York May meeting

Many British racegoers (and especially those from Yorkshire) consider York to be the best racecourse in the U.K. and the May meeting, which starts today, is certainly one of the most attractive fixtures, featuring the major Oaks Trial, the Musidora Stakes (Group Three for 3yo fillies at 15.40 CET). This is usually one if the best trials for the Epsom classic, but this time even more so, as the 3 favourites for the Oaks line up here and whoever wins today will certainly be regarded as the likely Oaks winner. The main candidates are Jim Bolger´s Lush Lashes (Kevin Manning, noted running on strongly when 6th in the 1,000 Guineas at Newmarket and as a daughter of Galileo almost certain to stay the trip; John Gosden´s Dar Re Mi (Jimmy Fortune), a most impressive Sandown maiden winner, and Aidan O´Brien´s Moonstone (Johnny Murtagh), runner-up in Leopardstown on her only race so far. Obviously Lush Lashes has the form in the book and is the one to beat, but both Dar Re Mi and Moonstone have bags of potential and have ben heavily backed for Epsom. Peter Chapple-Hyam´s Cape Amber (Jamie Spencer), an easy winner of her only start last season, also comes into the reckoning, but the other 4 fillies have in theory no chance.