White Moonstone rises in Fillies' Mile
Saeed bin Surror left it late but he finally won his first British Group One race of the season when White Moonstone won the Meon Valley Stud Fillies' Mile.
Frankie Dettori used to reserve the flying dismount for Group One winners but had had to become a little less fussy of late. But this time he could go into orbit knowing that he had a Classic filly to look forward to for next year. The smile on his face as he crossed the line told that more eloquently than any words.
Fork Handles led them into the field, tracked by Theyskens’ Theory and Traffic Sister, but the main players were waiting to take centre stage. Ryan Moore took up the on Theyskens’ Theory at the two pole but White Moonstone and Together, the Aidan O’Brien filly, were both starting to grind it out on what was testing turf for two-year-old fillies over a mile.
White Moonstone took it up with about a half-furlong to run but then had to battle to hold off the tenacious late challenge of Together to win by a neck, with Theyskens’ Theory in third.
The filly, who was extended her winning sequence to four from as many starts, has made the progress through the Pattern ranks, having won the Group Three Sweet Solera Stakes at Newmarket in August and the Group Two May Hill Stakes at Doncaster a fortnight ago, but Dettori did not think she had run up to that form this time despite winning at championship level.
“I don’t think she ran as good as Doncaster. It was only two weeks since Donny, she was bit fresh in the paddock and the turn of foot wasn’t as good Doncaster. I think the race just came a bit quick. Her class pulled her through, now we’re going to put her away for the winter.
“She’s still got a lot of filling up to do and winning still, like that, was very pleasing. She’s quite light-framed and I don’t think she’ll take much more racing.”
White Moonstone hardened her claims for next season’s 1000 Guineas but Dettori knows just what can happen between autumn and spring. “We’ll have to wait and see, all the option are open. It was a good performance today and now we can dream.”
From now on until the 1000 Guineas it will be Bin Suroor’s task to turn the dream into reality. “We will keep the options open for her but it is more than likely that we will take her back to Dubai and then go for the 1000 Guineas at Newmarket next May,” he said.
“She has shown that she is a Group One filly and I think she might be even better as a three-year-old.”
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