In his native France, when Christophe Lemaire speaks, people listen, such is the esteem in which the jockey is held.

The rider chatted at length yesterday about Natagora, on whom he will try to win the second of the classics this season, the 1000 Guineas at Newmarket on Sunday.

Pascal Bary's French raider heads to England with six wins from eight starts, including a victory in last year's Cheveley Park Stakes. She easily accounted for seven rivals when trying seven furlongs for the first time in the Prix Imprudence, and it seems Lemaire has taken plenty of encouragement from that success.

"I was very happy with her race. She won quite easily and the good point is that we were behind the leader, the filly was very relaxed behind her and when I pulled her out and asked her to accelerate, she did it very well," he said.

"The trip was seven furlongs, one she had never tried before, and she looked like she could go further so we were very happy."

Lemaire has also been impressed with the filly's preparations at home. "She worked two days ago with a partner and worked easy. As usual she was very relaxed. She is not very pretty, she just does her work. She was not tired after the work, she just had a good blow, which is normal. I think she will be in top condition on Sunday."

Although Natagora won on heavy ground at Maisons-Laffitte last time, her best performances have come on good going and Lemaire is hoping for sound conditions at Newmarket. "I would like to have good ground for her but if the ground is good to soft, it won't be a problem as last time it was very soft. We think that she's much better when the ground is fast."

In the eyes of many, Zarkava is the best thing around on four legs, so Dream Day, who was a recent runner-up to Muthabara at Newbury, could be set an even greater challenge against the filly in the French 1000 Guineas. Trainer Richard Hannon and owner Robert Barnett fancy the trip to Longchamp on May 11 with their charge, having surpassed her two-year-old efforts in the Fred Darling Stakes.

Sent off at 20-1, she was only beaten a length and a quarter by Muthabara, a leading contender for the English 1000 Guineas. The owner's racing manager, Will Edmeades, said: "We have three possible options, the Pouliches French Guineas, the Derrinstown 1000 Guineas Trial (at Leopardstown and the Michael Seely Memorial at York, but we are keen to run in France.

"The Aga Khan's filly Zarkava looks unbeatable. If Muthabara wins this weekend that might help, but a couple of the others who finished behind us at Newbury didn't run terribly well this week. We will improve a lot for it. She was burly and her coat was woolly, as she can't be clipped. Possibly France is the favoured option."

Looking further ahead, the brewing firm, John Smith's, have been announced as the new sponsor of the Ayr Gold Cup. The six-furlong handicap is the feature event of a three-day meeting which will now become known as the John Smith's Ayr Gold Cup Festival. The company, who also back the Grand National meeting at Aintree, step in to replace totesport after they ended their seven-year deal last season.

Finally, if you intend travelling to Hexham for the meeting tomorrow night, hold on. The going at the track is described as heavy, waterlogged in places following six millimetres of rain in the last 24 hours. Officials hope to inspect on the day of racing.