Horse Racing
Aidan O’Brien filly new favourite for 1,000 Guineas after Frankel-like win
Bedtime Story, a daughter of the great Frankel, won the Chesham Stakes by nine and a half lengths to become the 3-1 favourite for the fillies’ Classic
The superlatives were flowing on the final day of Royal Ascot after an Aidan O’Brien-trained filly produced a Frankel-like performance.
The two-year-old Bedtime Story is a daughter of the legendary Frankel out of the speedy Mecca’s Angel, a Nunthorpe Stakes. On her second start, she won like Frankel when she pulled right away from her rivals for the Listed Chesham Stakes to score under Ryan Moore.
Frankel, who was unbeaten in 14 races, memorably captured the 2012 Queen Anne Stakes by 11 lengths. The margin of Bedtime Story’s victory, who had one previous to her name, was nine and a half lengths.
Moore remarked: “The only problem I had was pulling her up. She’s a very good filly. She travelled very easily, they’ve gone too slow for her really.
“I had room at the three so we started going forward and the race was over very quickly. Obviously, she’s a level above all of them. A performance like that, you don’t see normally.”
Bedtime Story was installed 3-1 favourite by William Hill for the 2025 1,000 Guineas, in front of Friday’s impressive Albany Stakes winner Fairy Godmother, for the same O’Brien-Moore team.
Hill’s spokesperson Lee Phelps said: “The way that Bedtime Story has just won the Chesham has seen her shoot straight to the top of the 2025 1,000 Guineas betting.
”She’s now the 3-1 favourite, overtaking her fellow Royal Ascot-winning stablemate Fairy Godmother, who sits at 6-1. We certainly don’t envy Ryan Moore having to decide which filly to ride come May next year.”
O’Brien said: “We never let her go before. This was the first time she was asked to stretch. Ryan said he couldn’t believe it; he said everyone fell away, he said ‘go on’, and she just took off. He didn’t even give her a slap down the shoulder.
“We thought she was probably a Group One filly, but we hadn’t looked – thinking is one thing and seeing is another, so everyone saw it together today. She’s very special, isn’t she?”