Meeznah the main threat to royal favourite Set to Music

Set To Music is owned by Her Majesty The Queen and carried the famous purple and red silks to glory in the Galtres Stakes at the Ebor meeting last month.

That capped a meteoric rise towards the top for the Michael Bell-trained filly, who began the season with defeat off a mark of 70 in a Wolverhampton handicap, but has since rocketed up the ratings thanks to victories here on Town Moor, and twice at Nottingham.

Then came her memorable day at York, where she cruised through the race in second gear under a motionless Jamie Spencer, picking off more established rivals with contemptuous ease.

She renews rivalries with Cracking Lass, Polly’s Mark and Spin this afternoon but such was her authority on that occasion, she can confirm the form on almost identical terms, with the extra quarter-mile on offer likely to spark even more improvement.

Her biggest danger comes in the shape of Meeznah, who finished third 12 months ago and tasted victory at the Glorious Goodwood meeting, but floundered in testing conditions at Newbury last time and David Lanigan hopes this week’s downpours in Yorkshire have missed Doncaster.

The trainer said: “Meeznah seems fine and nothing came to light after Newbury other than the ground was loose and she didn’t seem to handle it very well. Frankie (Dettori) was never happy with her on that ground.

“We freshened her up and gave her a full check-up and nothing else came to light.

“She seems well and worked fine on Saturday, so we will see. It is a race that we have planned all year for her so hopefully it was just the ground at Newbury.

“They are calling the ground at Doncaster good to firm, good in places, and the less rain the better.

“It is in the lap of the gods but I wouldn’t really want it to go good to soft or anything like that.

“She is a good staying filly and we have freshened her up to build her up for this – hopefully her run last time was just too bad to be true.”

The Japan Racing Association Sceptre Stakes has been upgraded to Group Three status this year and sees an interesting Irish visitor in Alanza.

John Oxx has taken a softly-softly approach with his Dubai Destination filly and she has atoned for a couple of luckless defeats over six furlongs since being upped in trip, landing Listed prizes at Cork and Tipperary.

This is the next logical step for her, although this is a hot race and in Chachamaidee, she faces a bang in-form opponent who arrives on the back of a Goodwood defeat of the reopposing Dever Dream.

Her trainer Sir Henry Cecil said: “Chachamaidee seems in very good form.

“I have been very pleased with her work at home and hopefully she is going there with a big chance.”

Bogart bids for another big payday in the Weatherbys Insurance £300,000 2-Y-O Stakes.

Trained at Hambleton by Kevin Ryan, the son of Bahamian Bounty made an impressive debut at Ayr before finding the Richmond Stakes too much too soon at Goodwood.

He banished that performance to the memory, though, with an impressive triumph in the DBS Premier Yearling Stakes on the Knavesmire at the expense of Richard Fahey’s solid yardstick Miss Work Of Art.

Fahey won this last term with subsequent Group One winner Wootton Bassett and launches three arrows today, with Paul Hanagan opting to partner Cheveley Park Stakes entry Ladys First, although she must improve markedly on her latest Chester second to take a hand in the finish.

Besito is also engaged in the Cheveley Park but wil struggle to concede 3lb to Responsive in the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Carrie Red Fillies’ Nursery.

Hughie Morrison pitched his youngster into a Listed race at Salisbury recently and she didn’t disgrace herself, finishing on the heels of the placegetters.

As such, she is due to go up 9lb after this afternoon’s assignment, so should be able to take full advantage of her lenient rating.

North Yorkshire handler Paul Midgley immdiately nominated the Elements Medispa Handicap as the next port of call for Internationalde but after he scored at York on Sunday and he is up to defying his 6lb penalty.

The six-year-old was ending a barren spell that stretched back to May 2009 at the weekend but did so with a little bit up his sleeve and is worth sticking with while in such good heart.

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