Sandiva completes Guineas trial double for Footsteps

In-form Footstepsinthesand’s daughter Sandiva (3f Footstepsinthesand-Miss Corinne, by Mark Of Esteem), a top two-year-old of 2013, proved herself a live Classic contender of 2014 when winning the G3 Nell Gwyn Stakes at Newmarket on Wednesday.   Al Shaqab Racing’s filly justified favouritism to win the leading 1,000 Guineas trial in great style under Frankie Dettori and complete a notable double for her sire. Footstepsinthesand is also responsible for J Wonder (3f Footstepsinthesand-Canterbury Lace, by Danehill), winner of the other main British fillies’ Guineas trial, the G3 Fred Darling Stakes at Newbury.   Sandiva’s trainer Richard Fahey is looking forward to the filly’s Classic dare. “We wanted to get her dropped in and switched off from her draw and it was a good performance. Frankie thinks she'll stay and so she'll have to go for the Guineas now,” Fahey told the Racing Post.   Dettori  added: “Where she was drawn had a disadvantage of a length or two and there was no cover, so it was a good performance. She is entitled to go to the Guineas with a good chance.”   Sandiva was bred by Denis McDonnell at Parkway Farm in Co Cork.