Meon Valley Stud Fillies' Mile at Ascot

Sometimes a comparatively small trainer just needs one very good horse to firmly put his or her establishment on the map. Marcus Botti is an up and coming trainer who is a case in point, and his charge, Sesmen, can give the Italian handler his first Group 1 winner since setting up in Newmarket by landing the Meon Valley Stud Fillies' Mile at Ascot on Saturday. The daughter of Inchinor, a best-priced 5/2 with bet365, retained her unbeaten tag with an excellent performance in the Group 3 Prestige Stakes at Goodwood where she showed a high cruising throughout the race and eventually won with more in hand than the neck margin suggests, a performance which has seen her price for next year's 1000 Guineas tumble to 25/1. Sesmen has done everything asked of her in the style of a highly progressive filly and, looking at the opposition on offer here, I cannot see anything to stop her emulating Gossamer in 2001 and Nannina last year by winning this Prestige en route to capturing this prestigious prize. There is no guaranteed pacesetter in the line up, but the selection made all on her penultimate start and if they go a crawl Oscar Urbina will be able to send his mount to the front and dictate matters. This step up to a mile should suit and, although she hasn't run on going this quick yet, I reckon it'll suit her better than the good going which she won on the last twice - her action certainly suggests as much. The first and second in the May Hill at York, Simply Perfect and English Ballet, merit plenty of respect. Four winners have either won or been placed in the May Hill before going on to win this in the last decade. Indeed, the duo in question have the advantage of having proved their ability to see out this one-mile trip. Although Simply Perfect had the measure of Barry Hills' charge on that occasion, winning by a length and a quarter, I reckon that English Ballet will exact revenge meeting the Jeremy Noseda-trained filly on 3lb better terms this time. English Ballet readily holds Salutagi based on when they met in the Sweet Solera at Newmarket, in which the latter was nearly three lengths adrift of the May Hill runner-up. Last-time-out maiden winners Lost In Wonder and Treat cannot be ignored as they have plenty of scope for improvement, but it's hard to envisage either troubling Sesmen, while Irish raider's Alexander Tango and Gaudeamus, fifth and eighth respectively in the Moyglare last time, also have a fair bit to find with the selection.Verdict - 2pts Sesmen @ 5/2 (bet365)