Sunderland Echo

Jess could break her UK duck in Suffolk

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Jessica Harrington has never won a Classic on UK soil, but that could all change when Discoverie­s runs in the Qipco 1000 Guineas at Newmarket.

The Irish raider has won two of her four starts so far and although not seen in any of the early season trials for the first fillies' Classic of the season, she is sure to be firing on all cylinders for her threeyear-old bow.

The daughter of Mastercraf­tsman showed plenty of guts to hold off big-race rival Tuesday when breaking her maiden tag at the Curragh last summer, and it was back at that track later in the season where she highlighte­d her Classic credential­s when keeping on well to take the Group One Moyglare Stud Stakes.

Although never tried over further than seven furlongs, she has always been strong at the latter stages of her races and the move up to a mile looks as though it should pose few problems.

Harrington won an Irish 1,000 Guineas, Coronation Stakes and Falmouth Stakes at a mile with Discoverie­s' full sister Alpha Centauri, while half-sister Alpine Star is another to score over the mile in Group One company.

Aidan O'Brien has won five of the last six runnings of this HQ Classic and his runners have to be respected, although the biggest challenger­s to our selection could well be the French pair, Malavath and Zellie, with less than two lengths separating the duo when they met at Deauville recently.

Malavath had Cachet (fourth), Hello You (fifth) and Mise En Scene (10th) all behind when runner-up in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf last November, a piece of form that is looking rock solid.

While Malavath might have to make do with minor honours in the big one, her trainer Francis-Henri Graffard could be on the scoresheet with Ebaiyra in the Group Two Betfair Exchange Dahlia Stakes.

The consistent five-yearold, who has won four times in 13 starts, was third in the Hong Kong Vase on her final start for Alain de Royer-Dupre and has since been on the road again under the stewardshi­p of Graffard – finishing third in the Neom Turf Cup in Saudi Arabia.

She was last seen filling the same position in the Listed

Prix Zarkava on home soil and this hardy mare will not shirk at another trip overseas and is sure to be thereabout­s at the business end.

There could be a winner for the north when Dark Jedi lines up in the Betfair Daily

Rewards Handicap.

The six-year-old finished second to handicap blot Enemy at Musselburg­h last time and with the winner putting up a fine effort in the Sagaro Stakes recently, it offers plenty of optimism.

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