Musical Times blows apart May Hill Stakes field

Musical Times burst into the next year’s Classic picture with a wide-margin victory in the Betfred May Hill Stakes at Doncaster.

Winner of her first two races at Newmarket and Yarmouth, she had not done anything to suggest she was about to blow a Group Two field wide apart.

Travelling strongly in the hands of William Buick, the Charlie Appleby-trained 7-4 favourite shot clear over a furlong out and the race was over.

The daughter of Lope De Vega pulled a yawning seven and a half lengths clear clear of Scommessa Sicura, who was only a neck behind the winner on her debut, in second.

Appleby said: “Delighted. Coming into the race I wouldn’t say I was trying to sit on the fence, but she shows so much natural pace at home, I thought ‘I hope she stays’. She should stay on pedigree but everything at home has been very zippy and we saw that through the race today.

“She’s handled everything and the race was faultless, wasn’t it? There was a nice pace on, she travelled into it, travelled up to leaders well and most importantly she accelerated, which is what you always like to see.

“We’ll head to the Fillies’ Mile, which was always our pencil plan since Yarmouth really.”

Paddy Power initially cut Musical Times to 12-1 from 25s for next year’s 1000 Guineas, but that did not last long and neither did 8-1, with the firm eventually forced to make her their 6-1 favourite.

“She’s handled that slightly slower ground today but she’s a neat filly, so if it came up quick at Newmarket in the autumn or in the spring it wouldn’t worry me,” the trainer added.

“I don’t see why she shouldn’t be a Guineas filly. We won this a couple of years ago with Desert Flower, who went on to win the Guineas. Funnily enough I see this filly as more of a Guineas filly than Desert Flower, who was a big and scopey and unfortunately didn’t quite win the Oaks.”