Aviate extends her unbeaten run in fine style and Oaks odds are halved

THERE was a typically warm York reception on a chilly afternoon for veteran Newmarket trainer Henry Cecil after he claimed his ninth success in the Group Three Tattersalls Musidora Stakes when Aviate and a relieved Eddie Ahern caught Irish raider Gold Bubbles on the line to win by a head.

It was hardly the day for fillies – the human variety preferred coffee to Champagne or Pimms as their tipple on the lawns – but Aviate, who was retaining her unbeaten record after three runs, was immediately cut from 20-1 to 10-1 for the Investec Oaks next month by Skybet.

Judging by the way she outclassed the rest of the field – apart from Gold Bubbles – she represents decent value.

The runner-up is also worth further consideration, most of her previous form being on ground softer than yesterday's but canny trainer Jim Bolger had obviously seen something in her previous seven runs – which had yielded only one victory – to send her across the Irish Sea on Monday.

Aviate had her work cut out three furlongs from home, being held up in a pocket on the far rail as Mark Johnston's Bikini Babe maintained the lead she had held from the stalls with Aidan O'Brien's Cabaret, the favourite in with every chance at that stage.

Kevin Manning kicked for home on Gold Bubbles two furlongs out and left the rest behind but Ahern had somehow extricated himself from trouble and launched Aviate on a thrilling run up the rail to win at 11-4 with Gold Bubbles second at 20-1 and Eleanora Duse third at 15-2.

Cecil said of his filly: "We ran her to see if she stays but she has a cross of Nijinsky on both the sire and dam side so there was a bit of stamina there. She's a nice filly but you couldn't see how good she was because she didn't get a clear run.

"What they should have done was spread out and let her come through – then we would have seen what she really was."

Ahern, who was standing in for the suspended Tom Queally, said: "She travelled very well but when I wanted a gap there was no room.

"She got me out of trouble because I'd have had a lot of stick if she had been beaten," he said.

Aviate wears the colours of Khalid Abdullah, down the years a great supporter of racing at York, and the owner was within a stride or two of a rapid double as his Showcasing, the 4-1 joint favourite, and Main Aim just failed to overhaul the 20-1 chance Prime Defender in the day's feature race, the Group Two Duke of York Blue Square Stakes.

In Exile had taken them on at a good gallop over the first three of the six furlongs when Prime Defender, with Robert Winston in the saddle, hit the front and quickly established what looked like a winning lead only for Showcasing, Main Aim and Doncaster Rover to emerge from the fading pack and mount a serious challenge.

With Winston at his superb, hard-driving best, the Barry Hills-trained six-year-old, a winner at Haydock earlier this month, managed to hold on in a thrilling finish and give Winston the confidence to say: "He's a Group One horse in the making."

The honour of riding the first winner at the May meeting fell to champion jockey Ryan Moore aboard the Sir Michael Stoute-trained Imposing who lived up to his name after over a year off the course with a smooth charge up the middle of the course to take The 66 of Free Bets at Bluesquare.com Stakes and reward his supporters at 7-2.

Similarly comfortable as he crossed the line to take the York City at Wembley With Blue Square Handicap Stakes was Kaptain Kirkup, three times a winner last season and showing great improvement on his seasonal debut at Newmarket to score under Tom Eaves at 6-1 for Darlington-based trainer Michael Dods.