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Midnight Mile and Novakai head up a solid Yorkshire-trained challenge on day one of the York Dante meeting in the Group 3 Tattersalls Musidora Stakes.
Midnight Mile and Novakai head up a solid Yorkshire-trained challenge on day one of the York Dante meeting in the Group 3 Tattersalls Musidora Stakes.
The Richard Fahey trained Midnight Mile looks a smart filly having made a winning debut last July at Doncaster before following up narrowly in the Group 3 Oh So Sharp Stakes at Newmarket last October. The daughter of No Nay Never lost her unbeaten record on her third racecourse appearance but far from disgraced finishing fourth in the Group 1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf, stepping up in trip to 1m in November.
From the family of Quarter Moon and Yesterday, who were both second in the Group 1 Epsom Oaks, Midnight Mile would need to be supplemented for the classic in two weeks' time if Wednesday's race went well.
Trainer Richard Fahey said: "We are very pleased with her. She has wintered extremely well and we are very happy with her,"
"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.
The Karl Burke trained, Novakai is another promising filly who is one of the market leaders being the highest-rated runner in the line-up.
The daughter of Lope De Vega was also a debut winner last July at Doncaster over 7f before a fair fifth tackling the Newmarket Group 3 Sweet Solera Stakes when second up. She continued to improve and posted a strong second in the Group 2 May Hill Stakes over 1m at Doncaster in September and filled the same position in the Group 1 Fillies' Mile at Newmarket a month later.
Being out of a Nathaniel mare, the longer journey should suit. She holds entries in both the Epsom and Irish Oaks as well as the Irish 1,000 Guineas at the end of this month.
Away from the Yorkshire runners, Jack Channon's Gather Ye Rosebuds holds a Royal Ascot entry in the Group 2 Ribblesdale Stakes and comes into today's contest with only one start posting a highly impressive debut success on soft going at Newbury over 1m 2f.
The trainer said: "It was a great result first time and she put in what looks like an outstanding performance. She's comfortably beaten a well-touted field, albeit on softer ground than she'll encounter on Wednesday. But she couldn't have been more impressive,"
"I feel like, mentally and physically, she's improved from that run. And if she can replicate that sort of level of form, then you'd like to think that she goes there with a great chance.
"She's a big filly that's maturing day in, day out. She hadn't quite lost her coat at Newbury, but she's really shining now. She's started to flourish in the last three weeks and I couldn't be happier with the way all her work and everything like that's gone.
"She hasn't proven she's stakes class yet, albeit it being a very impressive maiden win. So she's got a lot of questions to answer – but hopefully she's got the answers.
