Tom Marquand has his sights set on what would be a memorable Group One double at Newmarket this weekend.

The prolific Relief Rally takes her chance in the Juddmonte Cheveley Park Stakes, followed soon after by Lake Forest in the Middle Park.

Both juveniles are trained by William Haggas and both are fresh from Group-race victories at the Ebor meeting, where Relief Rally landed the Lowther Stakes and Lake Forest was a slightly more surprising winner of the Gimcrack.

Their big-race jockey said: “Relief Rally has been foot-perfect all season. She is a little battler and has the ability to go with it which is great. I’m looking forward to the weekend as it would be her big opportunity to get a well-deserved Group One on the board.

“Realistically, she probably has to take another little step forward as there are other fillies who will be progressing at the end of the year, but it is a step, not a leap. 

“She has been super versatile everywhere we have gone with her. The way she has done everything else I can’t imagine the track will be a problem. If she takes a small step forward she should be putting up a big performance and that should be enough to win.”

He added: “If she does train on it would be absolutely fantastic as she has not had a killer year where you have emptied the tank.

“She has had every opportunity to have some big dances, and this would be the biggest of them all. 

“With fast two-year-olds you have to enjoy them in the moment and ultimately she has given us a great season. 

“If it backs up to nothing else then so be it, but you can always look back with great fondness as there are not many that can go to those big festival meetings and perform as well as she has.”

In contrast to Relief Rally obliging as the 2-1 favourite at York, Lake Forest was sent on his way at 16-1 for the Gimcrack, having been beaten at 1-3 previously at Newmarket.

Marquand said: “He flashed what he could do up at Haydock on his first start and the July Stakes at Newmarket was similar.

“Getting beat in the novice was the curveball that probably made him completely unfancied in the Gimcrack, but if you went back to that July Stakes form, you probably had to think he was not too far away from having a really good shout in it. 

“It is going to be an extremely tough race and there are those horses that are proven at the top level already, but he is a Gimcrack winner, and you have to be a pretty good horse to do that and hopefully he can continue on that path.”

Before Saturday, Marquand has a high-profile ride to look forward to on Friday with the return of Maljoom in the Al Basti Equiworld, Dubai Joel Stakes.

The Caravaggio colt has not been seen since finishing an unlucky fourth in last year’s St James’s Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot.

“It is great to have Maljoom back on a racecourse. He was an extremely exciting horse but didn’t have things go his way and unfortunately he found a few bumps in the road,” he said.

“I jumped on him the other morning and he felt great. He has been off the track for a long time and you worry he might be a bit rusty, but he feels and looks great and everyone is happy with him.

“Hopefully he can make a good reappearance and show us what he showed before and get back on the right road.

“William had a couple of options for him, but he chose this for a reason, and it looks a good starting place. Hopefully it will be a good gauge as to where he is and what we do in the future with him.

“Fingers crossed this next chapter in his book can be a bit longer than the last one and he can have a clear run at it all.”

Relief Rally is set to head to Newmarket for the Juddmonte Cheveley Park Stakes on Saturday week, rather than travelling to France for the Prix de l’Abbaye the following afternoon.

The William Haggas-trained filly has won four of her five starts to date, her only defeat coming at Royal Ascot where she was beaten a nose by American raider Crimson Advocate in the Queen Mary.

She subsequently dominated her rivals in the Weatherbys Super Sprint at Newbury before successfully stepping up to the Cheveley Park distance of six furlongs in the Group Two Lowther at York.

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In the immediate aftermath Haggas raised the possibility of his youngster taking on her elders at ParisLongchamp, but connections are favouring keeping her against her own sex and age group on the Rowley Mile.

“The plan is very much to go to the Cheveley Park at this moment in time,” said Anthony Bromley, racing manager for owners Simon Munir and Isaac Souede.

“It’s pretty much decision made, obviously other variables can happen between now and then, but at the moment all roads lead to Newmarket.

“It just seems she deserves a go at a Group One and the Cheveley Park is fillies’ only and six furlongs, which seemed to suit well in the Lowther.

“William seems happy with her and there’s no reason not to go to Newmarket really.”

William Haggas’ Relief Rally will be tested over six furlongs in the Sky Bet Lowther Stakes at York after an impressive string of five-furlong performances.

The daughter of Kodiac has been beaten just once in four runs, winning a novice and a conditions race before stepping up to Group Two level in the Queen Mary Stakes at Royal Ascot.

There she was beaten just a nose by the American challenger Crimson Advocate in a busy field of 26 runners.

She lost little in defeat and was a winner again when heading to Newbury for the Super Sprint, a race she won by three lengths under regular rider Tom Marquand.

The same jockey will receive the leg-up on the Knavesmire, where Relief Rally steps up to six furlongs for the first time against a group of eight rivals for the Group Two Lowther.

Trainer William Haggas said: “She’ll run a good race. She’s a lovely filly – very fast, very able, goes on any ground.

“She should get the trip – I think she’ll enjoy the trip.”

Relief Rally will face Andrew Balding’s Flora Of Bermuda, a Dark Angel filly last seen winning the Alice Keppel at Goodwood by a convincing four lengths.

Prior to that the grey was sixth of 26 in the Queen Mary at Royal Ascot, where she was the first home in the group on the far side as the race split into three bunches across the track.

“She won well at Goodwood in different ground conditions, we’re looking forward to seeing her over six furlongs and she seems in great form,” said Balding.

“You never quite know until you try, but it’s a nice race for her and the timing is right.

“The draw was a factor there (at Ascot) but it won’t be here, it’s a smaller field.

