Harrington Takes Aim at Ribblesdale With Magical Lagoon

It was only a matter of time before the Gosden-O'Brien axis would slip. Those stables have sent out every Ribblesdale Stakes (G2) winner since 2015 but the Gosdens don't have a runner this year and others make more appeal than Aidan O'Brien's sole runner—and those are also trained by the names you would probably expect.

Likely favorite Sea Silk Road  is trained by William Haggas. This filly is best thought of as an heir to 2018 Darley Irish Oaks (G1) winner Sea of Class, who ended up finishing second to Enable  in the Qatar Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe (G1). Like her predecessor, Sea Silk Road won a minor Oaks trial but missed Epsom.

In her case it was the Height of Fashion at Goodwood, in which she still showed some inexperience on just her third start but, most importantly, extended with real quality and shaped as though stepping up to 12 furlongs will be of significant benefit. She is bred to stay even further than this.

If you are thinking of well-bred late bloomers, trainers Charlie Appleby and Roger Varian would both be on your mind too and they each have a live candidate.

The Appleby-trained Life of Dreams  is representing Cazoo Oaks (G1) second Emily Upjohn , who was not declared for this race. The daughter of Dubawi  chased her home, albeit in a well-beaten second, in the Tattersalls Musidora Stakes (G3) at York having come straight from a maiden win on debut just a few weeks before.

Varian's runner is Mukaddamah , who took the modern route of winning a maiden in the winter on the all-weather then being given a break to gear up for summer. Her better run this spring, having previously been third over a mile here in April, was when third in a listed Oaks trial at Newbury on Lockinge day. The first three were miles clear and winner Nashwa  has since finished third in the Oaks. Runner-up Stay Alert , who some claimed was the anchor on the form, won a listed race back at Newbury last week.

There may yet be an Aidan O'Brien-trained winner of this race, as his History  is part of a two-pronged Irish attack. She has taken a route that O'Brien often uses to middle-distance races, spring trials and mile Classics, but she is no Tuesday . For a start, she was well behind the subsequent Oaks winner when they met in the Tattersalls Irish One Thousand Guineas (G1). Secondly, she is not so stoutly bred, being out of an American miler.

The Jessica Harrington-trained Magical Lagoon  is the other Irish-trained runner. She is more of a classic O'Brien type, and in fact she was bred by Coolmore. On her only run this year she strongly pressed Concert Hall , who has since made the frame in the Irish Guineas and the Oaks.

A group 3 winner last year, Magical Lagoon is the mount of Shane Foley, who eyes a first winner at the meeting having finished second on Cadillac  in Tuesday's Wolferton Stakes, Lucky Vega in the St James's Palace (G1) last year, and Toscanini in the Chesham in 2014.

Harrington said: "It was always the plan to skip the Oaks and go straight to the Ribblesdale with her. She's done great since Navan and I was thrilled with her second to Concert Hall there. She's a lovely filly and one we like."

Magical Lagoon will need to improve her form, and her head carriage, if she is to win, but at least she is evidently bred for this particular task. Both her sire (Galileo ) and half brother (Novellist) won the King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Stakes (G1) over this course and distance, and if the previous domination by Gosden and O'Brien tells us anything, it is that pedigrees matter in the Ribblesdale.