Evening, Stick. Got to take you on here - I see no sign that Ma Filleule gets more than two and a half miles, and I don't think she can give HIGHLAND RETREAT 8lb over three. You wouldn't expect Fehily to allow it to turn into a dash up the straight, so it could be a v.interesting race to watch tactically.
And I think some of the collateral form is misleading in terms of this race. MF's second in a decent race behind Doyly Carte was good, but over 17f, and Doyly Carte's admirable run at Haydock yesterday was over two miles.
This is just a personal theory of mine, but the offspring of Turgeon seem to me to go better over quirky little courses (Fakenham etc) than they do on big flat tracks.
But you could be right about the betting, although when I attack Highland Retreat mid-morning tomorrow, MF may well drift as the Big Three run for cover. Good luck anyway.