Last year’s Group I Pretty Polly Stakes (1m2f) at the Curragh was won by top class Fastnet Rock mare Via Sistina (IRE), who now calls Australia home and the race was run again overnight in Ireland with victory going to Juddmonte Farms homebred Camelot mare Bluestocking.
Trained by Ralph Beckett and ridden by Ross Ryan, Bluestocking started favourite following a first up win in the Group II Middletown Fillies Stakes at York that broke a frustratingly winless three year-old season which featured Group I seconds in the Irish Oaks and British Champions Fillies and Mares.
Bluestocking has her confidence now and was strong to the line chasing down dual Group I winner Emily Upjohn to win by half a length.
“Bluestocking was always going to get there in the end, I thought she was always going to pick up as she finds plenty under pressure. You would think the Nassau (G1) is the right place to go and she clearly enjoys York, she's run well twice there, so the Yorkshire Oaks will probably be a good idea as well. I don't think trip is that important, I just think conditions have to be right and they were today,” said Ralph Beckett.
Bluestocking is the best of four winners from Group I winning Dansili mare Emulous, a sister to Group III winer First Sitting and stakes-winner Daring Diva, the grand-dam of Group I winning Kentucky Derby winner Mandaloun, who was awarded the race in 2021 when the winner Medina Spirit was later disqualified for a positive swab.
Bluestocking is the 12th Group I winner for Camelot, who has a strong chance in the Group I Irish Derby run on Sunday night our time with Los Angeles looking to improve on his Epsom Derby third placing.
Los Angeles is bred the same way being by Camelot from a daughter of Dansili with the nick producing 23 winners from 31 starters (74.2% winner to runner) and four stakes-winners so 13% SW to runner.
