Quadrilateral Faces Quality Field in Coronation Stakes

There are normally three days of separation between the St. James's Palace Stakes (G1) and its equivalent for fillies, the Coronation Stakes (G1). As though to honor the occasion of the gap closing to 35 minutes for one year only, the one-mile Coronation has copied the form of its more celebrated sibling to an uncanny degree June 20.

The favorite, Quadrilateral, was beaten in third in the QIPCO One Thousand Guineas (G1) at Newmarket, losing her unblemished record in the process. She still heads the betting to gain revenge on the Guineas runner-up, with the major threat to the pair coming from a fast-improving John Gosden-trained runner who has never before run at group 1 level.

Trainer Roger Charlton was pleased with Quadrilateral's Guineas placing but admits she must settle better if she is to make an impression against a high-quality field in the Coronation Stakes.

The daughter of Frankel who was undefeated as a 2-year-old finished behind Cloak of Spirits and Love in the classic this month after racing keenly in the opening stages under Jason Watson.

"She seems to have come out of the Guineas very well," Charlton said. "Having a hard race 13 days earlier is hardly an ideal prep, but there are no rules in this business and we won't know until we try. She appeared to be a bit keen going to post last time and was too keen for probably five of the eight furlongs, but having done that, she did incredibly well to stay on for third. She really needs to settle.

"We'll learn a lot, including how she goes on softer ground. We're also going without a tongue-tie, which perhaps made her a bit keen last time. We hope she runs well, but this looks like a strong race."

Charlton believes 1 1/4 miles will be within her grasp but decided to go for the Coronation Stakes rather than wait for the Prix de Diane (G1), which would be complicated by travel and quarantine arrangements.

"We've not really got a target for her after this," he said. "It's a concertinaed program book, but there are races about. She'll probably stay at eight or 10 furlongs rather than suddenly spring into the Oaks."

She shaped better than Cloak of Spirits at Newmarket, as the latter was let loose on the front, and that probably made a head's worth of difference at the line. While Cloak of Spirits was also a close third in the Shadwell Rockfel Stakes (G2), her group 1 class might be slightly overplayed by her Guineas second.

"We just have to assume she's fine. She looks fine, she's moving fine. That's all you can base it on," said Cloak of Spirits' trainer, Richard Hannon. "Hopefully, the track will suit her. She'll prefer Ascot round a bend much more than Newmarket."

The Gosden runner is Run Wild, who actually won an Oaks trial last time. In pure form terms, it was only a small improvement on her juvenile form, but the manner was what impressed.

"We're hopeful she'll handle the ground as she ran well on testing conditions at Deauville last year. She's coming back in trip but deserves to take her chance," Gosden said.

She is also bred to prove best beyond a mile. It is surmised that she is running in this race partly because stablemate Frankly Darling exists, which is not the same as saying she cannot win.

The three Irish runners—Alpine Star, So Wonderful, and Love Locket—do not feel like exotic raiders given there is an American runner. Graham Motion has sent Sharing, who won on turf at the Breeders' Cup in November. She has a European manner of racing, not the eyeballs-out style familiar in her homeland, and those who keep an eye on U.S. workouts suggest she is being trained that way.

"I'm comfortable with her going over a mile, but she may want further in time," Motion said. "We decided to keep it straightforward and run her against 3-year-old fillies rather than in open company. My main worry is the rain as it would be a different challenge in testing conditions."

There is a European link to Sharing's form. At the Breeders' Cup, she beat Daahyeh, who had won the Rockfel Stakes and been second to One Thousand Guineas winner Love in the Sept. 15 Moyglare Stud Stakes (G1).

It could be argued that run alone makes her value at around 6-1, and doubts over the surface are quelled by her sire, Speightstown , having produced a reasonable number of classy European turf horses, few of whom were reliant on fast ground.