Musical Times too good for Haven in Fillies' Mile at Newmarket

Charlie Appleby's 4/9 favourite was caught up amongst horses as the field congregated on the stands' rail and that allowed Aidan O'Brien's supplemented Haven (28/1) to poach a lead.

However, once in the clear Musical Times made up her ground easily and she forged ahead by a length at the line in good style under Will Buick.

Paddy Power were suitably impressed and trimmed her to 5/2 from 5/1 for the Betfred 1000 Guineas next year.

It was the second Fillies' Mile in three years for Appleby and Buick after Desert Flower won the race two years ago.

Buick said: "When I realised we were going stands' side, you see so many hard-luck stories, I knew getting an exit wasn't going to be easy.

"I had a couple of options, but every time I asked her to pick up she did. I asked her to quicken into the Dip which isn't easy for a two-year-old.

"Gorgeous filly and really looking forward to her as a three-year-old.

"A mile and a quarter could be within her grasp."

Appleby added: “I’m obviously delighted. I thought after the first two furlongs I thought let’s just see what is happening here and I was hoping for a bit luck. Will was on the class filly in the race, and he could see that he knew it himself. He was just trying to find those gaps where possible, and thankfully he got them at the right time, and she quickened up smartly.

“When I say smartly she had to work hard, but she had a bit of traffic to get through, so she would have learned plenty.

“What I liked about her today, and full credit to the team at home, was that she went down to post good today, whereas at Doncaster she was a bit of a handful. I would take a nice bit out of that and be something to be put away and look forward to next year.

“We will do our usual and have a racecourse gallop and come into the 1000 Guineas.

“I could see what Will was trying to do as you had the pacemaker on the rail, and that was only going to come back into your lap. He was just trying to find his gap to come across, and everyone on the outer has seen that. They knew they had to go try to beat one filly, that being ours. Full credit to Will and the filly as they found the gaps and toughed it out when it was needed. When she got that run upsides the eventual second I felt she was always going to attack the hill well. One thing we have seen with her is that she gallops out strongly.

“A lot of the jockeys would tell you that when you are seeing the dip for the first time, especially with a filly like her who probably wants a bit easier ground, you like them to see the dip, and where she was there was no chance of her seeing the dip so it was going to come as a surprise, and it did. As we saw at Doncaster we saw that rounded action, which was enhanced a bit more here because of the ground being a bit tighter, so I think you can mark the effort up.

“What we saw today I felt she deserves to be first or second favourite for the 1000 Guineas. She has done it over the mile and seen it out well. We said the fillies division is strong this year, but they all look like sprinting fillies, whereas she sees it out.

“Personally I think she is a miler at the moment, whether she stretches out to a mile and a quarter or a mile and a half I don’t know as she got a lot of natural speed.”

O’Brien said of the runner-up: “She is only a baby, but she has been progressing lovely so I’m delighted with her run. We thought she was a nice filly that was slowly coming along. She is going to be lovely next year. She is progressing. The other filly is a big mature filly, but we couldn’t be more happy with our filly. I think she is going to be an Oaks type filly. I think a mile and a quarter and a mile and a half will be for her. We thought she would be a filly that gets middle distances.”

Timeform View - David Cleary

Musical Times made it four wins from four starts as a two-year-old, following up her victory in the May Hill in the Fillies' Mile at Newmarket. She didn't produce the sort of fireworks she had in winning by 7½ lengths at Doncaster, her margin here just a length. Nor did she have to run to quite the same level as she had that day.

That said, there was an element of overcoming adversity in Musical Times' effort. The field surprisingly came over to the stand rail, and space was at a premium.

Musical Times was in danger of not getting a run under two furlongs out. It didn't help that she didn't look at home on the track either or that the strong wind was making a few of her rivals wander around in front of her. A gap came just in time. To her credit, once in the clear, Musical Times quickened through to get the better of the maiden winner Haven.

Musical Times is now second-favourite behind Sun Goddess for next spring's 1000 Guineas and at the head of the market for the Oaks. However, she isn't the most imposing, so there is some doubt about how she will train on, and clearly the track might again be an issue in the Guineas.

It's also worth pointing out that her dam failed to handle the track at Epsom and finished down the field when well fancied for the Oaks. Musical Times might also find her stamina stretched at a mile and a half.

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