THE Ballydoyle juvenile fillies have made waves so far this season.

Clemmie won the Group 3 Grangecon Stud Stakes at the Curragh and the Group 2 Duchess of Cambridge Stakes at Newmarket.

Happily won the Group 3 Silver Flash Stakes at Leopardstown and September landed the Listed Chesham Stakes at Royal Ascot, while Actress beat the boys in the Group 3 Anglesey Stakes at the Curragh. Then, two weeks ago, Magical led home a Ballydoyle one-two-four in the Group 2 Debutante Stakes at the Curragh.

pecking order

The difficulty is that, for now, it is not easy to establish a set pecking order. Magical was the outsider of the three Aidan O’Brien-trained fillies in that Debutante Stakes. September was sent off the 11/10 favourite for the race, and Happily was a close second favourite, but neither could get to their stable companion.

This is not a new phenomenon among the Ballydoyle juvenile fillies. In the Moyglare Stud Stakes last year, Hydrangea was only third best of the four Aidan O’Brien-trained fillies according to the market, yet she did best of the quartet, getting to within a short-head of the winner Intricately.

The Aidan O’Brien-trained 16/1 shot Brave Anna won the Albany Stakes at Royal Ascot last year, with her stable companion, the 2/1 favourite Cuff, finishing two lengths behind her in fifth place.

In the Cheveley Park Stakes at Newmarket last year, the same Brave Anna sprang a 25/1 shock, getting up to beat her better-fancied stable companion Roly Poly by a short-head, with American speedster Lady Aurelia two lengths back in third.

There are parallels too with 2015. Ballydoyle (the filly) won the Debutante Stakes that year, as the market predicted she would, with fourth-favourite Minding finishing second and third-favourite Alice Springs finishing fifth.

Placings were reversed, however, in the Moyglare Stud Stakes three weeks later, with 15/2 shot Minding beating the 5/4 favourite Ballydoyle by three-parts of a length, with 20/1 shot Alice Springs back in third.

The market remains a little uncertain about the pecking order of this year’s Ballydoyle juveniles.

Magical is favourite for tomorrow’s Moyglare Stud Stakes, as you would expect, given that she kept on as gamely as she did to land the Debutante Stakes, but the pecking order may change again before the season’s end.