G1-The Vicky Guineas
Beyond the Wire — Where Every Race Has a Story
The Vicky Guineas: Fourteen Fillies, One Mile, and a Finish Worth Fighting For
Grade I Vicky Guineas | Saturday, November 14, 2026 | Victoria, Australia
Distance: 8 furlongs | Surface: Good turf | Purse: $750,000 | Field: 14 three-year-old fillies
AI Assistance Disclosure: The original race research, handicapping, selections, and narrative observations were provided and dictated by the author. ChatGPT (OpenAI) assisted with organizing the material, editing the language, and developing the article’s presentation.
The Story Before the Starting Gate
Fourteen talented three-year-old fillies will make their way to the starting gate in Victoria, Australia, this Saturday, each hoping to add a Grade I victory to her racing résumé.
The Vicky Guineas brings together a fascinating mixture of proven milers, accomplished Grade I winners, early speedsters, and late-running challengers. Some have spent much of their careers competing at eight furlongs. Others have traveled between sprint distances and longer routes, searching for the right opportunity to show their best.
But Saturday’s race isn’t about what they’ve accomplished at six, nine, ten, or twelve furlongs. It’s about what they can deliver over one mile on good turf.
With $750,000 on the line, the early leaders will have their opportunity to set the pace. Behind them will be fillies waiting for the right moment to make their moves. And when the field turns for home, the question becomes simple: who still has the speed, stamina, and determination to finish the job?
Let’s meet the fourteen fillies looking to write their own chapter in the Vicky Guineas.
1. SPINNING FORTUNE — 13-1
Owner: liam | Breeder: Gunners7
Pedigree: I Am Invincible × Hard Spun × Forty Niner
Spinning Fortune is one filly who could make things very interesting Saturday. She has established herself as a strong eight-furlong runner, and her performances this year give her a legitimate opportunity to challenge the favorites.
In five starts this year, she has recorded two victories and two runner-up finishes, with her lone disappointing performance coming in the Grade II Pioneer Boulevard Cup at eight and a half furlongs. Her biggest accomplishment came in the Grade I Irish 1000 Guineas, where she showed she could handle quality competition at exactly one mile. She also finished second in the Irish 1000 Guineas Trial.
What makes Spinning Fortune especially interesting is her running style. She doesn’t necessarily need the lead, but she likes to stay within striking distance. If she can settle comfortably behind the early leaders, she could be among the first to make her move when the field turns for home.
At 13-1, she may be one of the more intriguing possibilities in this field.
Can Spinning Fortune put herself in position early enough to pull off a Grade I upset?
2. CLOWN INAUGURATION — 11-1
Owner: bizalls4 | Breeder: bizalls4
Pedigree: Suave Richard × Dubawi × Frankel
Clown Inauguration arrives facing some serious competition, and she’ll need to produce one of her better performances to get into the money.
Earlier in her career, she enjoyed an impressive stretch of victories that included the Big Bonus Turf Juvenile Fillies Stakes. That success demonstrated her ability to win, but the competition has become increasingly demanding as she has moved into graded company.
Her best recorded speed figure of 103.380 came in the Grade II Pioneer Boulevard Cup, where she finished third. She also finished second to Spinning Fortune in the Grade I Irish 1000 Guineas, giving us an interesting comparison between two fillies meeting again Saturday.
There is certainly ability here, but her more recent performances have been inconsistent. Against a field containing multiple Grade I winners, she cannot afford to fall too far behind or wait until the final furlong to find her best stride.
Can Clown Inauguration rediscover the winning form that made her such a promising young filly?
3. FRIGG GREY — 8-1
Owner: daniel | Breeder: jaka4
Pedigree: Havana Grey × Kitten’s Joy × Mr. Prospector
Frigg Grey is another filly who deserves serious consideration. With four victories, four seconds, and a third from ten career starts, she has demonstrated the kind of consistency that is difficult to overlook.
She is accustomed to running on turf and has spent much of her career competing around the mile distance. Her Grade I English 1000 Guineas performance earlier this year resulted in a third-place finish, while her most recent stakes appearance produced a runner-up effort and a speed figure of 104.580.
Frigg Grey generally doesn’t need to be among the early leaders. She is comfortable settling into the middle of the field before beginning her move as the race develops.
The question is whether she can turn another strong performance into a victory against this level of opposition. Her recent speed figures have been remarkably consistent, but we don’t know whether Saturday’s winning performance will require a 104, a 107, or something even faster.
