Shimmering Sun out to build on Queen Mary run at Naas

Harry Eustace is confident Shimmering Sun can justify lining up in the Listed Arqana Irish EBF Marwell Stakes at Naas on Wednesday evening.

A novice winner at Salisbury on her debut in May, she then ran at Royal Ascot when finishing a creditable seventh in the Queen Mary.

That form has since been franked with runner-up Senorita Bonita claiming  Duchess of Cambridge success at Newmarket and Shimmering Sun now heads across the Irish Sea, with leading jockey Dylan Browne McMonagle back in the saddle after partnering the daughter of Havana Grey in Berkshire.

“There aren’t that many five-furlong two-year-old fillies’ Listed races so that looked an obvious spot off the back of her run at Ascot in June,” Eustace said.

“She’s a filly that has run to a reasonable level, the value in her is to try and get black type and off the back of the Ascot run I thought she justified having a go at a few of these options.

“The big positive for us was being able to get Dylan, that’s for sure. He was very positive about her after Ascot and he’s riding incredibly well, and sending one to Ireland with a jockey that knows the track so well is very helpful for us.

“She’s in the Lowther Stakes (at York), how legitimate that is we will find out on Wednesday.

“She’s certainly one, we all feel at home, if there’s a time to be a bit aggressive with her from an entry point of view it’s this year as much as next year.

“We’ll try and campaign her reasonably aggressively, albeit she needs to prove that she’s up to this level on Wednesday to be worth putting her in better races.”

Eustace’s charge is battling with the Paddy Twomey-trained Concorde Landed at the top of the market after she dominated a maiden over course and distance by five lengths earlier this month.

Kevin Philippart De Foy’s Silent Beauty and Tropical Crown, who won on debut at Beverley for Karl Burke, are two more British-based challengers in the 10-strong field.

Burke’s Summer Stakes third Soul Love is favourite for the other Listed race on the card, the Yeomanstown Stud Irish EBF Stakes, with the Roger Varian-trained Coconut Grove also among 15 declared runners.