Crown Walk's G1 First Lady bid

Improving three-year-old filly Crown Walk heads to Keeneland, USA, on Saturday, 6 October, in search of an initial G1 victory in the First Lady Stakes over a mile on turf. 

The daughter of Dubawi, trained in France by Henri-Alex Pantall, has travelled out to North America on the back of a career-best effort over the same distance in the G1 Prix Rothschild at Deauville on 29 July, when she stayed on gamely to take second behind With You. 

She also battled bravely to gain a nose success in the nine-furlong G3 Prix Chloe at Chantilly earlier the same month and finished second at the same course in the G2 Prix de Sandringham over a mile in June. 

Mike Smith comes in for the ride on Crown Walk, who breaks from stall four in a field of 10 fillies and mares that also features this year’s G2 Ballston Spa winner Quidura plus G1 scorers A Raving Beauty and Off Limits. 

Lisa-Jane Graffard of Godolphin said: “Crown Walk has travelled out to Keeneland well and everyone is very happy with her condition. 

“Travelling overseas for a G1 race is never easy and she is coming up against some tough US-trained fillies, but any rain will help her chances.

“If she can translate her best French form, we are hopeful that she can run a big race.”