If the favorites fail to reproduce their best performances, Frigg Grey could be waiting to take advantage.
When the field turns for home, will Frigg Grey have enough left to run down the leaders?
4. HURRICANE MACHINE — 8-1
Owner: asrfrankel1 | Breeder: asrfrankel1
Pedigree: Frankel × No Nay Never × Deep Impact
Hurricane Machine has certainly traveled a variety of paths during her three-year-old season.
In January, she competed at ten furlongs. March brought her back to seven and a half, April to eight, June to seven, August to six, and October back out to nine furlongs.
That’s quite a range of distances for a filly preparing to tackle another Grade I contest at one mile.
But don’t mistake that varied schedule for a lack of talent. Her last four appearances have all come in Grade I company, producing three runner-up finishes and a fourth. Most recently, she finished just a nose behind Downunder Cafe in the QE2 Challenge, recording a speed figure of 107.925.
Hurricane Machine has proven she can compete with some of the best fillies in this field. What she hasn’t done consistently is find her way into the winner’s circle.
She returns to eight furlongs with plenty of graded experience and an excellent pedigree.
Could Saturday finally be the day Hurricane Machine turns another near miss into a Grade I victory?
5. BURNT SIENNA — 7-1
Owner: milkshaker | Breeder: milkshaker
Pedigree: Dubawi × Frankel × Shamardal
Burnt Sienna brings some impressive recent speed figures into the Vicky Guineas, but she also brings a question about distance.
Her recent success has come primarily beyond eight furlongs. In August, she won a nine-furlong allowance by more than five lengths, running a 107.454. She followed that with another nine-furlong victory in October, this time in stakes company, recording a 106.710.
Those performances cannot be ignored.
However, her earlier attempts at eight furlongs were considerably less successful. She struggled to find the winner’s circle at the distance before stretching out and discovering her more productive form.
Her graded performances this year have also left something to prove, including a third-place finish in the ten-furlong Saint Larry and a seventh-place finish in the nine-furlong Chloe.
Burnt Sienna is clearly capable of running a strong race. The question is whether the improvement she’s shown at nine furlongs will translate back to a mile against Grade I competition.
Can Burnt Sienna bring her recent winning form back to eight furlongs, or will the shorter distance prove troublesome?
6. PICKING YOUR FIGHT — 22-1
Owner: corky | Breeder: corky
Pedigree: Street Sense × Galileo × Redoute’s Choice
Picking Your Fight has spent much of this season competing in graded company, but her results suggest she may be better suited to shorter distances.
Her biggest success came in February when she captured the Grade II Light Times Stakes at six furlongs. Since then, the results have been difficult to reproduce, including disappointing finishes in several graded contests.
Her most recent appearance came at twelve furlongs in September, where she finished tenth. Now she’s being asked to return to eight furlongs against fourteen of the better three-year-old fillies entered in this contest.
There is no question she has demonstrated the ability to win a graded race. But a six-furlong victory and a strong performance at one mile are two very different challenges.
At 22-1, she enters as one of the longer-priced runners in the field.
Can Picking Your Fight stretch her sprinting ability into a competitive mile, or will Saturday’s opposition prove too demanding?
7. ULTRA MEGA OK — 10-1
Owner: seasr | Breeder: slowroll
Pedigree: Sea the Stars × Montjeu × Monsun
Ultra Mega OK is one of the more interesting late-running fillies in Saturday’s field.
She has already demonstrated Grade I winning ability, capturing the nine-furlong Vermont Is 4 Lovers earlier this year. More recently, she came from deep in the field to win the Grade III Goggins Stakes at seven and a half furlongs, recording a 106.479 speed figure.
But her performances at eight furlongs have been less convincing. In the English 1000 Guineas, she found herself twelve lengths behind during the early stages before rallying to finish sixth, beaten just over three lengths.
That tells us something about her running style. She can make up considerable ground, but she sometimes leaves herself an enormous amount of work to do.
In a fourteen-horse field, that could become a problem. If the early leaders establish a comfortable pace, Ultra Mega OK may find herself trying to catch several quality fillies who still have plenty left in the tank.
Still, her late acceleration makes her dangerous.
Will the leaders come back to Ultra Mega OK, or will she once again run out of racetrack before she can reach them?
8. FRIGG HANI — 9-1
Owner: daniel | Breeder: jaka5
Pedigree: Nathaniel × Raven’s Pass × King Kamehameha
Frigg Hani gives owner daniel a second opportunity in the Vicky Guineas, joining stablemate Frigg Grey in this competitive field.
