Davison backing She’s Quality to Charge to Sandown glory

Jack Davison is in buoyant mood ahead of the Coral Charge, confident that She’s Quality can prove she is just that at Sandown on Saturday.

The four-year-old has finished second in both the Palace House and Temple Stakes this term but is backed to make it a third-time lucky on her latest raid from Ireland, with her handler confident he has a rising force in the sprint division on his hands.

Davison said: “She’s done nothing wrong this year and we’re hugely looking forward to Saturday.

“I can say with a fair degree of certainty she’s a different horse this year and is thriving through the summer months, so hopefully she can take another step forward on Saturday.

“I think she is the up-and-comer in this division and hopefully she can properly announce herself on Saturday.

“She’s very fast and can make quick horses look not so quick. She’s exciting and if it all comes together right, then hopefully she can get her head in front.”

Jonathan Portman’s Rumstar finished ahead of She’s Quality at Newmarket in May before seeing form reversed at Haydock in a race won by Ed Walker’s Mgheera.

Rumstar then finished down the field (14th) in the King Charles III Stakes at Royal Ascot, a race in which George Scott’s West Acre (13th), Walker’s Balmoral Lady (9th) and John Ryan’s Manaccan (20th) all failed to figure and will be looking to bounce back here.

Walker, who won this race 12 months ago with Makarova and in 2021 with Came From The Dark, said of Balmoral Lady: “She has a shocking draw, again, which is not very helpful, but we’ll have a go. She’s an exciting sprinter.”

Faring best in that Group One event was Clive Cox’s Kerdos who after unshipping Christophe Soumillon on the way to post, finished strongly in fifth and is now reunited with the crack Belgian jockey for this Group Three contest.

“He showed up really well in the King Charles III Stakes at Royal Ascot and came out of it really well, so I would hope a stiff five furlongs at Sandown would be suitable,” said Cox.

“There’s a very fine line with these sprinters right from Listed level through to Group One, but it’s good to have a horse that is strengthening and has that maturity now to mirror our thoughts about him being a top-class sprinter.”

A Royal Ascot winner in the line-up is Simon and Ed Crisford’s Adrestia, who steps up in grade after landing the Palace of Holyroodhouse Stakes with a degree of ease, while Jack Channon has always held course scorer Queen All Star in the highest regard and she is another to step out of the handicap ranks.

“She won nicely there before, but it is a massive jump up in grade against older horses,” said Channon.

“We’ll get a good idea exactly where she lies and no matter what the result on Saturday, she’s still a very good filly going forward.”

Jessica Harrington’s Saratoga Special won the Listed Land O’Burns Fillies’ Stakes while all eyes were on Ascot and is another heading to Esher on the back of a victory, with Mick Appleby’s Shagraan and Eve Johnson Houghton’s Change Sings completing the field.