Soul Silver (David Simcock/Oisin Murphy, 2/1) booked her place for All-Weather Championships Finals Day when successful in the £20,000 totetrifecta Pick The 1,2,3 Fillies' Conditions Race (3.10pm) over a mile at Chelmsford City today, Friday, February 9. The Polytrack contest was a Fast-Track Qualifier, with Soul Silver now guaranteed a free start in the £150,000 32Red Fillies' And Mares' All-Weather Championships over seven furlongs on Polytrack at Lingfield Park on All-Weather Championships Finals Day, Good Friday, March 30. Racing in the famous silks of Qatar Racing Limited, Soul Silver led after the first quarter mile and continued at the head of affairs as the field entered the straight. The four-year-old Dragon Pulse filly faced a challenge from the 11/8 favourite Carolinae (Charlie Fellowes/Stevie Donohoe) entering the final quarter mile, but she was not for passing and stayed on resolutely in the closing stages to prevail by two lengths. Soul Silver's stable companion Veena (Martin Harley, 8/1), who was awkward leaving the stalls, stayed on at one-pace to take third, another length and three-quarters adrift. The winning time was 1m 41.67s. Winning trainer David Simcock said: "We tried to make all at Lingfield last time and she got taken on for the lead, but leading does suit her. "Round here they take a bit of catching and she did it well. She will definitely go for the Fillies & Mares' race on All-Weather Finals Day as there aren't that many races around for her. "There won't be many horses in that race which will be rated higher than 90. It's a weaker category, but she should definitely be competitive on Good Friday and it's a big prize. "I'll speak to David Redvers [racing manager] and Sheikh Fahad [owner, Qatar Racing Ltd] but she might be covered in the interim as it's something we've thought about." Oisin Murphy added: "It was very good placing by David Simcock to run Soul Silver here today. "She is suited by a small field and has run well at Chelmsford City before, so full marks to David." Charlie Fellowes, who saddled the runner-up Carolinae, remarked: "I had concerns about the track beforehand and had thought about waiting for a seven-furlong event for fillies at Kempton next weekend, which I felt would suit her better. "I was really concerned about running over a mile round here because I thought it would stretch her stamina. "I think she is best over seven furlongs or a very easy mile, that's why Lingfield suits her. I think that was the main problem today. It just didn't go right today over this trip. "It was a messy race and she got no cover, so she was keen early on. She needs a decent pace to aim at to be seen at her best. "We got beaten by a filly who handled the conditions better than we did. She'll qualify for All-Weather Finals Day off a mark of 89 as I don't think the Fillies' and Mares division is going to be that strong. We will definitely go there. "She might run at Kempton next weekend in the seven-furlong race I was keen to go for originally if she comes out of this race OK. We might also go to Lingfield for a conditions race as that sharp mile round there suits her better than coming here and it's worth £27,000. There are options. "She'll either run once or twice more before Finals Day."
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