With five victories from ten career starts, Frigg Hani certainly knows her way to the winner’s circle. However, much of her success has come outside graded company.
Her earlier graded appearances this year produced finishes of fourth, ninth, and fifth. Since returning to allowance and stakes competition, she has enjoyed considerably more success, including a recent allowance victory at eight and a quarter furlongs with an impressive 106.829 speed figure.
That latest performance suggests she has the speed to compete with some of the better runners here.
But Saturday represents another step up in competition, and her previous graded results raise legitimate questions about whether she can reproduce that effort against established Grade I performers.
Frigg Hani has shown she can win. Now she must demonstrate that she can do it against the best.
Could her latest speed figure signal a breakthrough, or will the Vicky Guineas prove another difficult graded assignment?
9. DOWNUNDER CAFE — 8-1
Owner: durbredtorace | Breeder: duracingdonor2
Pedigree: Cafe Pharoah × King Kamehameha × Danehill Dancer
If there’s one filly I’m circling on my program, it’s Downunder Cafe.
With six career victories and more than $2 million in earnings, she brings an impressive résumé into Saturday’s contest. More importantly, she has already demonstrated that she can win at the highest level over the mile distance.
Earlier this year, she captured both the Japanese 1000 Guineas and the English 1000 Guineas. She then returned to Grade I winning form in October, taking the nine-furlong QE2 Challenge by a nose over Hurricane Machine.
That latest victory produced a 107.929 speed figure and demonstrated her ability to come from behind against quality opposition.
Downunder Cafe doesn’t necessarily need to be close to the lead early. She’s comfortable allowing other horses to establish the pace before beginning her move.
But Saturday could present an interesting challenge. With Spinning Fortune and Frigg Grey potentially positioned ahead of her, she’ll need to make her move at the right time.
She may be the most accomplished filly in the field, but that doesn’t guarantee she’ll get a clear path to victory.
Can Downunder Cafe run down the leaders once again, or will one of her rivals have enough left to hold her off?
10. HOT SWEDISH — 16-1
Owner: deyoto5 | Breeder: deyoto5
Pedigree: Too Darn Hot × Invincible Spirit × Frankel
Hot Swedish is another filly who could have a say in how Saturday’s race develops, even if she isn’t among the leading selections.
She has enjoyed success in stakes competition, including victories in the Wishing Wells Turf Filly Route and the Our Dad Turf Filly Special. However, her experience against Grade I opposition has been far less encouraging.
Her appearance in the Cremation Stakes resulted in a last-place finish, leaving questions about whether she can handle the stronger competition she’ll face Saturday.
What makes Hot Swedish interesting is her willingness to get out and run. She has demonstrated early speed, and that could place her among the leaders as the field heads down the backstretch.
If the others allow her to establish a comfortable advantage, she could make things interesting.
But if Trouble Is Fun or another early runner challenges her from the beginning, the pace could become demanding.
Can Hot Swedish carry her early speed all the way to the finish, or will the closers have her in their sights?
11. TROUBLE IS FUN — 12-1
Owner: goodmagic | Breeder: goodmagic
Pedigree: Snitzel × Smart Strike × Galileo
Trouble Is Fun is a filly who knows how to win, with six victories from thirteen career starts.
She also knows how to get to the front.
Her most recent victory came in a mile stakes race where she led throughout, winning by three and a half lengths and producing an impressive 107.220 speed figure.
But that performance raises an interesting question. Was it the beginning of a new level of improvement, or was she simply shot out of a cannon that afternoon?
Her previous speed figures had been considerably lower, including performances in the 93 and 96 range. And in earlier graded races, she had shown early speed before being caught by the competition.
Saturday, she may find herself near the lead once again. The question is whether she can maintain that advantage when some of the stronger closers begin making their moves.
If the jockey turns her loose, perhaps they catch her. Perhaps they don’t.
Can Trouble Is Fun reproduce that exceptional 107 performance, or will the final furlongs once again prove difficult?
12. LYINTHRUMYTEETH — 6-1
Owner: asrstar2 | Breeder: asrstar2
Pedigree: Dubawi × Frankel × Sea the Stars
LyinThruMyTeeth brings an impressive collection of graded performances into the Vicky Guineas, but she may also face one of the biggest distance questions in the field.
Her major victories this year have come at ten and twelve furlongs, including wins in the Grade I Stormy Stakes and Grade I Adelaide Oaks.
