Musical Times overcame traffic problems to maintain her unbeaten record in the bet365 Fillies’ Mile at Newmarket.
Charlie Appleby’s youngster had looked a top-class prospect in winning her first two starts on the July Course and at Yarmouth, and completed her hat-trick with facile victory in the May Hill Stakes at Doncaster last month.
Subsequent 1000 Guineas heroine Desert Flower completed the May Hill-Fillies’ Mile double two years ago for Appleby and William Buick and Musical Times was the 4/9 favourite to follow suit.
It was not entirely straightforward for odds-on backers, with Buick struggling to find a gap, but once the split did come she quickly went through the gears to beat Aidan O’Brien’s Haven by a length.
Appleby said: “I’m delighted and I have to say after two furlongs we just had to hold our breath a little bit and see what was happening, but William was on the class filly in the race and he knew it himself. He was just trying to find those gaps and when he did she quickened up smartly.
“The rest were riding to beat one filly – ours, but credit to her and William they toughed it out and when she found the gaps she did what was needed.
“When she got the run upsides the eventual second she was always going to attack the hill well and the one thing we’ve seen is she always gallops out strongly.
“She had to work a bit hard there but she will have learned plenty and what I liked about her today was she went to post well and is still learning.
“The fillies division is strong this year and there’s some lovely fillies around but they look to be all sprinting fillies while this girl sees out the mile well.
“She was seeing the dip for the first time and probably wanted easier ground and it is nice if they can see the dip.
“But there was no chance of her seeing it when she was rolling down and you could see that rounded action looking a bit enhanced here with the ground being tighter than Doncaster and not being able to see that dip bless her. But I think it’s a performance you can mark up a little bit.”
Musical Times was made 5/2 from 4/1 with BOYLE Sports for next year’s 1000 Guineas and Appleby will take a tried and tested route to the opening fillies’ Classic of the year via his usual Craven meeting racecourse gallop.
Appleby added: “There’s no doubt about it she needed her class to get her home today but from what we saw I think she is entitled to be one of the favourites for the Guineas. She’s done it over the mile and sees it out well.
“We’ll put her away now and we’ll probably just come here for a racecourse gallop and then on to the Guineas hopefully.
“I would say she is a miler through and through at the minute and she has a lot of natural pace and quickens.
“She could maybe get further and you don’t always need to be a proper mile-and-a-half horse at Epsom sometimes and if you are miler who can get a mile and a quarter you might be able to get the job done.”
While Appleby holds some reservations about middle-distance possibilities for Musical Times, it is those distances O’Brien feels Haven will thrive over next season after the Dundalk maiden winner took the leap into Group company firmly in her stride when second.
O’Brien said: “She’s only a baby, is progressing lovely and I’m delighted with her run.
“We have always thought she was a nice filly and she’s going to be lovely next season.
“She’s progressing and the other filly is a big mature filly, so we couldn’t be happier.
“I think she’s probably an Oaks filly, a mile and a quarter and a mile and a half. She’s going to be a middle-distance filly.”
Leave a Reply