Moonlight shines light on Oaks with Newmarket success

With The Moonlight was a decisive winner of the Betfair Pretty Polly Stakes for Charlie Appleby and William Buick.

Trainer Charlie Appleby. Picture: Pat Healy Photography

Making her seasonal return, the Frankel filly continued Godolphin's rich vein of form at Newmarket when seizing the Listed contest from the front as a 3-1 chance.

Now cut from 40-1 to 8-1 for the Oaks with Betfair, With The Moonlight came home four and three-quarter lengths ahead of Henry Spiller's 50-1 shot Mashaaer, with John and Thady Gosden's Crenelle another five lengths back in third.

Appleby said: "I'm delighted with her. She's a filly who had a nice profile as a two-year-old, but she was a bit raw.

"She finished up running a nice race in the Montrose on soft ground and her work at home has been good. The one thing she was going to do today was stay, so I told William to ride her positively.

"Once I could see from three down everything else was under the pump I was pretty confident she wasn't going to stop.

"She travelled so well, but the race did fall apart a bit. What pleased William was when it fell apart and she went through the gears she kept going right to the line."

He added: "She's in the Oaks and we'll see what happens in the other trials. Looking at her pedigree she's out of a quick mare but the Frankel factor will add the stamina.

"We have Life Of Dreams who won at Newbury for the Musidora and after the trials we'll formulate a plan.

"In her work she's been getting quicker, in the spring we thought a mile and a half would be her thing. Obviously she stays 10 furlongs well and ticks a nice few boxes.

"France might be an option after we've seen how things develop in the next week. They only get one chance to run in an Oaks or a Derby."


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