Each day in the run-up to the Cazoo Oaks, a member of the Timeform team analyses the claims of a leading player. Andrew Asquith puts With The Moonlight under the microscope
WITH THE MOONLIGHT
With The Moonlight was well fancied to make a winning debut at Newmarket last summer, but was too green to do herself justice, showing clear signs of inexperience racing from off the pace and never able to land a blow.
At the time, she wasn’t the first juvenile of Charlie Appleby’s to have performed in similar fashion (yard was only 2-17 with two-year-olds up to that point), but she duly showed the benefit of that initial experience when winning at Chelmsford 18 days later.
With The Moonlight was once again well found in the market, though she rather laboured to victory, off the bridle a long way out and still displaying signs of inexperience. She was much more impressive when following up over an extended mile at Wolverhampton on her next start, though, going through the race with much more enthusiasm and defying a penalty in the style of a potentially smart filly.
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She closed last season with a creditable third in listed company at Newmarket, but on the face of it, she was a little disappointing, as she went into that race having achieved more than her rivals, but wasn’t able to improve further stepped up in grade.
A well-made filly, she always had the potential to develop into an even better three-year-old, and it was hard not to be impressed by her winning return in the Pretty Polly Stakes at Newmarket at the beginning of this month where she produced a smart performance on the clock.
With The Moonlight showed much improved form stepped up to a mile and a quarter, given a more positive ride up in trip, over racing a little in the early stages but always travelling well and finding herself in front three furlongs from home. William Buick gave her a little squeeze soon after and she immediately put distance between herself and the remainder and continued to stretch that advantage all the way to the line.
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Discover Sporting Life Plus BenefitsShe is out of a useful mare that won over five and six furlongs, but she is by Frankel, who seems to install plenty of stamina into his progeny, and With The Moonlight leaves the impression that the step up to a mile and a half in the Oaks will bring about further improvement.
She hasn’t got much to find with the likes of Emily Upjohn and Nashwa on Timeform weight-adjusted ratings and she will be no back number at Epsom on Friday.
PRO:
With The Moonlight has more experience than several of these rivals but remains totally unexposed over middle distances, finding a chunk of improvement for a step up in trip last time, while promising to progress again over the extra two furlongs of the Oaks trip. She looks a straightforward type who had no problem with the Dip at Newmarket which offers hope she won’t be inconvenienced by the idiosyncrasies of Epsom.
CON:
The form in behind With The Moonlight in the Pretty Polly Stakes is questionable, as she was chased home by the 50/1 outsider of the field, and that rival has since been beaten at odds-on back in maiden company. She also raced keenly on that occasion and, while she found plenty in the closing stages, she will need to settle better over this trip up against much stronger rivals.