HEREDIA is set to take a significant step up in class today when she lines up in the Group 1 Virgin Bet Sun Chariot Stakes at Newmarket, but there is a real chance that she will be up to the task.

Richard Hannon’s filly has always been a classy filly. Winner of her only two races at two, she won the Sandringham Handicap at Royal Ascot last year on her second start at three.

Her form tailed off a little at the end of last season, but she has resumed her progress of late, and her last two runs are up there with the best runs of her life.

She did admittedly get the run of the race at Haydock in August when she won the Listed Dick Hern Stakes. Sean Levey got her into a lovely position along the inside in mid-division behind a fast pace early on, but she left the impression that she was winning with so much in hand that it is probable that she would have won however the race had been run.

And she didn’t have the run of the race last time in the Group 3 Atalanta Stakes at Sandown. Dropped in from her wide draw, they didn’t go overly quickly early on, which wasn’t ideal.

Ninth of the 10 runners as they straightened up for home, she picked up impressively down the outside and went on to win nicely, emulating her dam Nakuti, who had won the Atalanta Stakes eight years earlier. Three of the fillies who chased Heredia home at Sandown finished first, second and fourth in the Listed Rosemary Stakes at Newmarket on Saturday.

This is obviously a big step up in grade for the Dark Angel filly today. Inspiral is top class, and she bounced back to form last time in winning the Prix Jacques le Marois again. She is 11lb superior to Heredia on official ratings. But she is not invincible, she can have off days.

She was beaten at long odds-on in the Falmouth Stakes on Newmarket’s July Course last year, and she was beaten in the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes at Ascot last year on her next run after she had won the 2022 Jacques le Marois.

Mqse De Sevigne comes here on a roll having won a brace of Group 1 contests, the Prix Rothschild and the Prix Jean Romanet, and her trainer won this race in 2015 with Esoterique, and Meditate ran better than her finishing position suggests in her first-time blinkers – retained today – in the Matron Stakes last time.

But Heredia goes into the race on an upward trajectory. Also, she was just beaten in a listed race at the Guineas meeting on her only run to date on the Rowley Mile, and Sean Levey, who was excellent on Rosallion in the Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere at Longchamp on Sunday, knows her intimately, he has ridden her in all her 12 races. She could out-run her odds by a fair way.

Ascot

Pearle D’Or could also out-run his odds in the Howden Challenge Cup at Ascot. Winner of his maiden at Naas over six furlongs as a juvenile on his racecourse debut for Dermot Weld, he has hit a rich vein of form of late.

He was just caught by Farasi Lane in a seven-furlong handicap at Ascot in July when he was ridden prominently, but he has been held up in his last three races, and probably put up the three best performances of his career in those races.

He picked up smartly from the rear to hit the front a furlong out in a seven-furlong handicap at Ascot on King George day at the end of July, and he kept on well late on to withstand the challenge of Mobashr.

On his penultimate run, he stayed on well to finish second in a Racing League race at Chepstow behind Ramazan, who was only just beaten in the Ayr Gold Cup two weeks ago. And then last time, at Newbury last Saturday, Pearle D’Or was impressive in winning a seven-furlong handicap on heavy ground.

Almost last early on that day, he had to switch towards the far side, away from the favoured stands rail, but he picked up smartly before going on to win nicely, leaving the impression that he had more in hand than the length and a quarter winning margin.

The handicapper raised him by just 4lb for that, and he has to race under a 6lb penalty today, so he is effectively 2lb poorly-in. But that appears to be more than factored into his odds, and it is more important that he goes into the race on an upward trajectory.

This is obviously a step up in grade, from a 0-90 handicap into a heritage handicap, but there is every chance that he will take another step forward.

One of a quintet of runners representing David O’Meara, who won the race last year with Escobar, this seven-furlong trip is his optimum trip, he has run really well in two visits to Ascot, and ground on the easy side of good should be ideal.

Recommended:

Heredia, 1 point win, 3.15 Newmarket, 10/1 (generally)

Pearle D’Or, 1 point each-way, 3.35 Ascot, 16/1 (generally)