Key Quotes - Hear from connections ahead of the Cheveley Park and Middle Park Stakes
Ahead of a thrilling day of racing at Newmarket, top trainers and jockeys for the 2026 Cheveley Park and Middle Park Stakes shared their insights. Connections highlight the strong preparation and quality of runners such as Sun Goddess, Senorita Bonita, Libertango, and Inner City Blues. All expect highly competitive fields and close finishes, with confidence running high among several camps. The consensus is that both races promise compelling clashes among the best two-year-olds in training, making for an unmissable spectacle for racing fans.
- Top trainers & jockeys express strong confidence in their runners
- Cheveley Park & Middle Park Stakes fields rated highly competitive
- Key contenders include Sun Goddess, Senorita Bonita, and Inner City Blues
- 2026 Cheveley Park Stakes Quotes
- Aidan O'Brien (Sun Goddess)
- Simon Crisford (Senorita Bonita)
- George Boughey (Libertango)
- Joseph O'Brien (Alwaysanangel)
- Oisin Murphy (Rode Moonrise to victory in the Sirenia Stakes)
- 2026 Middle Park Stakes Quotes
- Charlie Appleby (Inner City Blues)
- Clive Cox (Orthodox)
- Mick O'Callaghan (Push The Boat Out)
- Aidan O'Brien (Marco Polo and Confucius)
- Adrian Keatley (Hell Of A Spin)
Key Quotes
Ahead of a sensational day of racing at Newmarket on Saturday, here are quotes from the runners' connections in the 2026 Cheveley Park Stakes and the 2026 Middle Park Stakes.
Here's what connections have had to say ahead of Saturday's ITV Racing.
2026 Cheveley Park Stakes Quotes
Aidan O'Brien (Sun Goddess)
Sun Goddess is great. She seems to be taking her races very well and it's been the same since the Moyglare. We obviously haven't done a whole lot with her since, but everything she has done, we've been happy with.
We weren't sure if she'd stay the seven furlongs in the Moyglare, but she's a big, powerful filly and she proved that she did. She has a lot of class and natural ability.
Simon Crisford (Senorita Bonita)
It was nice to come and have a look and feel of the track, especially here at Newmarket where the dip is. That is the nicest ground you will find as they have done a beautiful job. It is like a carpet. She had a nice blow this morning, which is all it was meant to be. She finished super well and Oisin was delighted. We couldn’t be happier.
She stepped up in the Morny and showed an immense turn of foot to win very well. In this race you potentially have Sun Goddess and Libertango so it will be a very hot race so we will see where we stand at the table with them.
I think it will be hotter than the Morny, if they all turn up. We have beaten Libertango at the July Meeting, but she showed at York with the way she won that she is a very good filly. It is a proper race. It is what you want to see in an end of season clash.
She would be one of the best two year olds we have trained full stop. She would be up there with Vandeek for sure. She is a very high quality filly.
George Boughey (Libertango)
She's trained super and I think as we often discuss, when you get a clear run into a race like this, God willing she is okay the next few days, it just makes everything so much easier really, but her work's been good. And what a race it is, three high-class fillies going head-to-head on decent ground, hopefully.
The form lines do tie in pretty closely with all three of them," said the Classic-winning trainer. "I thought we would probably be a slightly shorter price than we are, but we have been beaten by Senorita Bonita and Aidan's filly (Sun Goddess) was obviously seriously impressive at the Curragh the other day, so I do kind of see the way the market has formed.
But (there are) one or two things I thought we might have changed from the July Course to here. And possibly both Billy (Loughnane, jockey) and I, knowing the filly a bit better, might be in a better position to challenge. I think in hindsight, on my side of it, I think we might have been a bit easy on her into Newmarket after Ascot. She's a filly who takes plenty of work and she's rock-hard fit now. And I think it just looked a long way up the hill for her.
At Billy's own admission, he might have hit the front half a furlong too soon, maybe, and she just wandered around. That's why we were so keen to get her to be produced as late as possible at York, as she was at Ascot.
Joseph O'Brien (Alwaysanangel)
She has had a good preparation for the race and has had a good season up until now. We’re very much looking forward to competing in what is as strong a renewal of the race as I can recall in recent years. I think we go there with every chance.
Oisin Murphy (Rode Moonrise to victory in the Sirenia Stakes)
She must be quite good because she had an outside draw and a 3lb penalty. She’s better with a lead following horses as she can be a bit ‘in your hands’, but Andrew has done a great job with her.
She’s improved with every start and that was a brilliant performance. She wants top of the ground really on turf and she’s a very easy mover.
She’s a sprinter and I don’t think she needs to be going further, she’s plenty of speed.
2026 Middle Park Stakes Quotes
Charlie Appleby (Inner City Blues)
I worked him last week up at Newmarket and he worked well. I was pleased and he needed it as well as he's been dormant since the July Stakes. That has definitely brought him forward and, from what I've seen the last week, he's definitely back on his A-game. I'm looking forward to it.
There’s been a couple of options since the July Stakes, but he would always be carrying that penalty unless you step up into Group One company. So we decided to wait and have one crack at the Middle Park. He was always great physically, but he has maintained it and is hard fit and it has opened up the race with the first two coming out. You would have to go in there with a bit of confidence.
Clive Cox (Orthodox)
It was very much the ground that blunted him at Deauville, there was a lot of rain and it had crusted over on top. Getting there before the race I thought we would be all right but with half a ton of horse galloping on it, it sadly turned out not to be the case.
We’ve been happy with him since then and I’ve been really pleased with his work and I’m delighted with the forecast. At this time of year you can’t bank on anything so the forecast is a very welcome sight.
Mick O'Callaghan (Push The Boat Out)
We’re looking forward to running Push The Boat Out in the Group 1 Tattersalls Middle Park Stakes on Saturday, he’s unbeaten, and he beat the Coventry winner on his second start. He’s a very good horse and we’re looking forward to the race.
Aidan O'Brien (Marco Polo and Confucius)
We’ve always thought a lot of Marco Polo, it was why we ran him in the Gimcrack as a maiden. He got a little bit lost at York unfortunately, but he’s come out and had a nice confidence-booster at Cork since.
Confucius has always shown us plenty and is wearing blinkers for the first time.
Adrian Keatley (Hell Of A Spin)
He was third in the Molecomb, and then third in the Gimcrack. He's in the Middle Park on Saturday and we're hoping for a big run out of him there.
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