Luck Favours

The northern hemisphere-bred two-year-old's owner and breeder Anthony Mithen confirmed after the filly won her trial by three-and-a-half lengths that, given all remains well with Luck Favours over the next week or so, she will take her placed alongside Group 1 sprinter Redkirk Warrior on the plane to England next Wednesday.

"She trialled at Cranbourne last week (ran third) and showed talent but left us scratching our heads a bit on a couple of fronts whether or not she was educated enough and had the brain to cope with it all," Mithen said.

"We fiddled around with her and put blinkers on and worked her in blinkers since and it just seemed to clearly get her focussed."

Some weeks ago, Mithen put forward the idea of taking the Starspangledbanner filly back to England to race after declaring her the most precocious of the nine northern-hemisphere-bred foals owned by Rosemont Stud.

She was held up in a trial at Cranbourne just a week ago before finishing third, but on Monday Luck Favours was allowed her head early and dominated the 800-metre trial from the front.

"I think she's just a natural-born runner," Mithen said. "We did want to make sure of it and this morning she's shown us and everyone that maybe there will be another horse that we can barrack for at Royal Ascot."

Mithen said the Group 2 Queen Mary Stakes for two-year-olds was the race Luck Favours would be entered for on Day 2 of Royal Ascot on June 20.