Prix Maurice de Gheest goal for Great Generation

Marco Botti has the Prix Maurice de Gheest in mind for Great Generation after her pleasing Summer Stakes effort at York.

The daughter of Holy Roman Emperor has proved herself to be very consistent throughout her career so far, winning her first two starts and then ending her juvenile career with a Group Three placing when second in the Firth of Clyde at Ayr.

This season she started out at the same level at Deauville, contesting the Prix Imprudence when stepping up to seven furlongs on heavy ground.

There she was fourth when beaten three lengths, after which she won the Group Three Chartwell Fillies’ Stakes at Lingfield in May.

Off the track after that before returning at York on Friday, she was one of 12 to line up for the Summer Stakes when stepping back down to six furlongs and remaining at Group Three level.

She started at 5-1 and under a penalty was the fourth-placed horse, coming home just a length behind the winner in a tightly-bunched finish.

“I thought that she ran a good race considering the ground was a little bit on the soft side,” Botti said.

“I imagine she would have preferred slightly quicker ground, but it was still a good effort under a penalty.

“We were pleased in defeat, also she was drawn in stall one so maybe things just didn’t quite pan out as we hoped but I still feel she ran a good race.”

Great Generation holds an entry for the Prix Maurice de Gheest at Deauville on August 4 and is now likely to take that route and step up to Group One action in France.

Botti said: “I think we’ll stick to our original plan to go to the Prix Maurice de Gheest in August, we will take our shot because this has been the race we’ve had planned for a while.

“I know it’s against older horses, but it’s over six and a half furlongs and I think it’s going to be worth taking our chance.”

Great Generation shares an owner with another smart filly from the Botti yard, the Due Diligence three-year-old Folgaria.

The bay won the Fred Darling on her British debut having joined her trainer with an unbeaten record in Italy, where she was trained by Botti’s brother Stefano.

Her next assignment was a step up to a mile for the French 1000 Guineas at Longchamp, where she was 11th of 15 and beaten just five and a half lengths behind the winning horse.

Another mile contest was her next port of call as she lined up in the Group One Coronation Stakes at Royal Ascot, where she was sixth of nine behind some very smart fillies who brought solid top-drawer form to the table.

Botti now considers the mile trip to be longer than ideal and will aim for the Group Two Hungerford Stakes back at seven furlongs.

“She ran well at Ascot but I think her optimum trip is seven,” the trainer said.

“We are aiming for the Hungerford Stakes at Newbury on the August 17, again she will have to take on older horses.

“Unfortunately there are no races for fillies only over seven furlongs, so we will let her take her chance and she how she goes.”