower March Stakes (2.30pm) over a mile and six furlongs, which has 15 entries, including Queen Alexandra Stakes winner Bergo from the Gary Moore stable.
The second day of the meeting, Sunday, August 29, hosts another enthralling seven-race card when the feature contest is the seven-furlong 57,000 Supreme Stakes (3.55pm), for which there are 22 entries including Tropical Paradise, successful over the course and distance in the Group Three Oak Tree Stakes at Glorious Goodwood.
Goodwood also stages an evening fixture on Thursday, August 26, prior to its late August highlight.
The latest going is good to soft after 38 millimetres of rainfall in 48 hours between Saturday and Monday.
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Weather for Chichester
Tuesday 29 May 2012
Today
Sunny
Temperature: 13 C to 21 C
Wind Speed: 20 mph
Wind direction: West
Tomorrow
Sunny spells
Temperature: 13 C to 20 C
Wind Speed: 18 mph
Wind direction: South west
