Yorkshire fillies target success in Musidora Stakes at York on opening day of new season

Malton’s Richard Fahey trains Midnight Mile, who lost her unbeaten record but still ran with credit in the Juvenile Fillies Turf having been slowly away, after previously landing the Oh So Sharp Stakes at Newmarket.

From the family of Quarter Moon and Yesterday, who were both second in the Oaks, Midnight Mile does not hold an entry for the Classic but given her connections, it would not be a surprise if she was added to the Epsom field should she run well.

“We are very pleased with her. She has wintered extremely well and we are very happy with her,” said Fahey.

“She has filled out and I should imagine this trip will probably suit her well. But this is a good Musidora, a very good race and it will be a good filly who wins it.

“She started late last year and she took a little time to come to herself, so I haven't rushed her this year.

“We skipped the Guineas and all that carry on and decided this was the route to go.

“She got some nice experience last year and we've always felt she would make a better three-year-old, so fingers crossed.

“I'll tell you after the race where we think she'll get to!”

Novakai, who was also second in Doncaster’s May Hill Stakes, is much the highest-rated filly in the field.

Trained by Leyburn’s Karl Burke, the daughter of Lope De Vega chased home the now-retired Commissioning in the Fillies' Mile and is bred to improve for middle distances this season being out of a Nathaniel mare.

While the two aforementioned fillies bring plenty of Pattern form to the table, the favourite is Sir Michael Stoute's Infinite Cosmos, a Newmarket maiden winner.

Andrew Balding's Sea Of Roses has also only won a maiden, but she beat Infinite Cosmos on that occasion and has finished second in a French Group Three already this term, while Jack Channon's Gather Ye Rosebuds won her only start to date by nine and a half lengths on soft ground at Newbury.

Lambada represents Aidan O'Brien, winner one of her three starts so far and a relatively rare Dubawi runner for Ballydoyle.

David Simcock's once-raced Empress Wu completes the field.

John Quinn feels Highfield Princess faces a “tough enough” test in her bid for back-to-back victories in the preceding 1895 Duke of York Clipper Stakes (3.00).

The six-year-old was fit from a winter campaign on the all-weather when landing the Group Two prize 12 months ago, a victory which proved a springboard to a fantastic campaign. Yorkshire’s Horse of the Year completed a hat-trick of Group One wins, landing the Prix Maurice de Gheest, the Nunthorpe and the Flying Five Stakes in little over a month before rounding off 2022 with an honourable fourth at the Breeders' Cup.

The Malton handler said: “She's in good shape, I'm pleased with her. She thrives on racing and I would have liked to have got a run into her, but that wasn't possible because there wasn't a race there.”

Australian sprinters invariably do well on British soil and hopes are high for another Antipodean challenger in The Astrologist.

Beaten just a head when runner-up to Danyah in the Al Quoz Sprint on Dubai World Cup night at Meydan, the Newmarket-based six-year-old will be ridden by Ryan Moore in his warm-up for the Royal meeting.

Michael Dods fires a twin assault, with recent Newmarket Listed race winner Azure Blue joined by dual Stewards' Cup hero Commanche Falls, who finished third behind Creative Force last weekend.

He said: “Azure Blue deserves her chance. The problem Commanche Falls has got is he's too high in the ratings to get in handicaps and he's probably not quite good enough for a race like this, but we've got to run and see how he can cope.

“Ideally he'd be better off in big handicaps like the Wokingham and the Stewards' Cup, but he can't get in those off 112.”

Burke's Gimcrack runner-up Marshman adds extra spice, coming here instead of waiting for Haydock on Saturday week.

The John and Thady Gosden-trained Epictetus and Godolphin’s, Flying Honours, look set to vie for pole position in the market for tomorrow’s £180,000 Group 2 Al Basti Equiworld Dubai Dante Stakes.

Both are stakes winners, with the Charlie Appleby-trained Flying Honours winning a Newmarket Group 3 last autumn and Epictetus landing the Listed Blue Riband Trial at Epsom in April.

Sir Michael Stoute, with seven past Dante winners, will saddle the Wood Ditton Maiden winner Passenger, who was supplemented for the York race and will be hoping he can complete the Dante-Derby double achieved by Desert Crown last year.

Yorkshire hopes are represented by Middleham’s Charlie Johnston who is is double-handed with Newcastle Listed winner Dear My Friend and likely outsider Killybegs Warrior, with Burke represented by Liberty Lane.