Qatar Racing’s Simple Verse obviously likes Doncaster racecourse. She was the winner of the St Leger Stakes there last year and, on Thursday, she returned to land the Park Hill Stakes (Gr2) recording her first Group victory this season. Simple Verse beat Pretty Perfect by a neck in a very strong finish by the two fillies. California was third.
“We had a few problems with her post-Ascot and it wasn’t easy getting her back from her break,” said Simple Verse’s trainer Ralph Beckett. “She wants this trip. She wants to go further, but I’m delighted. I imagine that we’ll probably go to the Long Distance Cup on Champions Day. It’s a shame it’s not a Group 1 but it’s probably the race for her.”
The silks of Qatar Racing were back in the winners’ enclosure thanks to the two-year-old Rich Legacy, who won the May Hill Stakes (Gr2), and is also trained by Beckett. She showed plenty of determination to wear down Grecian Light, who came second ahead of Urban Fox.
“She’s a lovely straight-forward filly who has rather crept up on us,” Beckett said. “She surprised us by winning first time as I hadn’t seen anything like that from her at home. I’m thrilled to bits. She’s in the Prix Marcel Boussac. I thought that was the race for her after her debut win and maybe it still is.”