Karl Burke is feeling optimistic ahead of Sunday's Qipco 1000 Guineas at Newmarket, where Fallen Angel is attempting to win the Classic title.
The Too Darn Hot daughter, owned and bred by Steve Parkin, finished the juvenile season with a strong showing in the Moyglare Stud Stakes at the Curragh in September, having won three of her four starts.
This spring, connections chose to gallop on the racecourse at the Craven meeting in Newmarket instead of competing in a Guineas trial, and Burke feels his star filly is primed for this weekend's return to the Rowley Mile.
“Fallen Angel looks in great shape. She needed that gallop at the Craven meeting and came out of that really well and took a big step forward,” said the Spigot Lodge handler. “Fitness-wise she needed to have a good racecourse gallop and that will have brought her on and it will just sharpen her mind a little bit as well. They go up and down the same gallops here in Middleham all winter and it’s good to get them away and concentrate their minds, I suppose. She had four runs last year and travelled to Ireland and she travels well, but a racecourse gallop just puts their game day head on I suppose and definitely brings them forward. She did a good piece of work on Friday, she’ll have a little blowout tomorrow (Tuesday) and that’ll just about be her really, we’re very happy with her.”
With Coral, Fallen Angel is the 3-1 favourite. Aidan O'Brien's Ylang Ylang and Charlie Appleby's Dance Sequence are also strong contenders, coming in at 4-1 and 5-1, respectively.
While Dance Sequence was just narrowly defeated in the Nell Gwyn less than three weeks ago by Richard Fahey's Pretty Crystal, who was supplemented for the Guineas on Monday at a cost of £30,000, Ylang Ylang finished last of nine as a hot favourite for the Moyglare before bouncing back to land the Fillies’ Mile.
Burke added: “I think they’ve got us to beat, I really do. The formbook says they have, I know Ballydoyle will give you plenty of excuses for Ylang Ylang’s defeat in the Moyglare, but she’s got nine or 10 lengths to make up on us. Obviously Charlie’s filly got beat the other day and that form doesn’t look strong enough to win a Guineas. I’m sure Charlie’s horse will improve, but in all known form I think we deserve to be the favourite. Fallen Angel is very versatile ground-wise, anything from soft to good to firm would suit – I think the ground will be perfect whatever it is.”