She has also performed well at nine furlongs, finishing second in the Dell Web Oaks and third in the QE2 Challenge, where she was beaten by only half a length.
Those results demonstrate that she belongs in Grade I company.
But Saturday she’ll be shortening back to eight furlongs, a distance she hasn’t contested recently.
Her longer-distance success suggests she has the stamina to finish strongly, but will she have the early speed needed to stay within reach of the milers?
At 6-1, she carries the shortest listed odds in the field, and her Grade I accomplishments certainly justify respect.
Can LyinThruMyTeeth adjust to the quicker mile pace, or will the established eight-furlong runners have too much of an advantage?
13. ASTRAL PROJECTILE — 15-1
Owner: amir1653 | Breeder: amir1651
Pedigree: Pierro × Galileo × Danehill
Astral Projectile has demonstrated her best form at shorter distances, particularly around seven and a half furlongs.
She captured the Grade III Seven Sisters Stakes earlier this year and returned to the winner’s circle in September with a victory in the Grade III Opera House Sprint, also at seven and a half furlongs.
Her attempts at longer distances have produced mixed results. She finished second in the Grade II Sandy Ring at eight furlongs, but her Grade I Japanese 1000 Guineas appearance ended with a thirteenth-place finish.
She has also tried ten furlongs, finishing second in an allowance race.
Those performances suggest that she has some versatility, but her most convincing victories have come over shorter trips.
Saturday she’ll need to stretch that successful sprinting form into a competitive Grade I mile.
Can Astral Projectile carry her shorter-distance speed far enough to challenge the leaders, or will eight furlongs be just beyond her best?
14. QYGOR — 10-1
Owner: onfly | Breeder: evefly
Pedigree: Frankel × Shamardal × Dubawi
Qygor rounds out the fourteen-filly field, and her pedigree certainly deserves attention.
She began the year with a victory at eight and a half furlongs, winning by three and a half lengths. Since then, she has spent much of her time competing in graded company at longer distances.
She finished third in the ten-and-a-half-furlong Cleopatra, seventh in the twelve-furlong Oaks de English, and second in the Grade II Lake Georgina at eight and a half furlongs.
Most recently, she finished fifth in the Grade I QE2 Challenge, beaten just two and a half lengths by Downunder Cafe.
That latest result is worth remembering. She wasn’t far behind several of Saturday’s leading contenders.
Qygor generally prefers to settle well off the early pace before making her move. Like Ultra Mega OK, she may need the leaders to come back to her if she’s going to make a serious challenge.
Can Qygor stay close enough to the action to make her late run count when the field turns for home?
Beyond the Wire: When the Field Turns for Home
Fourteen fillies. Eight furlongs. One Grade I title waiting at the finish line.
Saturday’s Vicky Guineas could become a fascinating contest between those who want to control the race early and those who prefer to wait until the final furlongs to make their move.
Hot Swedish and Trouble Is Fun could be among the first to show their speed. Behind them, Spinning Fortune may find herself in an ideal stalking position, close enough to strike when the leaders begin to tire.
Frigg Grey could be sitting comfortably in the middle of the field, waiting for her opportunity.
And then there’s Downunder Cafe.
She’s proven that she can come from behind and run down quality opposition. But will she have enough racetrack left to catch these fillies?
My selection is #9 Downunder Cafe. Her Grade I victories, proven mile performances, and ability to finish strongly make her the horse to beat.
But don’t overlook #1 Spinning Fortune. She’s a proven eight-furlong runner, and if she gets the right trip, I wouldn’t be surprised to see her take command and hold off the late charge.
And keep an eye on #3 Frigg Grey. Her consistency makes her a legitimate contender, especially if the winning speed figure comes back toward the 104–105 range.
My Selections
1st — #9 Downunder Cafe (8-1)
2nd — #1 Spinning Fortune (13-1)
3rd — #3 Frigg Grey (8-1)
Hurricane Machine, Burnt Sienna, and Ultra Mega OK are among the challengers capable of upsetting that prediction.
When they reach the final turn, the early speedsters will have had their say. Spinning Fortune and Frigg Grey may already be making their moves. And somewhere behind them, Downunder Cafe could be gathering momentum.
Will the proven Grade I winner find another gear? Will Spinning Fortune steal the show? Or will one of the other twelve fillies write a completely different ending?
That’s why they run the races.
Beyond the Wire — Where Every Race Has a Story.