Juliette's Weekly Frolic
God bless Rheingold. Crouched in front of the ' box ' on Sunday afternoon I certainly didn't feel like a girl about to tip the winner of the world's richest race, the mood being one of despair rather than confidence. It had been a bad week, starting with Gentle Thoughts, 9-1 heroine of the Cheveley Park, being mercilessly sliced from my column on printing night, and ending amid thunderstorms on the Rowley Mile. In the Cambridgeshire, Negus finished a frustrating fifth — though you wouldn't have guessed that from the course commentator who declined to mention him — but it was left to Duke of Marmelade to deliver the coup de grace to my purse and pride in Division I of the Westley Maiden Stakes. With Vaguely Noble for a father, Mock Orange for a mother and a jockey. clad in flaming silks he'd seemed a natural for the bigtime and was backed accordingly. Retirement was imminent; but then there was Rheingold and I don't think I'll pension myself off just yet.
The girls had mixed luck over the weekend but are keeping their end up well enough to have the rest of this week's column devoted to them. Melodramatic and Katie Cecil, second and third in York's Strensall Stakes, may rejoin battle in the Marlborough House Stakes (Ascot, Friday). Katie is 6Ib better off, has already amassed a larger dowry and likes to run a mile. Next day their York conqueress, Silk Stocking, graduates to bigger things in the doubly valuable, four furlongs farther, Princess Royal Stakes. Unbeaten in three starts, she's something of a rare bird, and will need to be to beat Reload, who won the fillies' 'Leger' ' at Doncaster.
There will be many familiar females at Ascot on Saturday, but Sky Fever is not one of them. In fact, until she finished two heads and a neck behind Trillium a fortnight ago, she had not left home for over a year. Should the lady feel up to another outing Sky Fever could well achieve fame and fortune by beating the colts in the £5,000-added Bovis Stakes. Assets: £87.89. Outlay: E3 to win Katie Cecil, Silk Stocking & Sky Fever.
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