Tag Archive for: Midnight Mile

Midnight Mile ready to go the Musidora distance

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Breeders’ Cup fourth Midnight Mile and Fillies’ Mile runner-up Novakai head a strong Yorkshire-trained challenge for the Tattersalls Musidora Stakes at York.

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 the May Hill Stakes, is much the highest-rated filly in the field.

Trained by 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.

Jack Channon’s Gather Ye Rosebuds won her only start to date by nine and a half lengths on soft ground at Newbury.

The form has not been tested as yet, but she could not have created a better impression.

“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,” said Channon.

“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.

“Whether she’s good enough or not, it’s exciting to at least have a horse that you feel like you might be able to compete a bit with the big boys. It’s just nice to hopefully have something good enough to highlight the fact, given the opportunity with the right stock, that you can produce the goods.”

John and Thady Gosden’s Soul Sister finished last of 12 in the Fred Darling at Newbury and is expected to appreciate the better surface on the Knavesmire.

“She won well first time at Doncaster on her debut at the back end of last season and obviously the ground at the Greenham meeting at Newbury was very, very testing indeed,” said Thady Gosden.

“She didn’t handle the ground, as many didn’t. We’ve always thought she is a filly with plenty of class and obviously it is a very competitive race, but she should like the track.

“We certainly think she’ll take a step forward.”

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

Ryan Moore and Aidan O’Brien are represented by Lambada
Ryan Moore and Aidan O’Brien are represented by Lambada (Lorraine O’Sullivan/PA)

“I have a lot of time for a few of these, and obviously I rode Infinite Cosmos to win her maiden in decisive fashion at Newmarket earlier in the month and she is a filly I rate, but hopefully Lambada can hold her own,” her jockey Ryan Moore told Betfair.

“I haven’t ridden her in a race before but she won a decent maiden over an extended nine furlongs at Gowran Park in good style on her reappearance and the further they went, the better she looked there.

“We are obviously dealing with a lot of unexposed fillies here, so it is hard to be anything other than hopeful, but the trip certainly looks as if it will suit.”

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

Fahey eyeing Musidora starting point for Midnight Mile

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Richard Fahey is targeting the Musidora Stakes at York’s Dante meeting in May as a starting point for his exciting filly Midnight Mile.

A debut winner at Doncaster last July, she was not seen again until winning the Oh So Sharp Stakes at Newmarket in October.

That set her up for a trip to the Breeders’ Cup and an appearance in the Juvenile Fillies Turf but she lost all chance of winning with a tardy start.

It was to her immense credit that she came from last to finish fourth of 14 behind Meditate and Fahey is happy to skip the Guineas in favour of middle distances this summer. Given she is closely rated to both Yesterday and Quarter Moon, both second in the Oaks, she looks bred to stay in excess of a mile.

“I’m very pleased with her at the moment, she’s wintered very well and she’s going nicely,” said Fahey.

“I was a little bit frustrated at the Breeders’ Cup that she didn’t bounce and run and get the place we wanted her to be in, but that’s racing. It was only the third run of her life and she’s bred to be a better three-year-old. I was pleased we learned a bit more about her.

“I’m going to skip the Guineas and all that. I’m going to step her up to a mile and a quarter and start her off in something like the Musidora. I think I’d take her straight there, I just haven’t rushed her this year and let her mature, which she has done, and we’ll have a second-half of the season campaign.”

Barefoot Angel will run in a Guineas trial
Barefoot Angel will run in a Guineas trial (Jeff Holmes/PA)

Another three-year-old filly in the yard who will head for a Guineas trial is Barefoot Angel, winner of the Group Three Firth of Clyde Stakes and an unlucky fourth in Redcar’s Two Year Old Trophy under a penalty.

“She was another who didn’t bounce and race that day at Redcar, but we’ll run her in a Guineas trial and see what happens,” said Fahey.

“She’s in both Guineas and we’ll play it by ear after her trial to see what we want to do. It will be Newmarket or Newbury for a trial.”

Fahey was on the mark at Royal Ascot last season with The Ridler, a 50-1 winner of the Norfolk Stakes but he disappointed on his only other run in France after that.

“The Ridler is good and he’ll start off in the Greenham and see where we go after that,” said Fahey.

“He just didn’t come back as I’d have liked after France but he’s done extremely well over the winter, so we’re still undecided whether he’s a sprinter or whether we can stretch him out.

“We lost our two Group One winners from last year (The Platinum Queen was sold and sent to Roger Varian and Perfect Power retired), so we have to find another one.

“We have a good batch of two-year-olds. so hopefully one of them can step up.”