Moonlight in the Limelight with Queen Charlotte Victory

The sixth running of the Champagne Collet Queen Charlotte Fillies’ Stakes attracted another diverse line-up of runners from Britain and Ireland, with the spoils going to Godolphin’s White Moonlight, trained by Saeed Bin Suroor.

It was a dominant performance by the six-year-old, who made all in the hands of Kieran Shoemark to win by a length and a half from the William Haggas-trained Queen Aminatu. Just a head back in third was Hodd’s Girl, who made the trip from Adrian McGuinness’s Irish stable. 

Worth a total of £100,000, the Listed contest has featured some classy winners in its history to date. The second running in 2019 went the way of the previous year’s 1,000 Guineas winner Billesdon Brook, while in 2021 the Queen Charlotte Stakes was won by Highfield Princess, who went on to become a treble Group 1 winner the following season. 

This was the second year in a row that Saeed Bin Suroor has saddled the winner after triumphing with Soft Whisper last year. He also struck in the 1,000 Guineas in May with Mawj. On a mark of 106, White Moonlight was the highest-rated of the seven runners and had previously won the Listed Queen of Scots Fillies’ Stakes at Musselburgh on her last start.