AS IT should be, it's ladies first on the opening day of York with the fillies taking centre stage in this afternoon's Musidora Stakes before the colts do battle in tomorrow's Dante.
Seven of the eight who'll go to post for the £60,000 Group 3 event hold Oaks' entries so whatever the outcome, expect a major shake-up in the betting for the fillies Classic next month.
As things stand at the moment, the Musidora should be fought
out between Moonstone, Dar Re Mi and Cape Amber, only a couple of points separating the trio at the head of the market for Epsom but, going strictly by the form book, all three look worth taking on with Lush Lashes.
Given how infrequently today's leading contenders have been seen in public, being dogmatic about how good they are, or more crucially in the circumstances how good they might be, is hard to quantify with Moonstone having had just one outing to date.
That she didn't even win it but is still the ante-post favourite for the Oaks is either testament to the progress she's made in the interim or the fact her trainer is Aidan O'Brien.
We'll know in a few hours which it is.
Cape Amber also heads to the Knavesmire with just one outing to her name and although Peter Chapple-Hyam's charge made short work of her rivals in a Newmarket maiden last August, she's another with something to prove based on what she's achieved to date.
In comparison to her two supposed main rivals, Dar Re Mi is almost a seasoned campaigner having had a couple of runs so far, the latest of them resulting in an easy victory at Sandown.
The trio of leading ladies in the Musidora clearly have much more to offer but with such flimsy evidence to go on, deciding which of them to side with is something of a stab in the dark.
Preferable, then, to stick with Lush Lashes who boasts the best credentials in the race, Jim Bolger's filly having finished sixth to Natagora in the 1000 Guineas at Newmarket.
The Irish raider didn't look totally at ease going into the Dip at Headquarters so her ability to handle Epsom would have to be in some doubt but that's for the future.
As far as the present is concerned, she'll like the fast ground at York while stepping up in trip should be another plus and at the odds on offer, she looks the best value in the race.
War Artist has been handed a "horrible" draw in stall one for the Duke Of York according to trainer James Eustace but this former South African sprinter could still be worth following.
He's only been seen twice this side of the world but has run well both times and with Kerrin McEvoy doing the steering, his stalls position may not be the kiss of death his handler fears it might be.
Whether this turns out to be War Artist's day or not, he's a name to remember for further down the line this season while Caranbola, who cost just 2000 guineas but has already won twice as much as that, is napped to show what a bargain buy she really was by landing the two-year-old maiden.
This evening's meeting at Perth marks the first appearance of Scotbet on the racing scene north of the border but while the name might be new, the firm itself will already be well known to punters under its previous guise of Morrisons Bookmakers.
The Edinburgh-based company will sponsor at all five tartan tracks this season and in an attempt to boost racehorse ownership in Scotland, will offer a £1,000 bonus to connections of the first Scottish-trained horse in one of the races they'll back.
Tonight, it's the Scotbet Handicap Hurdle where Peter Monteith is likely to land the cash with Commercial Express, albeit My Arch is fancied to land the race itself.
Egermyster and Deedetee can provide a double for Karl Burke with Howard Johnson set to follow suit courtesy of Artless and Bestofthebrownies.
• Henry Cecil has stated Vodafone Derby favourite Twice Over will only run in the totesport Dante Stakes if the ground is suitable. The colt will only line up if the ground is not too quick.
The full article contains 729 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
