BC Internationals: Filly & Mare Turf/Turf contender Seventh Heaven

Seventh Heaven is one of those obvious contenders you must respect, but at the same time pose just enough of a question to appear vulnerable.

One of Aidan O’Brien’s army by supersire Galileo, Seventh Heaven has an abundance of class, and she thrives in fast conditions. The only nagging question is the distance of the Filly & Mare Turf (G1). With her signature wins at 1 1/2 miles, a cutback to 1 1/4 miles presents a new variable, especially at this level. Her pacesetting sidekick Pretty Perfect will ensure a quick tempo (as if there’s not already enough pace on tap here), but can it actually turn into a stamina test on this kind of course? Hard to imagine outside of the San Juan Capistrano.

Since Seventh Heaven and Pretty Perfect were cross-entered to the 1 1/2-mile Turf (G1), you’ve got to wonder if the Coolmore brain trust isn’t thinking along similar lines. The Filly & Mare remains first preference for both, though. They've got Highland Reel all set for the Turf, and Found just in case (but she'll likely stick with her first preference in the Classic [G1]).

Although Seventh Heaven didn’t break her maiden until April, she soon proved she belonged in the top tier. She made her stakes debut in the Lingfield Oaks Trial, and despite not seeming to love the undulating course, she ultimately prevailed by a neck. On a more conventional track, Seventh Heaven would probably have won more comfortably.

 

Seventh Heaven somewhat surprisingly advanced to the Oaks at Epsom (G1), where she was an unhappy sixth behind stablemate Minding. If she didn’t care for Lingfield, there was little reason to suppose she’d enjoy the quirks of Epsom, and the softish conditions turned the whole thing into a debacle. Adding salt to the wound, it was the filly she’d collared at Lingfield – Architecture – who finished runner-up in the Oaks. On form, then, this was a total toss for Seventh Heaven.

The Irish Oaks (G1) was an entirely different proposition, contested on good ground around the serene expanse of the Curragh. Handed the perfect set-up by Pretty Perfect, Seventh Heaven set the record straight by drubbing Architecture and the third-placer from Epsom, Harlequeen.