“Hopefully we’ll get a fair race and fingers crossed she runs well.”

Also well-fancied is Aidan O’Brien’s Cherry Blossom, a No Nay Never filly with form over six furlongs as she won a Curragh maiden over the trip by five lengths earlier in August.

Prior to that she notably made her debut in Listed company, finishing fourth in the Marwell Stakes when beaten only a length and a quarter.

“We started her off in a Listed race and she ran well,” said O’Brien.

“She’d taken a big step forward from that and we’ve always liked her. Any ease in the ground would be an advantage to her.”

Charlie Appleby and Godolphin have a runner in Star Of Mystery, winner of the Listed Empress Stakes and second in the Duchess of Cambridge at Newmarket’s July Cup meeting.

Karl Burke, who was victorious last year with Swingalong, has two chances with Beautiful Diamond and Dorothy Lawrence.

Beautiful Diamond was third in the Queen Mary when racing alone behind the leading duo, prior to which she was a decisive winner of a Nottingham maiden.

Dorothy Lawrence has more racing experience having run four times, including a good course effort when second in the Marygate by half a length in May.

Following that performance she was third at Chantilly and then won for the first time in an Ayr maiden last month.

Running in the same Clipper Logistics silks for Michael Bell will be Queen’s Guard, who comes into the race having won a Yarmouth maiden last time, with Irish trainer Paddy Twomey represented by Airlie Stud Stakes second Gunzburg.

Clive Cox will saddle Symbology, a winner over course and distance on debut before finishing third in the Princess Margaret at Ascot.

Relief Rally will bid to give trainer William Haggas his third success in the Weatherbys Super Sprint when she takes on 20 rivals in the valuable five-furlong dash at Newbury.

Haggas, who struck with Superstar Leo in 2000 and Jargelle eight years later, feels the daughter of Kodiac has plenty going for her – and so do the bookmakers, who make her a warm favourite for the prize which is worth £122,925 to the winner.

Royal Ascot’s Queen Mary has been a good pointer to the Newbury sprint and having finished runner-up to American raider Crimson Advocate, who ended Relief Rally’s unbeaten run and foiled a hat-trick bid, Haggas feels she is the one to beat.

The last nine winners have come from stall 13 or higher and Tom Marquand’s mount is handily placed in stall 18, with Eve Johnson Houghton’s fancied pair Bobsleigh and Juniper Berries berthed in stalls 16 and four respectively.

“She’s a good filly and she’s very well,” said Haggas. “She won’t mind any rain. I don’t know about the draw.

“She is drawn with Bobsleigh and away from Juniper Berries, but there’s not much we can do about that. She has a good chance.”

The weight carried by a horse in the Super Sprint is determined by its sale price and as such, Juniper Berries, who finished fourth, four lengths behind Relief Rally at Ascot, is in receipt of 7lb this time.

Johnson Houghton said: “I was absolutely thrilled with Juniper Berries in the Queen Mary – she ran a blinder – and fourth at Royal Ascot is quite a feather in your cap.

“Relief Rally is obviously the main danger but we have a huge weight turnaround, so I am hoping that will be enough to change the placings.

“Bobsleigh has come out of the Coventry in very good form, I am very happy with him. He ran a storming race (at Ascot, beaten three lengths by River Tiber), which has turned out to be very strong form.

“That (five furlongs) would be my main worry. He has won over five and a half, but he looks like he gets the six furlongs well. They normally go very fast in the Super Sprint, so I am hoping that he we will be picking them up at the end.”

Irish raider Son Of Corballis has won two of his three starts for County Laois handler Kieran Cotter, latterly talking the scalp of the well-regarded Coolmore-owned colt Alabama in a Listed sprint at Tipperary.

Though he won on yielding ground on debut, Cotter is hoping the unsettled weather forecast is wrong.

He said: “We actually would want quickish good ground. He won on quick ground twice and I’m hoping it doesn’t rain to be honest.

“The way I look at it, if Alabama was in the race, he’d be hot favourite after previously running well at Ascot (fifth in the Windsor Castle) on the wrong side of the track. We’ve beat him twice this year with two different horses. He’s a fair horse.

“Before he won, he’d been working really well and we really fancied him. But since then, he’s been really laid back in his work, he just couldn’t be bothered.

“He has gone very relaxed altogether. So, when we were going for the Listed sprint, we thought cheekpieces would be needed, as these sprints are won by short heads.

“He is one of these horses who just pulls it out on the day, which is good, as we’ve had too many horses who will fly up the gallops and then you go to the track and they let you down a bit.

“He’s drawn 13 and that was our one big worry. The lads were saying if he was drawn one or two, you might just turn round the box.

“If you’d have given me the 13 stall yesterday I would have taken it. He’ll jump and go and we’ll see how far he gets.”

Roger Teal was also delighted with the 20 berth that Ffos Las debut winner Rosario has been accorded.

A son of Harry Angel, he had the reopposing Heed The Call and Relentless Warrior behind when scoring by a length and a quarter under George Rooke, who retains the ride.

Teal said: “He did it nicely on his first day at school. It all went very nicely and hopefully he will have improved for that, so fingers crossed.

“He is owned by my wife and we think a bit of him. He’s got a good draw, but the only worry would be the rain that is supposed to come on Saturday.”

He went on: “That could just mess us up a bit – he’s quite a good-moving horse and he wouldn’t want the ground too soft.

“Other than that, he’s pretty straightforward and he did the job nicely, so we’re looking forward to it.

“I’ve had bad draws all year, so it’s about time we got a good one. I don’t know what I’ve done right – they must have got my name mixed up in the computer somewhere!”

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