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Team Ballydoyle will be hoping they can warm up for City Of Troy’s date with destiny in the perfect way when Lake Victoria puts her unbeaten record on the line in the Grade 1 Juvenile Fillies’ Turf on Friday.
A beautifully bred daughter of Frankel, Lake Victoria will attempt to cap off a remarkable two-year-old campaign and stretch her unbeaten record to five at Del Mar. Aidan O'Brien's star juvenile filly burst onto the scene when upstaging stablemate Bedtime Story in the Group 1 Moyglare Stud Stakes at the Curragh, before running out an emphatic winner of the six-furlong Group 1 Juddmonte Cheveley Park Stakes under Ryan Moore at Newmarket last month.
In the immediate aftermath of her latest Group 1 prize, Moore quickly suggested she would have no problems stepping back up to a mile in due course, with the Fillies' Mile back at racing headquarters mooted as a potential target just a fortnight later.
However, after discussions from the Ballydoyle camp, Lake Victoria was redirected to Del Mar, with the team feeling that Del Mar's 'easy mile' would be a more gradual step for their newest potential superstar.
"When Ryan said that at Newmarket, the lads felt that if she was going to go a mile then this was the place to come," explained O'Brien when speaking to Sky Sports Racing. "The Fillies' Mile might have been too disrespectful for her to go there two weeks after coming back from the seven in the Moyglare to the Chevely Park, but that was how much confidence Ryan had in her.
"They (the lads) decided that if we were going to go a mile then this was the place. It's a lovely flat track, an easy mile and probably a lesser event. It was a more gradual step for her but she's a beautiful filly and a unique filly. It could be very exciting watching her."
Next year's 1000 Guineas ante-post favourite is a general 11/10 chance to complete the top-level hat-trick at Del Mar on Friday and Moore, who has been onboard for two of her four wins thus far, feels she certainly 'sets the standard'.
"She is a very good filly who has had a perfect season to date," he told Betfair. "She showed a great resolution and hit the line strongly when winning the Moyglare over 7f and was just as impressive when dropping back to 6f in the Cheveley Park. She quickened really well there to win easily.
"She sets a high standard here and being drawn in one is another positive."