Skitter Scatter exercising on Monday morning ahead of her QIPCO 1000 Guineas bid on Sunday. (Pic: Pat Healy, courtesy of Newmarket Racecourses).

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Skitter Scatter is prominent in the betting for the QIPCO 1000 Guineas at Newmarket on Sunday where she will be having her first start for leading Irish handler John Oxx.

The daughter of Scat Daddy won four of seven starts last season which culminated with a victory in the Group 1 Moyglare Stud Stakes for trainer Patrick Prendergast, who transferred his team to the care of John Oxx in January.

And Oxx is relishing the prospect of returning to Newmarket with a leading contender, 10 after landing the 2000 Guineas with Sea The Stars whose six Group 1 victories in his three-year-old season included wins in the Investec Derby and Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe.

“Skitter Skatter’s not big but she’s a nice length, with a good action and she has a good, economical stride,” said Oxx on Monday after watching Skitter Scatter canter on the Curragh.

“When you have good horses, you’re always looking at them wondering why they are good and in her case, she’s not a big, strong athlete that you could pick out from 100 yards but she has a lot of good qualities.

“She has a grand temperament and a really good attitude. She’s a trier and has a fluency to her stride. She just seems to have ability and they come in all shapes and sizes.”

“It’s always tough with three-year-old fillies in the spring but we’re pretty happy with her work and her coat has come on well in the last month. She was a bit backward for a while but in the last month she’s really improved.

“Patrick always said she doesn’t take much work but he had her fit early on last year. She ran at the end of March, which people would forget, and he just kept her ticking over between races then.

“It’s a little bit different this time, because she hasn’t raced since September, it’s the QIPCO 1000 Guineas, it’s her first run of the season, so she has had to work a bit more than he might have worked her last year. We’ve just had to try and get that balance right.

“She’s an experienced horse though, which is a big help going into a Guineas.”

“It’s [QIPCO 1000 Guineas] big for anybody, any trainer at any time,” he said. “It’s been 10 years since Sea The Stars, so it’s nice to be going back there with a horse who has a live chance.”

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