LEXINGTON, Ky.— Two European-based 3-year-old fillies have won the Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup (G1). On Saturday, Glen Hill Farm’s Paris Peacock (IRE) will attempt to become the third.
Trained by Jessica Harrington, Paris Peacock arrived at Keeneland Tuesday just before 6 a.m. On Wednesday morning, she jogged and cantered on the all-weather training track with Emma Doyle aboard.
“It is the first time she had shipped out of Ireland,” said Niall “Bubba” Amond, traveling head lad for Harrington’s barn. “She had to go from Dublin to Paris and then to Chicago, where she quarantined before coming here.”
Paris Peacock has compiled a record of 9-2-5-1 with victories coming in her past two races at Gowran Park.
“She just kept running into a tough bunch of horses and the one time she was sixth, she could not get any daylight,” Amond said. “She broke her maiden in a listed race against older and then won the Group 3 against older.”
Paris Peacock is scheduled to go back to the training track Thursday morning. Harrington’s daughter Kate, is to arrive Friday and will represent the barn.
Amond said Paris Peacock will remain at Keeneland after the race.
“We are going back home, but she stays,” Amond said. “I don’t know whose barn she will go to.”
The European-based runners to win the QE2 were Together (IRE) in 2011, who also was a Group 3 winner before taking the QE2, and multiple group winner Ryafan in 1997.
Keeneland Press Release
Photo by Keeneland Photo
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